UT President Jim Davis announced the University will consolidate three programs including the School of Information into a single interdisciplinary unit within the College of Natural Sciences in a Feb. 19 email.
The new School of Computing will open in fall 2026, combining the iSchool with the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Statistics and Data Sciences, according to Davis’s announcement.
The iSchool, which has existed as a standalone school since 1948, has offered undergraduate degrees in informatics since 2021. Informatics is a multi-faceted degree that “explores the intersection of people, information and technology” and includes concentrations like user experience design and health informatics. The iSchool also houses graduate and doctoral programs in information studies and a school librarian certificate.
Ken Fleischmann, interim dean of the iSchool, said that the consolidation will help students to diversify their studies and bring further opportunities to the school. Fleischmann was appointed interim dean Feb. 1 and will remain in that position until the fall, when he will become chair of the new computing school under CNS.
Soo Young Rieh, the previous interim dean, left the position because her term was up.
“It’s never been more important for work in our field to gain in prominence and also to build closer ties and collaboration with fields like computer science, statistics and data sciences,” Fleischmann said.
The consolidation of the schools, announced in November and officially approved at the UT System Board of Regents meeting Feb. 19, will increase access to the other programs’ classes for students in each respective major Fleischmann said.
“We need to tear down those walls,” Fleischmann said. “We need to be thinking about the impacts that technologies have on society as we’re building the technologies, because otherwise, it’ll be too late.”
Fleischmann said most things within the new school are still up in the air, including tuition changes and newly available programs. He said that despite fears around the changes, he believes they will be wholly beneficial.
“Change brings uncertainty, and that can be a little bit hard for anyone to deal with in any situation,” Fleischmann said. “But on the other hand, not having any change for many years wouldn’t be great either. I think change can be hard, but also, change is essential.”
The iSchool’s primary building, located two blocks south from the main campus at 16th and Guadalupe streets, also faces an uncertain future. Fleischmann said the University has expressed interest in bringing all the iSchool’s faculty and staff onto the main campus.
Fleischmann said overall, he is excited for the collaborations and research opportunities the change will bring.
“I’m really excited about what we’ll be able to accomplish together,” Fleischmann said. “They appreciate what we have to bring to the table, as well as we appreciate what they bring to the table.”