The School underwent a change in the deanship when Dr. Ray Von Dran resigned in 1995, in order to become dean of the Syracuse University library and information science program. Dr. James Miller served as Interim Dean during 1995/96, and until the arrival of Dr. Philip Turner, who took over the deanship in September 1996. Dean Turner, who brought experience in distance learning from the University of Alabama where he had formerly served as dean, bore the dual title of Dean of the School of Library and Information Sciences and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs for Distance Education. He and the faculty joined forces and lead the School into the forefront of the emerging trend toward web-based course offerings. The faculty began to prepare courses either completely or partly in Web based format. When the Learning Resource Endorsement became available online in the fall of 1999, the first in the nation, it met with immediate success. The master’s degree and other programs soon followed suit.

In June 2001, the first Web/Institute for student’s pursuing the master’s degree was offered on the Denton campus. The students attend institutes where they receive intensive on site instruction and began assignments for their three core classes. The remaining class assignments, along with those for other courses in their program, are completed electronically. This new approach enables students to pursue the master’s program from any location. The institute experience also enables the students to meet and bond with their program cohorts.

In fall 1999, in a relationship with St. Cloud State University, the School began offering the Master of Science degree in Minnesota, an area where no American Library Association accredited program existed. Classes were offered in St. Cloud and in Wayzata, a suburb of Minneapolis. Agreements were renewed with the University of Minnesota Law Library in 2001 with a second Minnesota Cohort launching, and in 2004 when the third Minnesota Cohort began their studies. To date, 85 students have completed the Master of Science degree in Minnesota.

In 2001, the School formed a partnership with the University of Nevada Las Vegas and began a cohort of 50 students in September 2002; thirty-nine received the master’s degree at a ceremony held in August 2004. The Nevada relationship continues to grow. In October 2003, the Institute for Museums and Library Services awarded the School, in collaboration with the Las Vegas/Clark County Library District, and the University of Nevada Las Vegas Libraries, a $261,000 grant to provide scholarships and learning activities for students pursuing the master’s degree. Grants are designed to recruit a diverse group of 50 students who have faced economic and/or other barriers to prepare them for library careers in both urban and rural settings. The 50 students, plus some 14 others, hailing from Nevada and 8 other states, spent 2004 Labor Day weekend at Web Institute- Las Vegas kicking off Nevada Cohort II.

SLIS received a grant for over $790,000 from the Institute of Museums and Library Services in 2004 to recruit 20 bilingual students to complete a master’s degree online while serving as “professionals in training” in partner libraries located in cities along the 1,300 mile Rio Grande River border between the United States and Mexico. Both academic and public libraries from Port Isabel, Texas to Las Cruces, New Mexico are currently facing the problem of unfilled professional positions. Partners in the Rio Grande Initiative sponsoring a student in the cohort contribute a minimum of $10,000 per year for two years as salary and pay the same full-time benefits that are normally available to their employees. Libraries also provide the students an MLS-degreed mentor and time to attend required meetings of their cohort.

Also in 2004, UNT received a grant from the Institute of Museums and Library Services to support 10 students in the Interdisciplinary Information Science Doctoral Program. Five in the cohort are focusing on school media and five on public libraries. Together with matching contributions from SLIS, the funding covers two years tuition, travel to campus, and digital connectivity for students in this unique distance-independent education experience. As stated in the grant proposal, economic and socio-cultural realities make the traditional hermitic doctoral students’ life impossible for many people who wish to pursue the Ph.D. The students, selected from approximately 60 applicants, are from Texas and seven other states. In March 2005, SLIS received an additional cohort grant. This group will have the same focus as the 2004 cohort.

The School also developed partnerships within the University. A joint Associate Arts program in Legal Informatics, resulting in a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences, is offered with the School of Community Services. A joint master’s degree program with the Department of History leads toward a Master of Science with an emphasis in library science and a Master of Science with an emphasis in applied history. In partnership with Departments of Technology and Cognition, Computer Science, Communications, and Business Information Systems, the School offers the Ph.D. program in Information Science. Relationships also were developed with the School of Visual Arts to prepare

digital image managers, and with the Public Health and Family Medicine Department of University of North Texas-Health Science Center to place interns and develop grant proposals and other initiatives.

In 1999, a recruitment program for the master’s program was begun with the dean and associate dean visiting libraries throughout the State. In 2002-2003, the SLIS Visits program expanded from a once a year event in Houston to visits to 13 major cities throughout Texas and in states served by the cohort programs. Unlike other cities and states, School visits have occurred twice a year in Houston for the past three years. The Visits consist of one-dayinformation- sessions for prospective students followed by an alumni dinner in the evening. An All School Day for current area students the following day consists of a program, lunch, and advising. During this same period, recruitment sessions to the School Librarianship Certification Program are being held in Regional Education Service Centers at various locations in the State.

