Dear members of the UMD iSchool community,
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Katherine (Kate) Izsak has been appointed as Assistant Dean of Academic Programs for the University of Maryland College of Information Studies (UMD iSchool). She assumed her new position on April 13, 2020.
Dr. Izsak joined the UMD iSchool in 2018 as the Director of Academic Programs, overseeing five degree programs and numerous continuing education programs. Her broad experience in educational policy and academic administration has been pivotal to the college successfully generating and managing a 300% increase in its student body during her tenure and doubling its academic staff. Dr. Izsak is spearheading the development of four new degree programs in innovative areas of information science – information design, social data science, smart city planning, and gaming and media analytics – set to launch as early as next academic year. Simultaneously, she is working with the program teams on the development of numerous new specialization and certificate options to address future information science industry trends and professional education needs.
Dr. Izsak is also a popular lecturer at the college, holds a faculty affiliation with the UMD Department of Anthropology, and is an Investigator with UMD’s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). This is characteristic of Dr. Izsak’s nature to support and collaborate with units across UMD, which has made possible many of the new innovative programs of study under development. Dr. Izsak is also leading the UMD iSchool’s response to COVID-19 and transition to an online environment.
Prior to joining the UMD iSchool, Dr. Izsak worked as UMD’s Undergraduate and Graduate Director for Terrorism Studies and as the Education Director for START. She also has over a decade of experience in teaching and research in interdisciplinary social sciences. She received her B.A. in history from Duke University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in history, with a secondary field in anthropology, from the University of Michigan.
As Assistant Dean of Academic Programs, we look forward to Dr. Izsak moving the college forward in new and exciting ways. Her experience and vision will be instrumental to maintaining and growing the UMD iSchool’s reputation for academic excellence, innovation, and collaboration.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Izsak to this new role.
Sincerely,
Keith Marzullo
Dean and Professor
University of Maryland
College of Information Studies (UMD iSchool)