This is a message from outgoing School of Information Technology Director Mary Elaine Califf:
The time for change has come once again to the School of Information Technology. As I write this, I am sitting in an office ready for transition, with empty bookshelves and bare walls and surfaces remarkably free of paper. As I return to the faculty position I love, I wanted to share a few last thoughts as school director.
It has been an interesting six and a half years—a time filled with change, mostly good change, I think. The School of IT has seen significant growth in enrollment in both computer science and the new cybersecurity major. We have added several faculty members, seen the establishment of a professional mentorship program, and experienced significant growth in our internship numbers.
Thanks to support from the University administration and the generosity of both individual and corporate donors, we have been able to renovate and expand IT lab facilities. We have also been to offer a number of scholarships to IT students. While a great deal of credit for the success of the school and its programs goes to the faculty and staff who have brought quality and innovation to our curricula and supported various events, much of what we have achieved would not be possible without the generous gifts of time and resources from our alumni and friends. Therefore, as I look back at my time in this administrative role, I want to say thank you to all of those who have helped the school to prosper in this time.
One of the greatest joys of the director position has been getting to know some of our wonderful alumni and other supporters. I hope that I will continue to have opportunities to interact with many of you in my renewed role as a computer science professor. I also hope that you will all give our next director the same kind of support that you have given to me.
Our new director is Traci Carte. Upon earning a Ph.D. in information systems at the University of Georgia, she spent 15 years of her academic career at the University of Oklahoma. After leaving Oklahoma, she served as the chair of the Information Systems Department at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia. Carte is an award-winning teacher and researcher with expertise in computer-mediated communication and years of professional and teaching experience in data management.
Please join me in welcoming Carte to Normal, to Illinois State University, and to the School of IT. I believe she is exactly the right person to help us move forward to even better things.
