About the Dean's Council

Established in 2005 under the leadership of Dean Jorge Díaz-Herrera, the Dean's Council provides advice, guidance, and support to the Dean of the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. The Dean's Council will act as the key interface between the College and its outside constituencies, including business and government.

Meet the Council

Objectives of the Deans Council:

(1) Advise/Aid the Dean on the Strategic Direction of the College:

Given its membership of outstanding worldwide business leaders and its unique practitioner perspective, the Council offers valuable advice, counsel, and support to the Dean in his decision-making role. The Council's advisory role will be especially useful in the formulation and development of long-range plans.

• Council members support the Dean in defining and realizing the goals of the college.
• Council members serve as ongoing consultants to the College's strategic plans.
• Council members also provide general advice regarding student programs and activities.

(2) Active Interface with the Business Community and Government:

The Council serves an important capacity by maintaining the College's programs, departments, and personnel responsive to the dynamic, changing needs of employers. The Council plays an active role in identifying important new business skills, knowledge, and research needs; recommending vehicles to meet initial and continuing business education needs; and making the faculty aware of real world management issues and problems via participation in faculty business internship and executive-in-residence programs.

• Council members keep the Dean abreast of timely trends, changes, and developments in business so that the college continues to incorporate "real-world" concerns into its curricula in a timely fashion through new programs, fresh curriculum thrusts, and research directions.
• Council members identify opportunities for partnering with the community for the purposes of promoting mutual gain through such activities as student recruiting and consulting arrangements, involving faculty members in practical business problems, arranging for guest lecturers from industry, supporting state-wide government outreach operations, and bringing students into direct contact with industry leaders and their ideas.

(3) Promote the College to its Respective Constituencies:

The Council, recognizing that the key to quality graduates is quality faculty, facilities and incoming students, actively assists the college in being recognized at the state and federal levels, the business community, and the general public.

• Council members function as ambassadors for the college and utilize their experience and insight to develop and support ways and means of advancing the presence of the college in the region, the nation, and around the world.
• Council members will serve as a forum for the exchange of points-of-view between industry leaders and academicians as they relate to advancing education and research.

(4) Assist the College in Fundraising Programs:

Given the critical need for private funds to augment tuition revenues, the college actively seeks gifts and bequests from individuals and corporate donors. The Dean's Advisory Council and its influence in attracting funding to the Golisano College can be of paramount importance to the overall fiscal success of GCCIS, year-in and year-out.

• Council members participate in the college fundraising campaigns.
• Council members assist the college in formulating effective strategies, identifying appealing projects, developing effective tactics, identifying likely contributors, evaluating potential prospects, and making key initial contacts.