Ronald L. Larsen Dean & Professor Welcome to the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences Ronald L. Larsen Dean & Professor

Our Leadership Associate Dean for Student Services Mary Kay Biagini Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Martin Weiss SIS Council Chair Stephen Hirtle

Our Degree Programs Undergraduate program in Information Science Three Masters programs Library & Information Science (also available online) Information Science Telecommunications Two Ph.D. programs Library & Information Science (+ concentration in Archives) Information Science (+ concentration in Tele)

Undergraduate Information Science Information Systems enables students to use object-oriented design tools to design, build, implement, and test web-based information systems. User Centered Design provides the visual and human-computer interaction skills needed to design and build prototypes of information systems interfaces, as well as to perform usability testing of these systems. Networks and Security offers skills needed to design, build and test LANS, WANS, Wireless, Internet and Web-based networks.

Graduate Information Science & Technology Database and Web Systems Information Security Cognitive Systems Human Computer Interaction Distributed Systems Geoinformatics Technology and Society

Telecommunications Telecommunications Systems Computer Networks Policy & Management Wireless Security

Library & Information Science Archives & Records Mgmt Digital Libraries Preservation Mgmt Medical Librarianship & Medical Informatics School Library Certification Program Services to Children and Young Adults New tracks under consideration Academic Libraries Reference Policy & Ethics

Our Faculty Library & Information Science Information Science 11 tenure-stream (2 open) 3 non-tenure-stream Information Science 13 tenure-stream 2 non-tenure-stream Telecommunications 5 tenure-stream

Our Federally-funded Research

Our Enrollment

Declining National Interest in IT

Demand for IT Skills

Demand for IT Skills, cont’d

Demand for Librarians (10-year projections) Growth of 8,000 new positions projected (5% growth) 2004: 159,000 2014: 167,000 Replacement of 38,000 through retirement Aggregate projected need: 46,000 Annual production currently ~5,000 Stable demand with little projected growth

Evolution of the Disciplines Information Science & Telecomm Library Science Information Technology & Society Technology Society

The “I-School” Domain Information Information Science & Telecomm Library Science Technology Society Technology & Society Information Science: the augmentation of human intellectual activity through the intimate association of computational extensions to human memory and information processing

A Contemporary Example Identification Authentication Provenance Access control … Information Assurance Information Cryptography Steganography Key management Intrusion detection … Confidentiality Privacy Integrity Authorization … Technology Society

SIS environmental conditions leading to re-organizing Enrollment instability due to employment uncertainty Residuals from the dot-com bubble Offshore outsourcing Rapid industry changes Budget pressures Differing expectations across departments Teaching (function of enrollment) Research (function of federal priorities and resources) Service (function of program needs) Incentives for faculty To adapt to changing environment To respond to demand imbalances across the school

Objective: align with Pitt’s goal A top-25 research university that is actively engaged in defining, in addition to responding to, national research priorities Helping to discover and channel new research opportunities through interdisciplinary teams Incubating “signature” research areas

Dimensions of the Re-organization Structure Reflecting the integrated nature of information-intensive organizations Governance Engaging the full strength of faculty in shaping our future Resources Investing strategically with a long term view Culture Collaboration Shared responsibility Mutual accountability

The refined structure has… Research Interest Groups (dynamic) with potential to evolve into Centers (signature) Degree programs administered by Program Chairs (stable) Direction guided by representative SIS Council (strategic) All faculty engaged in programmatic decisions (participatory) Administration provided by Dean’s Office (routine) Academic Programs Faculty Research Interest Groups

Now, we solicit your advice… Are we responding appropriately to the exogenous pressures affecting us? How can we sustain our legacy of leadership? Are there opportunities (or challenges) we are missing (or avoiding) that affect critical issues confronting contemporary society’s increasing dependence on information?

Break-out Sessions Future directions for Telecommunications education How can we assure that our curriculum continues to address the accelerating needs of the profession? Rebuilding interest, vision, and passion to Information Science How can we instill in prospective students the transforming power they can exert on society? Sustaining and enhancing leadership in Library and Information Science How can we enhance our century-long record of leadership in librarianship and related fields? Capitalizing on collaboration How can we expand our capacity for interdisciplinary collaboration, leading to signature centers of excellence?