Keith Miller named first Louise Hartman Schewe and Karl Schewe Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences

Margot Duley, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Springfield, announced today the appointment of Keith W. Miller as the first Louise Hartman Schewe and Karl Schewe Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences.

“The Schewe Professorship is the first named Professorship in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and marks a significant milestone in its evolution,” Duley said.

Miller, a Professor of Computer Science, an associated faculty member of Philosophy, and Associate Director of the Emiquon Field Station, came to UIS in 1993. With research expertise in software engineering, Miller has also emerged as an internationally recognized authority in computer ethics and serves as editor-in-chief of Technology and Society, a journal of “IEEE,” the world’s largest professional association for the advancement of technology.

“Professor Miller is noted for his interdisciplinary collaborations, which include computer scientists, philosophers, biologists, physicists, lawyers, and historians,” said Duley. “These collaborations and his scholarly eminence make him the ideal first Schewe Liberal Arts and Sciences Professor.”

Miller played a major role in the development of an international code of ethics for software engineering. His work as the Schewe Professor will include research and collaboration on the ethical challenges facing computing professionals from a global perspective, according to Duley.

Karl Schewe was a member of the Chicago Board of Trade and A.G. Edwards and Sons, Springfield. Louise was a teacher and active civic leader whose interests included the Springfield Art Association and the Illinois Symphony Guild. Upon her death in 2006, Louise Schewe left a generous bequest to the University of Illinois Foundation to support initially a professorship, and eventually a chair in the Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The field of computer ethics considers the ethical implications of computer and information technologies. All societies are being transformed by these technologies, and the positive and negative implications are enormous. Miller’s work bridges the gap between ethicists, academics, and computer science professionals.

Miller is a prolific and influential scholar. He is author or co-author of 60 articles in leading academic journals, a contributor to some 20 books and websites, and the author of 75 papers appearing in conference proceedings. He is in demand as a major conference speaker, appearing in venues as geographically diverse as the Association for Computer Machinery Symposium on Applied Computing in Dijon, France, to the Conference on Computer Ethics at Dartmouth College, from the Cyber Defense and Recovery Conference in Springfield, Illinois, to the EthiComp Conference in Sweden. He is also the recipient of many grants, including funding from the National Science Foundation.

A popular classroom teacher, Miller is also a major contributor to a leading undergraduate text, Computer Ethics: Analyzing Information Technology, authored by Dr. Deborah Johnson, who describes Miller as “a wonderful teacher, especially energetic and innovative.”

Miller’s previous honors include the Outstanding Service Award from the Association for Computer Machinery (2006), and he has been elected to the Board of The International Society for Ethics and Information Technology. He was also selected as a University of Illinois University Scholar in 2000.

Members of the Schewe panel who recommended Miller’s appointment were Dean Emeritus Bill Bloemer, Emeritus Professor Larry Shiner, Associate Professor Kamau Kemayo, Associate Professor Jonathan Perkins, Associate Professor Hei-chi Chan, Assistant Professor Sheryl Reminger, and Assistant Professor John Barker.