Ch-Ch-Changes (or "Changes in Attitude, Changes in Latitude")

How do you impact your industry? We generally think about just doing our jobs, but really we should be thinking about making an impact -- not only in the place where we work, but also in a larger community. We can influence the "larger community" (however you want to define that) by writing books and articles, by speaking and giving presentations, and by teaching. Not only is it important to teach those who are already "in the field", but equally important to teach those who are the "next generation."

While I have been influencing my "community" through writing, speaking and project work, I have decided to do something that allows me to influence the next generation of information professionals even more. In January, I'll be joining the School of Information Studies (iSchool) at Syracuse University (SU). Some of you may know that I have been associated with SU since 2001. This year, I decided that teaching full-time would move me towards my goal of influencing the industry more, and SU decided that adding me to their faculty would be a good thing! As a Professor of Practice, I will be charged with connecting the iSchool to "the practice" (that which occurs outside of academia). That means that the things that you know me for -- writing, speaking, consulting, and committee work -- will continue. It also means that I'll be looking for ways to connect students to you (the industry) in ways that are beneficial for them and you. And -- yes -- I'll be teaching. I'll be teaching three classes a semester (spring and fall). How will I continue to write, speak and consult with that course load? Carefully!

If you know nothing about the iSchool at Syracuse University, I hope that, through me, you'll learn more about it -- about the faculty, the research centers, its degree & certificates programs, and its students. The 40+ member full-time faculty includes people such as:

• Dave Lankes (digital libraries and participatory librarianship)
• Scott Nicholson (gaming and data mining)
  
• Ken Lavender (preservation and digital preservation)
  
• Derrick Cogburn (socio-technical infrastructure for geographically distributed collaboration in knowledge work)
  
• Ruth Small (school media)
• Carsten Osterlund (organizational implications of information systems)
• Liz Liddy (application of linguistic theory to information retrieval)

The full-time and adjunct faculty members are a wonderful group and I am looking forward to working more closely with all of them! (BTW the adjuncts are primarily practitioners who are bringing their practice into the classroom. One adjunct is a former FBI unit director!)

Now I suspect that a few students will see this blog post and wonder who is this "new" faculty member, so let me give them a few pieces of information:

• What will I be teaching in spring 2009? IST 677 (Creating, Managing and Preserving Digital Assets), IST 626 (Business Information Resources & Strategic Intelligence) and one other course (to be named).
• Where can you find me on campus besides the iSchool? Wherever there is good coffee. (Honest, I'm not a coffee-aholic!)
  
• Where do I hang out online? Twitter, Facebook, and FriendFeed.
• Do I "bleed orange"? Not exactly, but I do enjoy sports and listen to ESPN every day (especially Mike & Mike in the Morning).
• Seriously, how can you learn more about me? Google.
  

Okay...let the happy dance commence!

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10/23/2008 addendum: The iSchool's press release.