New Cornell dean for computing and information science will expand computing knowledge to many disciplines

To emphasize the role computing is taking across a broad range of disciplines, Cornell Provost Don M. Randel has created the new post of dean for computing and information science. He has appointed Robert Constable, who had been chair of the Department of Computer Science for the past six years, to the position.

"I am very grateful to Bob for his willingness to undertake this effort in the context of an urgent need for change and our traditional reluctance to engage in it," Randel said. Constable's appointment, which was effective July 1, was formally announced in a memo from Randel to Cornell deans, directors and department heads.

The action grows out of recommendations in the preliminary report of the Cornell Task Force on Computing and Information Science, issued in June. That report called attention to the many applications of computer-science ways of thinking in a variety of disciplines outside of science and engineering, ranging from economics to the visual arts. The task force recommended the creation of a new administrative structure for computer science, tentatively called a "Faculty of Information Science," that would span all disciplines in the university.

Randel said Constable's appointment is not meant to finalize what that structure ultimately will be. "The appointment is for the sake of facilitating the development of whatever arrangements may be decided as the task force continues its discussions," he said. "No decision on the administrative structure has been taken. That will require the broad consultation that we expect to engage in with the faculty this fall."

The preliminary report of the task force has been circulated, and comments have been invited. A faculty forum to discuss the report will be held Wednesday, Sept. 15, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., in David L. Call Alumni Auditorium of Kennedy Hall. It will be open to the public. A final task force report, incorporating the response of the campus, is due later this fall.

"The point of appointing Bob is to facilitate the development of these ideas and to have a faculty leader in place who can help to develop the ideas and implement them," Randel explained.

"I'm delighted to be able to play this kind of a role at Cornell," Constable said. "I think there are only three or four universities in the country where it's possible to put into place the kind of structure we're going to debate and discuss. It takes a full-fledged research university with an outstanding computer science department to pull it off.

"Cornell is so strong everywhere you look," Constable added. "Computing and information science is actually relevant to every discipline at Cornell, and the better those other units are, the more lively the interaction will be. Computer science has a lot to contribute to these fields, and these fields have a lot to contribute to computer science. And the ability to partner with the Program of Computer Graphics and the Theory Center gives Cornell a huge advantage."

One immediate change is that the Provost's Office will assume responsibility for the finances and human resources functions of the Department of Computer Science, which previously were the shared responsibility of the colleges of Engineering and of Arts and Sciences.

"Charlie and I have been talking about this all summer and working out procedures," Constable said, referring to Charles Van Loan, who was appointed chair of the computer science department effective July 1.

"My job description has only gotten bigger," Van Loan said. "And I want to thank Bob for setting such a great stage for the department over the last six years."

Randel said that one reason for these changes was to provide financial resources for the new structure. "What kinds of resources are required is yet to be defined," he said. "But this undoubtedly will require additional resources, and the Provost's Office has assumed responsibility for finding those resources, since it is a universitywide concern and should not place a burden on the colleges."

Constable said he will continue with teaching and research and, in fact, asked for that ability as a provision of his appointment. "I think in a fast-moving field like this one, the leader had better be engaged in research or things will pass you by," he said.

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