Dean's Advisory Board

Established in 2005 under the leadership of Dean Jorge Díaz-Herrera, the Dean's Council provides advice, guidance, and support to the Dean of the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences.

In 2012, Andrew Sears renamed and restructured the Dean’s Council, now known as the Dean's Advisory Board. The Dean’s Advisory Board serves in a volunteer advisory capacity to support the vision and mission of Rochester Institute of Technology in education, research, and service. This group serves at the pleasure of the Dean of the College, and its membership is comprised of business, community, and alumni/ae leaders. The Advisory Board provides the Dean independent, external perspectives on various College programs, initiatives, and strategic direction. Advisory Board members also provide leadership in philanthropic events and activities for the College, and serve as ambassadors in the community. Advisory Board members are advocates of the University and are integral to the success of programs and projects through work on development, appeals, and events.

Meet the Advisory Board

Objectives of the Dean's Advisory Board:

(1) Advise/Aid the Dean on the Strategic Direction of the College:

Given its membership of outstanding worldwide business leaders and its unique practitioner perspective, the Advisory Board offers valuable advice, counsel, and support to the Dean in his decision-making role. The Board's advisory role will be especially useful in the formulation and development of long-range plans.

• Board members support the Dean in defining and realizing the goals of the college.
• Board members serve as ongoing consultants to the College's strategic plans.
• Board members also provide general advice regarding student programs and activities.

(2) Active Interface with the Business Community and Government:

The Board serves an important capacity by maintaining the College's programs, departments, and personnel responsive to the dynamic, changing needs of employers. The Board plays an active role in identifying important new computing skills, knowledge, and research needs; recommending vehicles to meet initial and continuing computing education needs; and making the faculty aware of real world computing issues and problems via participation in faculty computing internship and executive-in-residence programs.

• Board members keep the Dean abreast of timely trends, changes, and developments in business and computing so that the college continues to incorporate "real-world" concerns into its curricula in a timely fashion through new programs, fresh curriculum thrusts, and research directions.
• Board members identify opportunities for partnering with the community for the purposes of promoting mutual gain through such activities as student recruiting and consulting arrangements, involving faculty members in practical business problems, arranging for guest lecturers from industry, supporting state-wide government outreach operations, and bringing students into direct contact with industry leaders and their ideas.

(3) Promote the College to its Respective Constituencies:

The Board, recognizing that the key to quality graduates is quality faculty, facilities and incoming students, actively assists the college in being recognized at the state and federal levels, the business community, and the general public.

• Board members function as ambassadors for the college and utilize their experience and insight to develop and support ways and means of advancing the presence of the college in the region, the nation, and around the world.
• Board members will serve as a forum for the exchange of points-of-view between industry leaders and academicians as they relate to advancing education and research.

(4) Assist the College in Fundraising Programs:

Given the critical need for private funds to augment tuition revenues, the college actively seeks gifts and bequests from individuals and corporate donors. The Dean's Advisory Board and its influence in attracting funding to the Golisano College can be of paramount importance to the overall fiscal success of GCCIS, year-in and year-out.

• Board members participate in the college fundraising campaigns.
• Board members assist the college in formulating effective strategies, identifying appealing projects, developing effective tactics, identifying likely contributors, evaluating potential prospects, and making key initial contacts.

For more information contact: (585) 475-7203