UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Andrew Sears, dean of the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), has announced his departure from the University, effective July 31. Sears will assume the position of dean of the Syracuse University School of Information Studies (iSchool) on Aug. 1.
“My time at Penn State, especially working with the students, faculty, staff and alumni in the College of IST, has been a highlight of my career,” said Sears. “I take great pride in our collective work to shape an institution that prepares students, professionals and researchers to be leaders in tackling the challenging problems that exist at the intersection of information, technology and society. I hope to have left a solid foundation at Penn State on which future leadership can continue to build."
An announcement of an interim dean will be made in the coming days.
Sears has served as dean and professor in the College of IST since 2015, leading the college through a period of significant growth and transformation. Under his leadership, student enrollment surged following the expansion of undergraduate and graduate program offerings to align with evolving industry needs. He also helped establish a new organizational structure for faculty and staff to streamline and further support operations, promote student and faculty success, highlight faculty expertise and strengthen shared governance. The reorganization has positioned the college — which welcomed its first students in 1999 — for continued growth.
"We are grateful to Andrew for his many contributions, strong leadership and innovative thinking that have successfully positioned the College of IST, along with its students, graduates and researchers, to be strong yet agile as technology continues to rapidly evolve,” said Justin Schwartz, Penn State executive vice president and provost. “We recognize the many impacts he’s made across Penn State and wish him continued success in his new role.”
Sears oversaw the growth of the College of IST's research portfolio and an increase in external support for interdisciplinary research led by IST faculty, with total external funding nearly tripling and industry funding quadrupling during his tenure as dean. He also established seed and strategic funding programs within the college to support faculty efforts to increase research activity and funding.
He placed heavy emphasis on advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives, establishing the Office of the Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in 2019 to promote DEIB in all college operations. He invested in programs to recruit and retain students from underrepresented populations, leading to a significant increase in the diversity of the student body.
At Penn State, Sears led the founding of the Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence. The interdisciplinary center, which promotes the thoughtful development and application of AI and studies its impact on all areas of the human endeavor, opened in spring 2020. He also positioned the College of IST as one of the initial partners of the University’s Center for Security Research and Education.
Most recently, Sears was named co-lead of the IT Optimized Service Team workstream, one of six workstreams across the University focused on creating a new ecosystem of shared support and services.
In 2017, Sears was instrumental in transforming IST Startup Week — an event first held in 2012 to expose IST students to unique career paths in the tech industry — into Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC, integrating disciplines and highlighting innovation across the University. Today, the University-wide event connects students across Penn State with alumni and entrepreneurs who are successful in a variety of domains.
In addition to his role as dean of the College of IST, Sears served as Penn State’s inaugural interim chief information security officer for two years after the University’s Office of Information Security was established in 2015.
Prior to Penn State, Sears served as a dean and professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). He holds a bachelor of science degree in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a doctorate in computer science from the University of Maryland. He has served on the faculty of DePaul University; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and RIT.