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Steering Committee

Note: These archived pages are no longer active and their information is not current. They detail the process W&M undertook to explore the idea of reorganizing data and computing units before final decisions were made. For current information, please visit New School in Computer Science, Data Science, Applied Science and Physics.

On June 12, 2023, the steering committee submitted its final report (pdf) to the Provost. She will be studying it over the summer, and working with her fiscal team on financial modeling for possible options. The co-chairs of the steering committee welcome your feedback using this form. 

Steering Committee Final Report (PDF)

About the Steering Committee

In January 2023, Provost Agouris charged (pdf) the steering committee with “exploring the possibilities for an autonomous academic entity for the computing, data and applied sciences at William & Mary.” The members of the committee are listed below. The committee submitted a final report (pdf) to the Provost in June 2023. The report does not make any specific recommendation about the school or advocate for any particular model or structure for the new unit. Rather, it presents data on different models, including financial and operational implications, and the disadvantages and advantages of each model for the units involved and for undergraduate and graduate education. 

The committee is charged with gathering extensive feedback, and is committed to consulting widely and frequently. All feedback will remain confidential within the steering committee, though it may eventually be shared with the Provost to provide context for the report. The committee has reached out directly to standing committees including Faculty Assembly, A&S Faculty Affairs Committee, A&S Council of Chairs & Program Directors, to solicit their thoughts. The following include opportunities past and present to share opinions and otherwise interact with the committee:

Anonymous online feedback form: Please use this form to share your thoughts with the steering committee. You may identify yourself, but you do not have to.

Meetings with members of the committee: If you, your department, your program or a group of faculty would like to meet, or otherwise interact with, members of the steering committee, please use this form to contact us and request a meeting. You can request to meet with members of the steering committee, either as an individual or as a group; you can invite members of the steering committee to attend a meeting of your department or program; or you can send a written submission to the committee. Once you have submitted your request, we will contact you to find a date and time to meet.

Town halls: All were invited to attend one or more of the following three town halls. These acted as listening sessions for the Co-Chairs David Yalof and Suzanne Raitt, and other members of the steering committee, to learn more about opinions and views among the wider community. The town halls took place:

  • In-person session in the Sadler Commonwealth Auditorium on Feb. 22nd from 6-7:30 p.m. 
  • In-person session in the Sadler Commonwealth Auditorium on Mar. 7th from 10-11:30 a.m.
  • Virtual session on Feb. 28th from 3:30-5:00 p.m. 

Surveys: The committee sent out two surveys to the W&M community. The first survey, concluded at the end of February, asked respondents to list up to three questions they wanted the steering committee to address in their report.  The second survey, concluded at the beginning of May, invited respondents to provide feedback on different features and aspects of the proposed new entity. 

Co-Chairs

David Yalof, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs 
Suzanne Raitt, Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences

Members
  • Chon Abraham, Business
  • Liz Barnes, A&S, English, Faculty Affairs Committee
  • Eric Bradley, A&S, Chair, Applied Science
  • Chris Carone, A&S Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Physics
  • Jason Chen, Education
  • Sarah Day, A&S, Math, CAMS Director
  • Marjy Friedrichs, SMS/VIMS, Faculty Assembly
  • Iria Giuffrida, Law
  • Matthias Leu, A&S, Biology
  • Rani Mullen, A&S, Government
  • Evgenia Smirni, A&S, Chair, Computer Science, Faculty Assembly
  • Matthew Smith, Assistant Provost, Institutional Accreditation and Effectiveness
  • Tony Stefanidis, A&S, Director, Data Science