Henry "Hank" Foley was appointed dean of the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) yesterday.

Foley was named the college's interim dean on July 1, when Jim Thomas become the dean of the Smeal College of Business. During the spring, the school had unsuccessfully sought a permanent IST dean, Foley said.

The university went through a similar search process beginning in September before deciding to offer the permanent job to Foley.

"Dr. Foley's service as interim dean, plus my observations of his performance in previous leadership roles, reinforced my assessment that he will be an outstanding dean," said Rod Erickson, executive vice president and provost, in an e-mail message.

Erickson said both he and Penn State President Graham Spanier jointly reviewed the candidates for the position, and Spanier will make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees at its Nov. 17 meeting to approve Foley as the IST dean.

Erickson said Foley is "looking out at emerging fields on the horizons of the information sciences," and will work to incorporate them into the curriculum, research initiatives and industry-government partnerships.

"I think we have a good vision for where the college needs to go," Foley said of his staff.

This semester the school added a second major, in security and risk analysis, a move Foley said added to the college's relevancy.

"We're focused on learning, discovery and engagement, and we've got plans to move forward in all three areas," Foley said.

Prior to becoming the dean of IST, Foley, a Penn State alumnus, was the associate vice president for research and director of strategic initiatives at Penn State. He said he spent four years in the corporate sector then taught at the University of Delaware. He returned to Penn State in 2000 as the head of the department of chemical engineering and Walter L. Robb family endowed chairman.

The college of IST is now in its seventh year, but Foley said he thinks the way it has been structured from the ground up places it nationally in the top tier of "I-schools" -- schools focused on information technology.

"I would argue that we are one of the strongest institutions in that whole I-school movement," Foley said.

Foley said some areas he wants to explore as dean include the role of information science and technology in media and entertainment, whether by developing electronic games or synthetic environments.

Foley said these areas would be used "not just for research, but also for teaching and for our young people to get involved in those fields.

"We're just going to go full steam ahead with all of this now," Foley said.