Introduction

Background

For more than 100 years, the School of Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh has been educating leaders in the Information Professions. The institution was founded as the Training School for Children’s Librarians at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh in 1901: it has evolved to meet the growing demands of society in terms of information and the modes by which such information is produced, retrieved and utilized.  In 1961, the School became a part of the University of Pittsburgh and over the next decade expanded its curricular offerings to include a doctoral program, specializations in school librarianship and archives, and a Master’s degree program in Information Science. From the 1980s onward, a degree program in Telecommunications was created and signature research programs have been introduced. In 1996, the name of the School was changed from the School of Library and Information Sciences to the School of Information Sciences, to better represent the entirety and holistic evolution of the academic programs. The history of the School is a reflection of the history of the Information Professions – growing and changing in response to societal needs and the incorporation of new technologies. The School’s history was celebrated in a centenary publication, Tradition in Transition: A History of the School of Information Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 100th Anniversary, 1901-2001.

Today, the School offers the following degree programs:

Concentrations in User-Centered Design, Information Systems, and Networks and Security

Specializations in Geoinformatics, Database and Web Services, Big Data Analytics, Information Security, Human-Centered Computing, Telecommunications and Distributed Systems

Specializations in Archives, Preservation and Records Management (will change in Fall 2013 to Archives and Information Science); Digital Libraries; Information Technology; Resources and Services: Health; Resources and Services: Reference; Resources and Services: Children and Youth; and School Library Certification

The field of Information Sciences encompasses many disciplines and areas of expertise that address the types and management of available information, the needs of people to find and use this information, and the technology to meet those needs. It is a set of professions and academic areas that explores the possibilities and challenges surrounding a key resource – information. Each day, information is created, sought, and utilized by individuals, corporations, governments, and societies. The world needs experts to help find, organize and store, validate, and systematize forms of information that range from books and pictures to Web sites and databases. Now, perhaps more than ever, trained and creative professionals are needed to understand users and uses of information in order to design and build real-world and virtual systems and services that will foster the potential – as well as to master the volume -- of data being produced every day.

The University of Pittsburgh: A Major Research Institution

 The University of Pittsburgh, founded in 1787, is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States. Pitt is a top-tier research institution with more than 200 graduate degree programs. An AAU member institution, Pitt ranks third among public institutions of higher education and fifth among all universities, public and private, in its federally-financed research and development (R&D) expenditures, according to the latest figures issued by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The University was noted as the nation’s 8th best value for out-of-state students in The Kiplinger 100: Best Values in Public Colleges; and is home to quality faculty who have been honored by membership in the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Educational Research Association. According to the Carnegie Classification system, the University of Pittsburgh is RU/VH (Research Universities, very high research activity).

iSchool Governance

In 2005, the School’s administration and faculty began to draft a new management model, one which would allow for better representation of the School’s constituencies (faculty, staff, and students) and for more timely decision-making. The ultimate design called for the creation of the SIS Council, whose mandate is: “the expression of member views and the exercise of traditional academic responsibilities concerning the maintenance of appropriate academic standards in instruction, the development of educational programs and degree requirements, and the recommendation of policies in such areas as resource allocation, faculty and staff development, student affairs, research and service programs, and the School of Information Sciences’ relations with local, regional, national, and international communities.”   In 2006, the SIS Council was formally created and implemented.

The anticipated effect of this governance change was to create a focus that was more School-centric, rather than the distinctly department-centered entity it had become over the last decade. It was also expected that streamlined, representative governance would result in an organization that would be more institutionally-agile, more representative of the disciplinary convergences occurring within the Information Professions, and more conducive to emerging directions in collaborative research. The extent to which these goals are being achieved is continuously evaluated by the School administration, faculty and staff.

In 2006, the School reconstituted and convened the Board of Visitors (BOV) to evaluate our programmatic, research and administrative efforts. The BOV has met each of the last five years and their input has been invaluable and, in many cases, implemented.

The School created an Industry Advisory Council in 2004. This is a group of high-level industry professionals with an interest and expertise in those areas covered by the BSIS, GIST, and TELE programs. This group acts as a sounding board for curricular improvements, learning enhancements, and efforts on the part of the School to improve outreach to the professional communities.
With the completion of more than six years under the new management model, the School’s Board of Visitors praised the progress and suggested the time was right to engage in a School-wide visioning exercise and to use this as a foundation for its strategic plan. The School began this effort by holding special sessions of SIS Council, by placing it on the agenda for the School’s all-faculty meetings, by appointing an ad-hoc committee to lead the effort, and by hosting a blog for faculty and staff to contribute ideas to the visioning process. The outcomes of this effort are now reflected in the School’s 5-year plan and continue to provide a backdrop for planning and refinement of our curriculum, our research, and our faculty hiring. Much of that assessment and reflection work has also contributed to this Program Presentation.

Long term planning visualization removed.
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