Longtime INFO Professor Named Interim Dean

University of Maryland Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice has appointed Douglas W. Oard as interim dean of the College of Information, effective July 1.

Oard, a leader, professor and a distinguished researcher with nearly three decades of service to the college, will lead INFO during the transitional period following the departure of 10-year dean Keith Marzullo.

A renowned expert in information retrieval, Oard has been instrumental in advancing the college’s research and academic mission. Since joining INFO in 1996, his work has explored how emerging technologies can help to transform the ways in which people find and interact with information.

“I’m honored to step into this role and build on the college’s strong foundation,” said Oard. “This is an exciting time for INFO, and I look forward to working with our faculty, students, staff and partners. Together we continue to drive innovation and academic excellence.”

Oard holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from UMD. He previously served as the college’s associate dean for research and associate dean for faculty, and his teaching has spanned four of the college’s seven degree programs. He has also directed the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies’ Computational Linguistics and Information Processing laboratory, one of the top research groups in that field.