You may have known him as “Bob,” “Perkoski,” “Dr. Perkoski,” or “Perks.” We all knew him as a great teacher, a passionate advocate for student learning, and an amazingly funny colleague. The Department of Informatics and Networked Systems (DINS) is sad to note that Dr. Robert Perkoski, a long-time instructor and director of our undergraduate programs, died unexpectedly this week.
Bob began his career at Pitt in 1984 in the University of Pittsburgh Placement Service office. He rose to hold the position of Director of Placement and Career Services from 1990-1999, where he oversaw the day-to-day operations of the career services office including designing and implementing management training programs. In 1999, Bob joined the faculty of the (then) Department of Information Science and Telecommunications as an adjunct faculty member. He started out teaching the Advanced Introduction to Information Science and Introduction to Telecommunications courses at the undergraduate level. In 2000, he joined the Department as a full-time faculty member and director of the Undergraduate Program in Information Science. While serving in these various positions, he also earned his MS in Information Science degree and his EdD degree in Higher Education Management at Pitt.
During his tenure with the Department, he taught an incredible number of classes and students. Most recently, Bob had been regularly teaching INFSCI 0010 Introduction to Information, Systems, and Society; INFSCI 0410 Human-Centered Systems; and INFSCI 1500 Database Management Concepts and Applications.
He also represented the department and the BSIS program in various university and school committees. In 2019, he worked closely with then department chair Prashant Krishnamurthy in redesigning the BSIS curriculum and expanding it to a four-year program. He also contributed to the development of the BS in Computational Social Science and the newly-introduced Information Science Minor. His in-depth knowledge of higher education and the University of Pittsburgh served the department and the school well. Although his primary teaching and administrative duties were focused on the undergraduate program, his impact on the Department as a whole cannot be overstated.
Throughout his career at Pitt, Bob served on hundreds of committees, mentored untold numbers of undergraduate students, and served as a resource for new faculty and part-time instructors within the department. Bob was often the first person a new undergraduate student would meet and usually the last person to congratulate those students on successfully completing their program of study. Bob played an important role in 23 years of new student orientations and graduations. He always had time to work with faculty and staff, part-time instructors, and School administrators.
Bob was an outspoken advocate for the Information Sciences, a caring and involved colleague, and a really good friend. He will be missed.
A Celebration of the Life of Robert Perkoski
Please Join Us
On December 8, we will host a “Celebration” of Bob’s life. Beginning at 1 pm, we will gather in Bob’s academic home, the Information Science Building, to share memories and stories of Bob.
Please join Bob’s family, friends, students, and colleagues for a celebration of his life, his passion for his teaching and his students, and his significant impact on his family, community, and the University.
Everyone will be invited to share a memory, a funny story (and there are many), or an example of Bob’s impact on so many of us.