The 1987/88 academic year brought many changes to the School. Dr. Dewey E. Carroll, who had served as dean since 1973, returned to full-time teaching, and on October 18, 1987, Dr. Raymond F. Von Dran became dean. A competent and committed faculty welcomed the leadership of the new dean and marked the year with retreats, meetings, and forums. Among the many activities were efforts to increase the School’s visibility throughout the state and nation, to develop partnerships with the professional community, to raise funds through the phonothon (telephone calls to the alumni) and other activities.

Reorganization took place with Margaret Irby Nichols, the new assistant dean, taking on responsibilities in recruitment, admission, and advisement of students. The curriculum was reviewed, and core requirements were reconstructed, expanded, and enhanced. New courses were added in biomedical information, legal information, and library automation.

Growth and change continued in 1988-89. In September 1988, the School’s first extension program began at Texas Tech University. This master’s degree program, with full-time members of the School’s faculty as instructors, extended over a two-year period, ending in summer 1990, when 56 students received the M.S. degree. A number of additional students in the program completed the degree on campus at a later date. With the addition of students in the Texas Tech program and a continued growth on campus, enrollment in

all programs reached 420 by spring 1990, making the School the largest in the state with the largest graduate enrollment in the western section of the nation.

A full time program of study was inaugurated in Houston in January 1991. Since that time, 247 master’s degrees with majors in either library science or information science have been granted through the program. The master’s program at Texas Tech was re-inaugurated in 1994.

A major School development of the period was phasing out the doctoral program in library science. The first doctoral students were enrolled in 1970, and the first Ph.D. degree was awarded in 1975. From that time through 1988, 70 additional students received the Ph.D. degree. In December 1987, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board announced its review of the doctoral program in library science and slated it for closure in 1992. At that

time, the University of North Texas established the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Information Science. Although many regretted the loss of the Ph.D. in L.S., the creation of the Interdisciplinary degree proved fortuitous with the upsurge of the many fields in information technology. This innovative program is unique to the state and region. It has achieved national recognition for the School. Over 100 Ph.D. degrees in information science have been granted through the interdisciplinary program.