School of Information at The University of Texas at Austin

June 2026 iSchool Insider

The School of Information at The University of Texas at Austin has assembled the June 2026 issue of the iSchool Insider. Highlights from this month’s digest are below.

Read the full June 2026 issue

Student Stories

• Convocation Ceremony Caps a Pivotal Year for the iSchool recaps the May 8 celebration of the Class of 2026 and the school's transition into the new School of Computing.
• Award Winners Underscore Outstanding Student Research at Capstone Event highlights the spring capstone showcase and Dean's Excellence honorees Aleena Jacks, Kyle Castillo, Lucas McGill, and Marsh Vo.

Faculty & Staff News

• iNSIGHTS 2026, the iSchool's annual magazine, is now available. Volume 7 — themed "Human-Centered Forward-Looking" — features Ph.D. candidate Jaxsen Day's accessibility research, faculty profiles on AI and public service, alumni award winners Minda Anderson and Hermina Anghelescu, career spotlights on alumni at IBM and Amazon, and Interim Dean Ken Fleischmann on the iSchool's move to the new School of Computing.
• UT is hosting a ten-session virtual Train the Trainer series on digital accessibility (July 7–August 11), open to all teaching faculty. Topics include accessible documents, PDF remediation, video accessibility, e-learning in Articulate Rise and Storyline, accessible MS Teams meetings, and a screen reader demo. Space is limited — register through UT Learn.
• Graduate Program Administrator Rachel Hendrickson will present at the TxGAP 2026 GEM Conference alongside Kimberlee Walters of Extended Education Ventures, with sessions on career development for entry-level professionals and orientation programming for student belonging.
• ALA Spotlights the Legacy of iSchool Alumna Carolyn Hixon Harris — the ALA Library History Round Table's sesquicentennial "Librarians We Have Lost" project profiles Harris (MLS '70), a pioneer in library preservation who served at Columbia University and returned to UT in 1992 before her passing in 1994.
• Congratulations to Angela D. R. Smith on New Faculty Role recognizes her upcoming tenure-track appointment in the Department of Black Studies at the University of Rochester, beginning August 1, 2026.
• Welcome Kennedy Grigsby, HR Coordinator, who joins the iSchool after several years with UT Rec Sports and will serve as the primary contact for department HR matters.
• Farewell to Diana Deaton, Associate Academic Advisor and Student Life Coordinator, whose last day is May 31. Diana joined the iSchool in May 2023 and contributed warmly to undergraduate advising and student life. She has been accepted into the Simmons University joint MLIS/MA in History program as a Merit Scholar.

iSchool Communications