Letter from the Dean

This fall, the iSchool welcomed nearly 1,900 students across our various academic programs. These students consist of those beginning their university studies and those returning to continue or complete their programs, including bachelor’s and master’s degrees, doctoral degrees, certificates of advanced study, school library licensure, and more. Our current student population represents an increase of more than one hundred percent compared to four years ago. Likewise, the total number of our tenure-track and specialized faculty has nearly doubled in the same time period.

While this growth is impressive, growth in and of itself is not our goal. Our School continues to focus on offering high-quality education. We accomplish this by hiring world-class faculty to educate our students, teaching them how to think critically and conduct meaningful research. We also develop innovative programs to give our graduates a competitive edge in the job market, such as our recently launched BS in information sciences and our newest degree, the BS in information sciences + data science.

“As our School continues to advance, I want to thank everyone who has worked hard to bring us to where we are today.”

To ensure our continued success, the iSchool must be able to rely on a well-formulated strategy on which to base future decisions and directions. I’m pleased to announce that we have finalized our five-year strategic plan. This plan is crafted around our vision to create sociotechnical solutions to real-world problems and to build a just and informed society by educating future global leaders. It includes strategic goals to further our School’s research and teaching excellence and our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. To assist with our progress, we have formed a new area of focus within our School to identify and develop opportunities to promote DEIA throughout our culture, educational programs, research, and public engagement.

As our School continues to advance, I want to thank everyone who has worked hard to bring us to where we are today. One of these individuals was Kathryn Luther Henderson, professor emerita, who passed away in August. Through her dedication to her students and our School, Kathryn forged a legacy of excellence and generosity that will be long remembered by those who were fortunate enough to know her and by those who have benefited—and will continue to benefit—from her many contributions.

Sincerely,

Eunice Santos, Dean