Members of Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies are playing a part in bringing information studies to all corners of the globe. Now, this effort has landed in Uganda.

Through meeting with Ugandan officials, SU was able to help establish an iSchool at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. The project began in 2012 when Liz Liddy, then-dean of SU’s iSchool, decided to tackle the lack of library education and information science programs in Rwanda.

Liddy was able to do this because the iSchool is a founding member of the iSchool Caucus, an organization of schools, colleges and departments dedicated to furthering opportunities in the information field.

Because of the caucus, iSchools can now be found in six of the world’s continents. Africa, however, was the last continent to establish an iSchool, according to the iSchool website.

At the same time Liddy was beginning the project, Sarah Inoue, the project manager for international development at SU’s iSchool, was a PhD student in the iSchool’s doctoral program in information science and technology and had previously taught a two-year library program in Rwanda. Because of that work, she said Liddy called on her to help with improving the program in Rwanda.

But in the midst of developing the program in Rwanda, the iSchool realized it didn’t have the funds to pursue it, Inoue said. Despite this, they soon found another opportunity in Uganda.

Liz Ngonzi, an SU alumna from Uganda, caught word of the project and wanted to assist in making it happen.  Ngonzi had connections with prominent Ugandan citizens who could bring the project to the attention of those who could help, Inoue said.

Ngonzi later connected the group with Uganda’s Prime Minister, Ruhakana Rugunda, who led the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. Rugunda asked if he could help develop an iSchool in Uganda and possibly become a part of the iSchool Caucus.

Jeffrey Stanton, interim dean of the iSchool, said in an email the iSchool sees “enormous future potential” for education and research in the information field across the world.

“Information is an essential element in the success of organizations and societies of all types,” Stanton said. “The more schools of information there are in the world, the better.”

As the caucus continues to expand, Inoue said it will allow students to strengthen their connections with other schools and, as a result, broaden their perspective.

“That’s what I think college is all about — really learning to see the world through other people’s eyes, to help develop your own voice by learning how other people look at the world,” she said.

Published on October 7, 2015 at 10:09 pm

Contact Grace: gkjankow@syr.edu