UA’s C&IS Hosts Second Speaker on Future of Communication

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama’s College of Communication and Information Sciences is hosting its second speaker to discuss a strategic planning process for the future of the College.

Clifford Lynch, director of the Coalition for Networked Information, will visit campus Feb. 25-26. His public presentation is at 10 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 26, in 205 Gorgas Hall.

CNI, a joint initiative of the Association of Research Libraries and EDUCAUSE, promotes the use of digital information technology to advance scholarship and education.

Lynch has a doctorate in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley, and is an adjunct professor at Berkeley’s School of Information. He is both a past president and recipient of the Award of Merit of the American Society for Information Science, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Information Standards Organization.

A catalyst for action, Lynch helps steer conversations toward real results such as standards creation, funding, tool development and interoperability.

“We are pleased to have Clifford Lynch come speak about the future of the College of Communication and Information Sciences,” said Dr. Mark Nelson, dean of the College. “The changes that are upcoming, with feedback from our faculty, alumni and other stakeholders, are a monumental step for the College as a whole, and we look forward to hearing what he has to say.”

Lynch’s presentation is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis, as space is limited.

The College of Communication and Information Sciences has also confirmed the speaking arrangement of the third and final speaker, Robert Picard, who will close the series March 2-4. Picard is the director of research at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford.