A new dean for the College of Informatics has been chosen at Northern Kentucky University.

Dr. Douglas Perry came to Northern Kentucky University Feb. 10 to speak about his concept and vision of Informatics as well as his fit for being the dean of the new College of Informatics.

“To be a new college means transformation,” Perry said.

The first step in making the new College of Informatics a success at NKU is the construction of a new building. A new building will make people outside NKU take notice. It raises community interest,” he said.

“He argued that such a visible investment in the College, one that people can see as they drive by, will serve as a reminder that the University values Informatics highly. It also will serve to unify the faculty into one place, which is essential if we are to teach across disciplines,” said Mary Cupito, professor of communication.

A new building will require money and Perry suggests that our resource be external donations since it has been his experience that the more money you get the more people will want to give.

“The College of Informatics is so new you don’t have to sell it, you just have to talk about it,” Perry said. It is also important that we have an increased operating budget in order to start new degrees.

Perry has been able to obtain several grants for research projects, the development of new programs and the improvement of undergraduate instruction at Indiana University.

Perry proposes that we create a department of applied informatics that offers a Bachelors of Science in Applied Informatics. He would also expand our current curriculum by adding Education Dissemination and two new courses to our Graduate of Communications program.

In the future he would like to create an Institute of Information and Innovation at NKU.

“He has a very good grasp of all the interdisciplinary aspects in which Informatics need to expand,” said current Dean of Informatics Pat Moynahan.