DENTON (UNT), Texas – Dr Suliman Hawamdeh has been named department chairperson of the Department of Library and Information Sciences in the College of Information.   

Dr. Hawamdeh comes to UNT from the University of Oklahoma, where he is a professor and Program Coordinator for the Knowledge Management master’s degree program. He joined the faculty of the University of Oklahoma in June 2003. Prior to joining OU, he founded and directed the first Master of Science in Knowledge Management in Asia at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Dr. Hawamdeh brings a unique blend of research expertise, industrial experience and leadership to UNT.  He has worked in industry as well serving as the Managing Director of ITC Information Technology Consultant Ltd and as a researcher and project leader at the Institute of System Science in Singapore from 1989 to 1992. 

Dr. Hawamdeh is one of the world's leading scholars and authorities in the area of knowledge management.  He is the author or editor of several books on knowledge management including Information and Knowledge Society and Knowledge Management: Cultivating the Knowledge Professionals. He is the editor of a book series on Innovation and Knowledge Management and the founder and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Information & Knowledge Management, one of the first refereed journals in knowledge management.  Dr. Hawamdeh was the founding chair of the International Conference on Knowledge Management as well as the Knowledge and Project Management Symposium. He is currently president of the Knowledge and Information Professional Association (KIPA).  KIPA is an evolving umbrella group of diverse knowledge and information professionals including librarians, IT specialists, knowledge managers, web developers, and information architects with the goal of advancing the intelligent sharing of personal and organizational knowledge.  He was also founding president of the Information and Knowledge Management Society. 

Dean Herman L. Totten stated, “Dr. Hawamdeh’s exemplary record of sustained scholarly production and his successful experience in program management will enhance the Department of Library and Information Sciences and facilitate the Department’s vision. I am delighted that he accepted our call. It is with keen eagerness that I look forward to working with him as he assists the Department in realizing its goal of achieving top ten status of LIS programs in the U.S. and Canada according to U.S. News & World Report.”

“It is truly a privilege and an honor to be selected as Chair of the Department of Library and Information Sciences and to be given the chance to work with a fine, talented and motivated Dean, faculty and staff in the College of Information,” said Dr. Hawamdeh.

Hawamdeh earned a bachelor’s degree from Birzeit University in the West Bank, a master’s in library science from the University of Michigan, and a doctorate in information studies from the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom.

The Department of Library and Information Sciences (LIS) prepares graduates for significant roles in the information age.  The College’s master's program has been accredited continuously by the American Library Association since 1965.  It offers a bachelor's degree, master's degrees in library science and information science, a post-master’s Certificate of Advanced Study, graduate-level certification in school librarianship, and an interdisciplinary information science PhD degree program.  In Fall 2010, the Department will have 24 faculty members.