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On Wednesday, January 12, 2011, Dean Blaise Cronin announced that, for personal reasons, he is stepping down as Dean of the School of Library and Information Science at Indiana University. He will continue in his role as a full-time faculty member, as the Rudy Professor of Information Science. An outstanding scholar, Dr. Cronin is one of the most widely published, highly cited, and nationally and internationally visible individuals in the field of information science. Currently, he serves as editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. His prolific scholarship-- he has written or edited more than 300 books, reports, peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, conference proceedings and other materials-- is all the more impressive given the fact that he has also been a university administrator for more than 20 years. He plans to devote more of his time to his scholarly pursuits and interests. Dr. Karen Hanson, Provost and Executive Vice President of Indiana University has appointed Professor Debora Shaw interim Dean of the School. Professor Shaw has been a faculty member in the SLIS since 1988 and was for many years Associate Dean of the school. She has also served previously as interim Dean. Provost Hanson said that Professor Shaw's unstinting commitment to SLIS, her years of experience, and her excellent administrative judgment and skills will help the School move forward during this time of transition. In an email to the faculty, Provost Hanson, Provost Hanson wrote: "We extend heartfelt thanks to Dean Cronin for the many years of truly superb service he has dedicated to the school. A recently concluded review of his tenure as Dean produced overwhelmingly positive feedback. Since assuming the deanship, he has helped to transform the school's organizational structure, curricula, and its research orientation. The school is now a recognized research leader in a number of areas. We are indeed grateful for his long and exceptional service as Dean. I wish him every success in his future endeavors. IU's School of Library and Information Science is widely regarded as one of the best of its kind in the world. I am confident interim Dean Shaw and the faculty and staff of the school will partner together to build upon Dean Cronin's good work and to continue the School's tradition of excellence." -Howard Rosenbaum, Associate Dean SLIS@IU