Friends and colleagues,
It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Mike Dunn, the founding dean of the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering.
Mike earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy from Oberlin College in 1963 and his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh three years later. He spent time at Wayne State College and Yale University before arriving at Indiana University in 1969.
His contributions to our school cannot be overstated. He was involved in the strategic planning for the establishment of the informatics program in the late 1990s, and he was tasked with establishing the then-School of Informatics in 2000. President Michael McRobbie credits Mike Dunn for convincing him to come to IU more than two decades after Mike served as an examiner on President McRobbie’s Ph.D. dissertation.
Mike retired in 2007, but he was a constant presence at the Luddy School and was a friend and mentor to so many of us. His vision of the school as a multidisciplinary, collaborative space for learning and research has been made a reality, and we simply would not be the unique school without him.
My condolences go out to his family, and I’m sure many of you have stories to share about the way Mike impacted IU, the school, and your lives.
Mike will be missed, but every day we work to carry on his legacy.
Dennis Groth
Interim Dean
Michael Dunn
