IST | And then there were 4: Search to name new dean by August narrows

By: Marissa Broe

Posted: 4/30/07

The search for a new dean of the School of Information Studies has been narrowed down to four candidates.

Mitch Wallerstein, dean of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, headed the search committee and said in e-mail that Vice Chancellor Eric Spina will make a final decision.

IST Dean Raymond von Dran announced last fall that he would be stepping down this August after 12 years at Syracuse University.

"I turned 60," he said, "and 24 years of service is enough."

SU is von Dran's third deanship. He had previously worked at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., as well as the University of North Texas in Dallas. Von Dran plans to take a year off before returning to SU to teach.

Von Dran said he played a minor role in the search for his replacement. All four candidates have visited campus since March.

"I asked a lot of the best people in the industry and world to apply," he said. Von Dran said he knows three of the four candidates very well and personally encouraged each to apply.

Von Dran plans to work with the incoming dean on fundraising to get the school named, such as Maxwell and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, which he sees as happening in the next deanship. "I will do everything to make that happen," von Dran said.

The Candidates:

Ron Larsen

Dean of the School of Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh

Before moving to Pittsburgh in 2002, Larsen spent time at the University of Maryland, where he served as assistant vice chancellor for computing. He also worked with NASA and during his time there created the research program in computer science. Larsen received a bachelor's in engineering sciences from Purdue University, a master's in applied physics at Catholic University of America and a doctorate in computer science from the University of Maryland.

Richard Katz

Founding director and current vice president of EDUCAUSE

EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit organization devoted to "advancing higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology." Before working with EDUCAUSE, Katz spent 14 years at the University of California, where he held various executive and managerial positions. Katz earned a bachelor's from the University of Pittsburgh and a master of business administration from The University of California, Los Angeles.

Anne P. Massey

Professor and department chair of the Lilly Faculty Fellow for Information Systems at Indiana University

Prior to Indiana, Massey worked as an assistant professor in the College of Management at North Carolina State University, as well as in the School of Management at Clarkson University. She earned a doctoral in decision sciences and engineering systems, a master's in industrial engineering and a bachelor's in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Andrew Dillon

Current dean of the School of Information at the University of Texas

Dillon is also a professor of psychology and information, risk and operations management at the college. He earned a doctoral from Loughborough University of Technology, and his bachelor's and master's degree from the University of College Cork. Dillon keeps a blog, titled "InfoMatters," that he enters three or four times a month at http://sentra.ischool.utexas.edu/~adillon/blog.