DePaul University Provost Salma Ghanem has named Lucia Dettori interim dean for the College of Computing and Digital Media, effective July 1.
Dettori, who currently serves as associate dean and associate professor in CDM's School of Computing, has accepted a two-year appointment to lead the college.
“I'm thrilled Lucia will serve as CDM's interim dean. Her passion for teaching and learning combined with her leadership skills will benefit the college during this time of transition," Ghanem says. “I'm grateful she has agreed to take on this role."
A recognized leader in computer science education, Dettori has made it a priority throughout her career to make computing accessible to all. She is a co-founder of the Chicago Alliance for Equity in Computer Science, also known as CAFÉCS. The collaboration between DePaul, University of Illinois, Loyola University, Chicago Public Schools and the Learning Partnership aims to give all Chicago students access to a high-quality computer science education.
True to her passion, Dettori helped introduce the Exploring Computer Science curriculum to CPS. More than 90,000 CPS high school students have taken the introductory computer science course, which focuses on expanding access to traditionally underrepresented students. More than 200 CPS teachers also have received training through the program. As a result of CAFÉCS' efforts, computer science is now a high school graduation requirement for all CPS students.
In 2018, Dettori took a sabbatical from teaching at DePaul to serve as the director of the Office of Computer Science at Chicago Public Schools.
“Building inclusive and diverse teams is critical for success in any field and systemic change starts with our youth," Dettori says. “Working with CPS and my other colleagues on CAFÉCS has been a very rewarding experience, which we hope will have a significant impact for years to come."
Dettori joined DePaul in 2000 when CDM was the School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems, or CTI. She has held visiting positions at Brown University and Southern Methodist University. She has published extensively in the areas of scientific computing, medical image processing and computer science education. She is the recipient of multimillion-dollar grants from federal agencies and private companies, including the National Science Foundation, CME Foundation, IBM and Google.
Born and raised in Italy, Dettori earned a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from the University of Paris XI in France. She has bachelor's and master's degrees in applied mathematics from University of Parma in Italy.
“With its unique blend of disciplines, CDM embodies an interdisciplinary approach to learning that is the foundation to creativity and innovation," Dettori says. “In my 20 years at CDM, I have worked with outstanding faculty, staff, students and alumni. I am honored to serve CDM in this new role. I am excited to work with each school to bring them to new levels of success, and continue to provide the best education to our students."
In September, David Miller
announced he is stepping down as dean of CDM at the end of this academic year. He joined DePaul in 1981 and co-founded the Department of Computer Science. His vision for computer science planted the seed for the department to grow and evolve into the nationally recognized college it is today.
“I'm very grateful to David for his many years of leadership at DePaul," Ghanem says. “Thanks to his vision and foresight, the College of Computing and Digital Media is recognized among the best in the country. I am very grateful for his leadership and all that he has done for DePaul's students."
DePaul will share more information about the dean search when it is available.
The
College of Computing and Digital Media is organized into three schools: cinematic arts, computing and design. Certain degree programs span multiple schools to offer students a multidisciplinary learning experience.