A national search produced a number of fine candidates for Dean Moran's successor. In January 1999, Joanne Gard Marshall became the School's 11th dean. Dean Marshall brings a strong research record and an inclusive and inspiring vision of the library and information field and the School's leadership place within it.
Faculty are frequently asked to serve on various policy-making bodies and contribute to the high visibility and the leadership position of the school on campus and throughout the professor, e.g., Professor Tibbo serves on the Administrative Board of the Graduate School and on the Faculty Information Technology Advisory Committee for the campus; Boshamer Professor Marchionini serves on the ASIS Board of Directors, Professor Daniel serves on the Organizing Commitee for IFLA 2001 in Boston. Faculty, as well, represent the school in collaborative research partnerships, notably health affairs, the department of biology, and computer science. Student information technology expertise is a valued commodity on campus and students are in high demand for support positions. The School's information technology networks, systems, and labs are perceived as models by other campus units.
"The school is an integral yet distinctive academic unit within the institution. Its autonomy is sufficient to assure that the intellectual content of its program, the selection and promotion of its faculty, and the selection of its students are determined by the school within the general guidelines of the institution. The parent institution provides the resources and administrative support needed for the attainment of program objectives." | SILS is one of the six professional schools in Academic Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The university is justly proud of its reputation as a top tier research university and the university’s goal is to be the best public university in the nation. Over the years, the state legislature has invested heavily in Chapel Hill as the flagship campus in the UNC system. |
"The school's faculty, staff, and students have the same opportunity for representation on the institution's advisory or policy-making bodies as do those of comparable units throughout the institution. The school's administrative relationships with other academic units enhance the intellectual environment and support interdisciplinary interaction; further, these administrative relationships encourage participation in the life of the parent institution." | The deans of the six professional schools that comprise the Academic Affairs Division serve on the Sub-Committee on Professional Schools (SCOPS). This committee meets monthly to review recommendations for tenure and promotion of professional school faculty. The Council of Deans, which includes all deans on campus (both Academic Affairs and Health Affairs Divisions), also meets monthly. Both committees are chaired by the provost. The council meeting provides an opportunity for the deans to discuss university-wide issues as a group. |
"The executive officer of a program has title, salary, status, and authority comparable to heads of similar units in the parent institution. In addition to academic qualifications comparable to those required of the faculty, the executive officer has leadership skills, administrative ability, experience, and understanding of developments in the field and in the academic environment needed to fulfill the responsibilities of the position. The school's executive officer nurtures an intellectual environment that enhances the pursuit of the school's mission and program goals and the accomplishment of its program objectives; that environment also encourages faculty and student interaction with other academic units and promotes the socialization of students into the field." | The chief administrator of SILS is the dean, Joanne Gard Marshall, who reports directly to the provost, Richard W. Richardson. During her career as a librarian, Dean Marshall held a number of management positions in libraries, including Head of Public Services in an academic library where she supervised a full and part-time staff of over 15 employees. As a faculty member at the University of Toronto, Dean Mrshall participated in and/or chaired a full range of committees within the school. She chaired the management committee of the Consumer Health Information Service at the Toronto Reference Library during the 18-month pilot project period. In this capacity she was responsible for all aspects of hiring, finance, staff and project evaluation and partnership development. Dean Marshall has also served in senior management positions on her own and other larger-scale research projects that involved partnerships with other investigators and departments within the university. She has served on the board of directors of the Canadian Health Libraries Association and the Medical Library Association; she is currently co-chair of the National Program Committee of the Medical Library Association annual meeting in 2000. In 1999, Dean Marshall was appointed to the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Library of Medicine. Intellectual Climate of the School
The intellectual climate at SILS is fostered through multiple events that include: faculty and doctoral student brown bag lunches for presentation and discussion of ongoing research; Alumni Day; the Faculty Planning Day; special guest lectures, such as the Henderson and Steinfirst Lectures; and other invited speakers. There are also a number of specialized discussion groups, such as Professor Carr's Reading Club that meets monthly and events sponsored by student associations. The SILS community members are active users of email and other electronic discussion methods. Many master's and doctoral students participate in faculty research projects. |
"The school's administrative and other staff are adequate to support the executive officer and faculty in the performance of their responsibilities. The staff contributes to the fulfillment of the school's mission and program goals and objectives. Within its institutional framework the school uses effective decision-making processes that are determined mutually by the executive officer and the faculty, who regularly evaluate these processes and use the results." | The school is supported by a university administrative manager, Gerry Compton, and four directors in the areas of: |
"The parent institution provides continuing financial support sufficient to develop and maintain library and information studies education in accordance with the general principles set forth in these Standards. The level of support provides a reasonable expectation of financial viability and is related to the number of faculty, administrative and support staff, instructional resources, and facilities needed to carry out the school's program of teaching, research, and service." | Budget and expenditure statements are available at the school and show that the university provides adequate financial support for SILS at its current level. The table below shows the steady increase in income from the various sources the School has received in the three years ending 1997-1998. |
"Compensation for a program's executive officer, faculty, and other staff is equitably established according to their education, experience, responsibilities, and accomplishments and is sufficient to attract, support, and retain personnel needed to attain program goals and objectives." | Faculty compensation is generally an issue for universities since it is difficult to compete with the salaries offered for comparable expertise to these individuals in the private sector. This is particularly true for the informtion science area. Nevertheless, the salaries of the SILS dean and other faculty compare favorably with those of other top LIS schools at this time. In addition, Chapel Hill is considered a desireable place to live; proximity to the Research Triangle Park and many academic, school, and special libraries plus the intellectual atmosphere of the campus and the many cultural opportunities in the surrounding area make the environment attractive. Although SILS faculty are competitive within the LIS field, faculty salaries and benefits are currently a major issue on the UNC-CH campus, as recent increases have not kept pace with those of the institutions the university regards as its peers. We are optimistic that the university will regain its overall competitiveness in faculty compensation over time. |
"Institutional funds for research projects, professional development, travel, and leaves with pay are available on the same basis as in comparable units of the institution. Student financial aid from the parent institution is available on the same basis as in comparable units of the institution." | The dean administers school funds for research projects and faculty professional development. A small grant fund (up to $100 for a project) is available to students for direct expenses connected with master's paper research. Faculty have been successful in garnering research funds for the school from the University, notably for junior faculty research grants and university technology application funds. |
"The school's planning and evaluation process includes review of both its administrative policies and its fiscal policies and financial support. Within applicable institutional policies, faculty, staff, students, and others are involved in the evaluation process. Evaluation is used for ongoing appraisal to make improvements and to plan for the future." | In addition to the COA process, SILS is reviewed on a regular basis by the Graduate School. The latter review includes both external and internal reviewers and takes place at intervals of five to seven years. An additional review is conducted by the Univesity administration as part of the dean's review every five years. All reviews cover the School's administrative and fiscal policies as well as its financial support. Faculty, staff and students are involved in a variety of evaluation activities, both formal and informal. For example, the Personnel Committee, which considers faculty for appointment, promotion, tenure, and post-tenure review, includes student representatives from both the master's and Ph.D. programs, as do all other faculty committees in the School. Much of the planning and evaluation process takes place at SILS through its committee structure. A list of current committee assignments is found in Appendix AA. |
Revised 10/25/99.