Associate Professor Emily Knox has been named interim associate dean for academic affairs for the iSchool. In this role, she will provide leadership and oversight for academic programs, including program development, curriculum coordination, and continuous improvement of educational experiences. Knox most recently served as the School's first program director for the new BS/IS degree. Associate Professor Kate McDowell, who previously held the position of interim associate dean for academic affairs, stepped down to return to her teaching and research.
"With the introduction of our undergraduate degree, administrative coordination of our academic programs is crucial to fulfilling the School's mission to shape the future of information research, education, and engagement. I’m looking forward to continuing Kate’s work to stabilize and improve our curricula as we grow as a School," Knox said.
Teaching Associate Professor Judith Pintar will serve as acting BS/IS program director.
"Our undergraduate program officially opens this fall, with a slate of courses being taught for the first time, and many new teaching adventures for faculty in store," Pintar said. "I'm happy to step in for Emily during this transition year, working with Melissa [Newell] and the rest of the undergraduate team to help this groundbreaking program, so many years in the making, become real."
Knox, the iSchool's 2019-2020 Centennial Scholar, serves on the boards of the Freedom to Read Foundation, Beta Phi Mu, Association for Information Science & Technology, and National Coalition Against Censorship. Her research interests include information access, intellectual freedom and censorship, information ethics, information policy, and the intersection of print culture and reading practices. She received her PhD from the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University and her MS from the iSchool at Illinois.
Pintar's research interests include digital storytelling, game studies, and the development of interactive and narrative AI. She serves as director of Games @ Illinois: Playful Design for Transformative Education, a project funded by the Provost's Investment for Growth program. Pintar earned her PhD in sociology from Illinois.