By the spring of 2000, enrollment in the master’s program increased over 30% from the previous spring, making it the fastest growing program in the University. In fall 2001, the School’s increase accounted for 50% of the entire University enrollment growth at the master’s level. By the 2003-2004 school year, the master’s program increased 40% over the previous year. The latest figures show an enrollment of well over 1,000 including students from all four time zones as well as several other countries. The overall enrollment mushroomed when the school library certification program became available

completely online. When the online certification students wanted to complete the Master’s, the web institute was developed as a compromise between the online and face-to-face teaching approach. On-campus enrollment increased as well, due in part to the need for student assistants to support online classes. In 2003-2004, $200,000 in student support resulted from external research and development funds garnered by faculty, enabling many students to spend a year or so on campus while completing their degree program.

One of the primary undertakings during the early years of the 21st Century was the Capital Campaign, launched on March 10, 2001, with the aim of creating a million dollar endowment for the School. Early on during the endeavor, Linda Allmand pledged to match up to $100,000 in gifts, which was of major importance in creating many gifts and a number of scholarships and other endowed funds. The University set the School’s goal at $1.1 million, which was more than met with a total of over $1.4 million. Endowed funds resulting from the Capital Campaign include: Margaret A. Carroll Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Award, Donald B. & Ana D. Cleveland Houston Scholarship, Ana D. Cleveland & Donald B. Cleveland Scholarship, Melba S. Harvill Scholarship, Sarah Law Kennerly Scholarship, Herman L. Totten Scholarship, Phil and Lis Turner Paper-project Award, and Flora Richardson Wilhite Scholarship.

One of the efforts begun during the Capital Campaign resulted in the establishment of the Hazel Harvey Peace Professorship. Over $350,000 was raised to endow a professorship in Children’s Library Services honoring the Fort Worth educator and community leader. At about the same time, it was announced that Emeritus Professor Sarah Law Kennerly, a member of the faculty from 1951 until her retirement in 1977, who died in April 2002, left $2.25 million to the school to continue her efforts toward educating future librarians. With her bequest, six endowed professorships were created in her name. The refurbishing of the School’s Seminar Room to honor John Medders also resulted from the Capital Campaign. Mrs. Elizabeth Johnson, widow of John Medders, was the donor. John Medders was the son of early faculty member Lady Kate Medders. With these generous sums, along with donations collected during the Capital Campaign, the School now has over $3 million in endowments. This will allow the School to attract additional stellar faculty members and continue to provide support for students at a level that others can only admire.

At the same time that Dean Turner and a committee of alumni and friends of the School were raising money through the Capital Campaign, the faculty was involved in seeking funds to support their research endeavors. Between 1996 and 2004, a diverse and talented faculty brought over $4 million into the School through the grants.

Other innovative programs developed during this period include a new venture in continuing education. Library Education @ Desktop Program (LE@D) offers tutorials on timely topics that address the public library staff needs through Internet delivery, allowing participants to access content from their own libraries. To date over 3,000 participants from Texas and other states have availed themselves of the workshops. The Graduate Academic Certification in Youth Services also was put in place, as well as the Certificate of Advanced Study Program for Digital Image Managers, a grant-based programs that funded fellows from across the country and around the world (5 from foreign countries).

The Texas Center for Digital Knowledge (TxCDK) was established by the University and based in the School. Its mission is to stimulate and support applications that can enhance the creation, storage organization, retrieval, use, and evaluation of information in a wide variety of digital formats.

The current faculty of 16 love to teach, and the scope and depth of the curriculum shows their varied interests. In addition to the general program of study, they offer programs in school media, medical and legal informatics, information organization, information systems, digital image management, storytelling and youth librarianship, academic and public librarianship, and administration. Members of the faculty have recently held presidential offices in three professional associations, served on committees, councils, and task forces at the University, the State of Texas, and national and international

associations. The faculty also serves the School on a daily basis through their work on the standing committees of the SLIS Faculty Council.

In 2004, Dr. Phil Turner, dean since 1996, stepped down from the position and Dr. Samantha Hastings became Interim Dean while a search was conducted for Dr. Turner’s replacement. Dr. Turner served not only as dean during that eight-year period, but also as Associate Vice President for Distance Learning. As these dual appointments became increasingly difficult to maintain, the University president asked him to focus on one job. In June 2004, he became the Vice-Provost for Learning Enhancement. Dr. Turner leaves the School with an outstanding faculty, the highest enrollment in the history of the School, money in the bank due to increased enrollment, and an enviable endowment. This legacy will allow the School to continue its stellar performance as a leader among professional schools not only in the State, but also in the nation.