Faculty News

  • Alumni Honored at 2024 MSIS Hooding and Awards Ceremony

    During the School of Information Sciences 2024 Hooding and Awards Ceremony, two alumni from the SIS master’s program were honored for their work in libraries and information sciences. Alice Faye Duncan (‘91) was awarded the SIS Distinguished Alumni Award and Isaiah West (‘14) was awarded the SIS Innovator’s Alumni Award.  Distinguished Alumni Award Presented to…

  • SIS Professor Dania Bilal Recognized Among World’s Top Scientists

    School of Information Sciences Professor Dania Bilal has been recognized as one of the world’s top 2 percent of scientists based on her number of citations.  Bilal publications focus on children’s information behavior and interaction with technologies. “Being in the top 2 percent of most-cited scientists worldwide speaks to the impact of my long-term and…

  • CCI Recognizes 2024 Retirees, Students, and Award Winners

    Every spring, the College of Communication and Information recognizes and honors those who have made significant achievements in their work, whether it be excellence in teaching, research, or volunteering, or the time that they have contributed before retiring. In 2023, CCI has had much to celebrate from its graduate students, faculty, and staff. The following…

  • SIS Director Receives High Honors from Alma Mater 

    School of Information Sciences Director Abebe Rorissa was recently awarded the Outstanding Alumni Award from his alma mater, the University of North Texas’s College of Information, Department of Information Science.  Rorissa has been the director of the School of Information Sciences since July 2021. He also served as the associate dean of faculty affairs for…

  • SIS Assistant Professor Explores How Research Data is Published and Reused

    Assistant Professor Kai Li is an experienced information scientist and scholar who has worked for libraries and companies worldwide, in addition to higher education institutions. Li obtained a bachelor’s degree in history from Beijing Normal University, a master’s degree in information science from Syracuse University, and a PhD from Drexel University. During his studies, he…

  • UTK SIS Students, Faculty, and Alumni Shine at the 2024 Tennessee Library Association Conference

    Every year, professionals from across the state in the fields of library and information sciences, along with students and supporters, gather to share ideas, learn about new findings in the field, and award those who have shown exemplary leadership in the field. School of Information Sciences Director Abebe Rorissa (left) and Brynna Farris (Right) at…

  • SIS Assistant Professor Rebecca Frank Works to Preserve History and Safeguard the Future through her Research

    School of Information Sciences Assistant Professor Rebecca Frank’s research looks at the risks and rewards of digital curation, digital preservation, data sharing and reuse in areas such as AI satellite imagery and preserving history. Frank received her bachelors, masters, and PhD from the University of Michigan. She is currently teaching data stewardship and ethics along…

  • Clinical Professor Cindy Welch Retires After 15 Years at SIS

    Once upon a time, there was a woman who was many things. She was a mentor, a teacher, a librarian, a storyteller, and much more, to many people. Wherever she went, she spread her knowledge, humor, wisdom, and kindness, and she will be remembered by the hundreds of students who have experienced her tutelage over…

  • Hope Chidziwisano Uses Cultural Perspective in Researching Technology Usage

    The School of Information Sciences’ newest faculty member, Assistant Professor Hope Chidziwisano, was born and raised in Malawi. His research is inspired by his first-hand experiences of the adverse effects of the challenges facing resource-constrained settings in developing countries, such as unreliable electricity and inadequate social services to support socio-economic development at the household level.…

  • Four Fellows Named for CCI’s Information Integrity Institute

    Four inaugural Information Integrity Institute fellows have been selected from among the faculty at the College of Communication and Information, one from each school and all of whom are already conducting research that falls under the institute’s scope: Professor Mariea Hoy, Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations Associate Professor Mike Kotowski, School of Communication…