University leadership announces development of new school at Carolina

Dear Carolina Community,

Information technologies, especially generative AI, are having a transformational impact. In light of this pivotal moment in our history, Carolina is launching a major initiative to create a new school that will position the University as a national leader in applied technology, information and data science research and teaching. As part of this initiative, the School of Information and Library Science andthe School of Data Science and Society will join together as the founding leaders of this new school.

This yet-to-be-named school is a bold step forward in our commitment to preparing students for a world increasingly shaped by data, information and artificial intelligence. Both SILS and SDSS bring distinct strengths and areas of excellence to Carolina — technical expertise, humanistic inquiry and a deep understanding of the societal implications of emerging technologies. The new school will grow and amplify the impact of research and scholarship, foster interdisciplinary collaboration and expand opportunities to respond to the challenges of our time.

We recognize that this is a significant change. While the decision to create a new school has been made, the implementation plan still needs to be developed. We are committed to shaping it with our faculty, staff and students across both schools, whose expertise and perspectives are essential to ensuring a thoughtful and successful creation. This is the beginning of a collaborative process to determine how the new school will be created.

We want to emphasize:

• Faculty, staff and students will be engaged throughout. A task force, advisory committee and working groups will be formed to address key areas and there will be opportunities for engagement and feedback throughout the process.
• Academic programs will continue. Both schools have robust and thriving academic programs, and we hope the new school will support academic program growth, both in terms of enrollment and impact.
• Our focus is growth and opportunity. This decision is driven by the long-term possibilities and vision of growing the powerhouse academic programs of both schools, and we are confident this is the right decision for our campus.

We have been in close conversation with Deans Jeffrey Bardzell and Stanley Ahalt for a thoughtful approach to this creation, and we are enthusiastic about the possibilities this new school brings. Stanley Ahalt will serve as inaugural dean of the new school. Both he and Jeffrey Bardzell will continue to serve as deans of SDSS and SILS, respectively, through the transition. We are grateful for their leadership and for their dedication to helping to shape the new school.

Importantly, Dean Bardzell has accepted a secondary appointment as Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer and Vice Provost for AI, a crucial and timely position that will help shape Carolina’s response and implementation of AI across the University. This new role, which will become full-time once the new school is running, is critical to ensuring Carolina can adapt and grow in the rapidly changing world of AI.

Dean Bardzell has been a key voice informing our thinking about AI campuswide. We are grateful to have his experience in the classroom, administration and research guiding our efforts. Please join us in congratulating Dean Bardzell on this appointment.

The Operational Excellence team will support the operational planning with a task force made up of leadership from both schools, an advisory committee and multiple working groups to address and think through key areas for success. We’ve created an FAQ page to address common concerns and questions. We will continue to update campus as the implementation plan develops.

Sincerely,

Lee H. Roberts
Chancellor

James W. Dean Jr.
Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost