Dean’s Blog: The Joys of a Four-Year Old

Two days ago on September 18, the School of Data Science (SDS) at the University of Virginia (UVA) celebrated its fourth birthday. So much has happened since I wrote about our second birthday. Yesterday, by way of a double whammy, the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) approved our B.S. in Data Science, a four-year undergraduate major with the first year in the College of Arts & Sciences followed by three years of dedicated data science education with a holistic view. It is important to celebrate accomplishments, which we will do, but it is also time to reflect on our past achievements while also looking towards the future.

Looking back by the numbers. (Hey, we are data people after all.)

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While such extraordinary growth might happen in technology-related startups, it’s rare in academic circles. While technology startups often fizzle out quickly, our School of Data Science is sustainable with a healthy endowment. As I recently told our Board of Visitors–trustees appointed by the governor of Virginia–perhaps our greatest accomplishments thus far are the following: first, the new faculty and staff we have brought to UVA, and second, the students we have graduated to date. It is that human capital that we must treasure and multiply, which takes us to our fifth year. Here is a quick, high-level rundown of what is to come in alignment with our 2022-2027 strategic plan.

• The B.S. in Data Science (BSDS) is a major accomplishment by both faculty and staff. It is a program that will evolve over time as it is influenced by our other programs that follow (M.S. and Ph.D.) and by changes in the field itself. The BSDS is yet another piece of our push towards creating a life-long learning environment where quantitative skills are taught with a humanistic view. Already, there is active debate among our team regarding the curricula, admissions policies, and so much more. A heavy lift for sure, but we, and our prospective students, are ready for the challenge. If the data science minor enrollment numbers are any indication, the undergraduate major will be well received. Read more about it here.
   
• Our new building will open in April 2024. I have written about what it means to have a stake in the ground beyond the dispersed temporary space we now occupy. With each visit to the construction site the final layout and ambience become more apparent–open, full of light, functional, and innovative. We are impatient to move in. I suspect the impact on us all will be profound. The building will be at capacity at time of move in, and this coming year will be spent fundraising and capital planning for a second building!
   
• It's about data/information. It is silly to say but something we need to pay more attention to. Are we operating at maximum efficiency as we grow? Are we able to measure our progress appropriately? The answer to both questions is no, and we are addressing this across the enterprise. This begins with streamlining how and what we communicate both internally and externally. A first deliverable will be creating a better understanding of the vision, mission, and goals and hence how different divisions and individuals can best respond. With continued growth–we are now over 100 with 24 people added for academic year 23-24–maintaining a singular view of who we are, what we represent, and what we convey is foremost on our minds.
   
• It's about a 5-10 year horizon, and that’s beyond this fifth year for the school. Higher education and data science (broader than just AI) in particular are advancing at a rapid rate, and we need to be out in front of these developments. We are helping push UVA forward with a Futures Initiative that tries to envision that future. Our flagship event, Datapalooza on Nov. 10, will be devoted to imagining this future. This future requires us to think carefully about the hires we as a school and a university make to maximize alignment between future teaching, research, and community needs.
   
• Professional development and supporting our people is top of mind as we start year five. Having completed an equity study for both faculty and staff, we have put in place better processes to facilitate career growth of all team members. We see it as our duty to provide those that give their professional lives to us to do right by them. There is much still to do as part of a continual process of improvement—a process that includes training opportunities, formal mentorship, and more detailed review of everyone’s progress.
   
• Raising our research profile first requires that we fine-tune the types of research activities we undertake and how we undertake them. We can't commit to everything that calls our attention. When we do decide, we need our research activities to draw from a broader external audience through faculty hires and distinguished visitors. We must also have an increasing presence at external events to communicate what we have achieved. Our Distinguished Lecture Series is a step in this direction. Beyond that, we need to appropriately support the development and submission of grant applications so that our intellect and experience are on full display.
   
• Being inclusive in all we do is key so that all stakeholders feel they have an equal voice in the organization. This is the embodiment of the university and the school (2023-2026) inclusive excellence plans. For the next year this implies building out  sustainable programs and pathways for lifelong learning that are inclusive and accessible to all which in turn means finding appropriate philanthropy and the human capital to make it so.

This is a lot to accomplish during our fifth formative year, but given what we have accomplished in the past four, I am confident we will make significant progress. Onwards.