Incoming Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost John Liu today announced the appointment of Rajiv “Raj” Dewan as the next dean of Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies (iSchool). Dewan, professor of computers and information systems, comes to Syracuse from the University of Rochester Simon Business School, where he currently serves as the Xerox Professor of Business and director of the M.S. in business analytics program, the latter of which he helped build into a nationally ranked program listed among the top five in 2019 by the TFE Times. Dewan’s appointment, which was approved by the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, is effective Jan. 13, 2020.
“Raj has great expertise in both technology and information analytics and an impressive track record of building academic programs, harnessing the passion and interests of faculty, and truly innovating curriculum in teaching and pursuing relevant research,” says Liu. “Syracuse University’s iSchool has long been a leader in information studies and I am certain the school, along with its faculty and students, will continue to flourish under Rajiv’s leadership. I look forward to welcoming Raj to Syracuse.”
At Rochester, Dewan worked with faculty to develop the business analytics curriculum, partnered with admissions to build the applicant pool and recruit students, and liaised with corporate partners to place students in competitive career and internship opportunities. When it was launched in 2014, the M.S. in business analytics program had four students in its inaugural class; today, it has more than 90.
Dewan previously served as senior associate dean for faculty and research and chief operating and academic officer at the Simon Business School. He was principally in charge of developing and retaining faculty, assessing and developing programs, and managing budgets and the technology infrastructure. Dewan also served as the school’s diversity officer, charged with ensuring inclusivity and a healthy and welcoming environment for all students.
“I have long admired the groundbreaking work being done at Syracuse University’s iSchool,” says Dewan. “I appreciate its history and current commitment to innovation in the digital age. Today’s students and professionals are seeking the kinds of experiences they will need for successful careers in library science, information policy, information behavior, information management, information systems, information technology, information services, data analytics and enterprise data systems. I look forward to working with deans and faculty across campus to ensure that our students have access to the information and experiences they seek.”
Dewan earned his B. Tech. in 1980 from the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi, India, and received a Ph.D. in 1986 in computers and information systems and operations research from the Simon School of Business, University of Rochester. From 1986 to 1994, he was an assistant professor of information management at the Kellogg School, Northwestern University, before returning to Rochester to teach and develop faculty, research and new programs.
Dewan’s teaching and research interests include business analytics, organizational issues in management of information systems, marketing on the internet, the internet industry, strategic use of technology, the use of standards in managing information systems, and accounting and financial information systems. His papers have appeared in the Journal of Computing, Management Science, Decision Support Systems and IEEE Transactions on Computers, among other journals.
Liu thanks David Seaman, dean of libraries and University librarian, for taking on the additional interim position of iSchool dean after longtime leader Liz Liddy retired in June and while the search for her replacement was underway. He also extends his gratitude to the search committee, which was led by Gene Anderson, dean of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management.
“The search committee did an extraordinary job in considering a highly competitive pool of candidates and finding just the right person to move the iSchool to the next level of prominence,” says Liu.
Consistently ranked among the top programs of its kind in the country by “U.S. News & World Report,” the Syracuse iSchool offers degree programs at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels; master’s programs are available both on campus and online.