Informatics is all about seeking human meaning in a world of data. It is how we find, process, protect, and share information. It encompasses journalism, cybersecurity, public relations, business analytics, artificial intelligence, and much more.
Fast computation on massive data made mobile and social has changed our lives. Informatics is all about those earthshaking changes.
But it goes beyond that. Information is personal, organizational, and global. It is the cold logic of computer code, but it is also the passion of persuasion. It is logic on fire.
We built our college on the radical premise that breaking a few silos would yield growth and innovation. That has happened.
Our Data Science program was the first in the world to be ABET-accredited. We are an NSA/DHS Center of Excellence in Cyber Defense Education and offer an accelerated online master’s program in Cybersecurity designed to meet the needs of career-changers. Our Journalism program and the independent student newspaper The Northerner partner with LINKnky to advance local news coverage. Our media students bring their documentary filmmaking skills to countries from Guatemala to Sri Lanka.
And Informatics, where computation meets communication, is the epicenter of artificial intelligence.
As an outward-facing college, we bring media and tech talent to companies, local governments, and K-12. Many of our degrees have built-in experiential “outside the classroom” components. Our students are winning awards, competitions, and hackathons, and are graduating into the world with that special “informatics” edge.
No matter what your interests or background, come join us as we explore and create.
Dean,
College of Informatics
GH 500B
859-572-6544
kirby@nku.edu
Personal
I am a native of Royal Oak, Michigan, moved to Cincinnati in 1994, am married to a writer/teacher, and we have one son.
Academic
My undergraduate work was in math and linguistics, and my MS and PhD are in computer science (cognates in physics and neuroscience) from Wayne State University. My dissertation was on neural computing, and I continue to work in deep learning. I received the Mathematical Association of America’s Polya Award in 1997, and have been deeply involved in international work at NKU (Mexico and Korea in particular). I became Computer Science chair in ’08 and Informatics dean in ’11. I love teaching everything from intro Python programming to graduate-level theory of computation.
Associate Dean,
Associate Professor
GH 500D
859-572-6903
klatzkes1@nku.edu
Personal
I am originally from Paducah, KY but I have also lived in Missouri and Ohio. I am married with two daughters and I love to read.
Academic
I received my B.A. in Organizational Communication from Murray State University in 2001; my M.A. in Communication from the University of Cincinnati in 2003, and my Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Missouri in 2009. I am the Co-Director of our Graduate Program and I coordinate the COI Principles of Informatics course. I teach undergraduate courses including Organizational Communication, Research Methods, Principles of Informatics, and graduate courses in Communication Theory and Organizational Communication and Identity. My research interests are in organizational communication; I am particularly interested in the exit process (in a nutshell, people quitting their jobs).
Manager,
Communication, Events, & Administration
GH 500A
859-572-5666
heckl3@nku.edu
Personal
Larissa is a Bardstown, KY native and an expert on all things bourbon. (She could talk your ear off.) You can normally find her catching a movie with friends or spending time with her beloved cat, Cowgirl.
Academic/Professional
Larissa is a 2019 graduate of the Electronic Media & Broadcasting major at the COI. She rejoined Informatics after working in the President's Office at NKU. She looks forward to bringing her expertise to this role and work to best represent the COI.
Heather Ackles
Director Business Technology
School Outfitters
Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority
Jay Becker
Founder and President
BLDG Brands
Shannan Boyer
President and Founder
Scooter Media
Lee Crume
President and CEO
Be-NKY
Ife Oluwa Osifalujo
President
COI Ambassadors
Christin Godale
Director, Life Sciences
Cincy Tech
Matt Godsted
Cybersecurity Strategy Architect
Kroger
Tim Hanner
President and CEO
Educate NKY
Rick Huff
CIO
Paycor
Brian Keys
Vice President of Technology
Cincinnati Reds
Julie L. McGehee
VP, Compensation and Benefits
Corporate Secretary
The E.W. Scripps Co.
Gregory S. Shumate
Attorney
Frost Brown Todd LLC
John R. Ward
Senior VP & CIO
TriHealth Information Systems
