2 join School of Informatics' Dean's Advisory Council

The School of Informatics announced the appointment of two new members to its Dean's Advisory Council. Chuck Franz of Cook Group Inc. and Skip Walter of Attenex Corp. were named to the Council on March 27 and March 30, respectively.\nThe council consists of 28 members, including high-ranking employees of several notable companies such as Eli Lilly, Google and Microsoft. Former IU and current NCAA President Myles Brand is also a member.\nThe DAC exists to "advise the school on curriculum and program development, public and private sector funding, research support, long-range planning, student guidance, external relations and institutional advancement," according to the School of Informatics' Web site. \nThe Council meets twice a year in either Bloomington or Indianapolis and maintains contact to lend advice on concerns facing the School of Informatics. Each member serves a three-year term on the Council, and committees and task groups within the DAC are appointed by the dean. The chair and vice chair of the Council are also appointed by the dean. \nJon Michael Dunn, dean of the School of Informatics, said both men will make good additions to the DAC. \n"Their contributions will be significant and no doubt help shape the future of the school," Dunn said in an e-mail.\nFranz is Cook's vice president and chief information officer. He has spent more than 20 years at the Bloomington-based company and is in charge of the group's global information technology operations. \nFranz, an IU graduate, said he was excited to be joining the council. \n"I think that this is an area that is constantly changing and expanding, so I think the SOI can be a great magnet to the future of IU," he said. "With technologies like this that are changing so fast, the students and the curriculum have to change as well." \nDunn said Franz will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the dean's council.\n"He will contribute on several levels," Dunn said. "His knowledge of IU, the role of his company in the Indiana economy, and his experience with global information technology operations through Cook will be invaluable to us."\nWalter, Attenex's chief technology officer, has more than three decades of experience in technological growth and expansion. He worked for Digital Equipment Corp. and Aldus Corp. before joining Attenex, a software commercialization company based in Seattle. \nDunn said Walter will provide invaluable assistance to the DAC, serving on a committee designed to advise "on the commercialization of informatics and (computer science) research."\nThe School of Informatics, the first in the country in its field, was founded in 2000. The school has between 1,500 and 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students spread out between Bloomington, South Bend and Indianapolis. Dunn said an undergraduate program will also be starting at New Albany, Ind., next fall.\nDunn said he was encouraged by the progress of the School of Informatics in its short history and said he hopes these additions to the DAC would only help brighten its prospects. \n"Council members often have often remarked to me that it is a very rewarding experience to play a role in advancing our school and its goals," Dunn said. "Someone once said the best way to predict the future is to help create it"