Iftikhar Haider has joined the academic affairs team as assistant director for experiential learning. In his position, he will collaborate directly with faculty, staff, students, and external partners to facilitate successful experiential learning in undergraduate, graduate, and online programs of the iSchool. 

The iSchool is pleased to announce that Professor Dong Wang has been appointed associate dean for research. In this role, Wang will provide leadership in the support, integration, communication, and administration of the iSchool's research and scholarship endeavors. This includes supervising the iSchool's Research Services unit, supporting the research centers, and assisting faculty in the acquisition of research funding.

The School of Information Sciences is proud to recognize the 2025 academic milestones of our PhD students.

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (The Bulletin) has announced the 2025 Blue Ribbon awards, its annual selection of the best works in children's and young adult literature. Blue Ribbons are chosen annually by a committee of reviewers for The Bulletin and represent what they believe to be outstanding examples of youth literature.

The iSchool at Illinois is pleased to announce the publication of Library Trends 74 (2) "Libraries, Library Services, and Persons Living with Dementia." Authors present research on the growing field of library services for people living with dementia and their caregivers, while a number of articles detail current library services that include reading, physical resource provision, and reminiscence.

Kyu-Been Chun joined the iSchool this month as a coordinator of student and academic affairs. In his new role, he will support PhD students with their academic affairs, ensuring that they have the resources and guidance they need throughout their doctoral journey.

The iSchool at Illinois is pleased to announce that The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books has released their highly anticipated 2025 gift guide, just in time for holiday shopping.

The University of Illinois is expanding its nationally acclaimed portfolio of online graduate programs with a new opportunity for creative problem-solvers and technical thinkers. The Master of Science in Game Development is a fully online degree built for students who want to turn their passion for interactive media into meaningful careers across game development, animation, simulation, and other interactive media industries.

Each fall, an interdisciplinary team of students at the University of Illinois comes together to create an escape room. The class project is the culmination of a collaboration between two courses: Designing Immersive Adventures – Escape Rooms (Theatre 402/Game Studies and Design 490) and Makerspace – Escape Rooms (Informatics 418). 

Cindy Brya has been appointed assistant dean for communications and marketing. In her new role, she will lead the iSchool’s Communications and Marketing team, provide counsel to the dean, and shape the overall communications strategy.