Professor Julio Arauz Appointed Director of OHIO’s J. Warren McClure School of Emerging Communication Technologies

The Scripps College of Communication is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Julio Arauz as the new director of the J. Warren McClure School of Emerging Communication Technologies. Arauz is currently the director of graduate studies for the McClure School.

“His focus on students and the breadth of his expertise combine to make Julio the perfect choice for the next director,” Dean Scott Titsworth said. “I am so excited to work with him as we continue to make the McClure School the best training ground in the country for emerging technologies in our field.”

Among the McClure School community, Arauz is known for supporting the school and its students with an eagerness to incorporate new technology and ideas into the classroom.

"What I have always enjoyed about teaching are the intellectual challenges,” Arauz said. ”This is true especially in the fields the (McClure) school covers, as most of our knowledge areas have to be updated semester-to-semester, sometimes month-to-month.”

Arauz received his PhD in Information Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh and began teaching at OHIO in 2009. He holds two patents and his research interests include wireless communications, the Internet of things and most importantly the use of technology for social good in urban and rural settings.

“To me, teaching is like any building activity,” Arauz added. “Anything you build is built layer by layer by multiple people collaborating. Sometimes it takes more time to lay a layer of bricks, sometimes you can do it faster. At the end, you see the result and notice how, with patience, your teaching has helped build successful student careers.”

The McClure School has undergone changes in the past year, merging with the Game Research and Immersive Design (GRID) Lab and incorporating augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) and game design into its curriculum. This partnership was inspired by the critical role information technology plays in the success of the AR/VR and gaming industries, specifically in keeping up with the rate at which that technology changes.

"The school is positioned to take on very fast-changing industries,” Arauz said. “Information networking is changing by the influence of machine learning and data analysis, AR and VR are now seen as an asset for numerous industries, and esports popularity and challenges are also quickly evolving. We have faculty and staff that can quickly adapt to these changes and continue contributing to the strengthening of our programs.”

Arauz will assume the directorship on July 1, taking over from Hans Kruse, who has served as director since 2015 and is retiring. In light of recent challenges OHIO is facing in terms of responding to world events, Arauz emphasizes the importance of the director's role in keeping things moving forward.

He said it is a “responsibility and an honor” to be named director.

“More than anything, today the director’s goal is to bring the skills and abilities of all of our faculty, staff and students to contribute to rapidly position the school to face short-term challenges and continue building towards our long-term goals,” Arauz said.