35th Anniversary Reception Was a HIT!
December 21, 2009
The MIS 35th Anniversary Reception held on December 15, 2009 was a HIT!
The reception was held in conjunction to the ICIS 2009 Conference which the MIS department hosted in Phoenix, AZ.
There were over 300 people in attendance at the MIS Departmental reception. Guests mingled and socialized and had a great time reconnecting and catching up with each other.
During the reception, MIS departmental alumns paid tribute to Jay F. Nunamaker who established the department in 1974. Alumn's shared their stories and thoughts about their time spent with Jay and the department while they were in the program. Alumns who spoke during the event include Benn Konsynski, Nicholas Romana, Annette and George Easton, and Jinwei Cao.
Alum who were not able to attend the event sent in the following comments which were read by Paulo Goes (MIS department head) on their behalf:
Amit Deokar - 2006, Assistant Professor of Information Systems , College of Business & Information Systems, Dakota State University
"Jay, you have always being a great guide and mentor for me since I started the doctoral program at UA. I cannot thank enough for the support you've provided at every stage".
James D. Lee - 1995, Department Chair & Associate Professor, College of Business, Computing, and Government, BYU Hawaii
"I had the privilege to work with Jay both as a student (1990-1995) and as an employee of CMI (1992-2007). As a student, I learned so much from Jay. He is an outstanding teacher and truly cares about his students. As an employee, I learned even more. Jay is one of the hardest working people I have ever known. He is constantly looking for opportunities to advance the field of Information Systems and Technology and to help others to do the same. After all of the many years that Jay has been involved in MIS research, he still gets excited about new research opportunities, and his excitement and enthusiasm are contagious. I thoroughly loved working with Jay at CMI for nearly 15 years.
A year ago, Jay was asked to be the keynote speaker for the Information Systems Educators Conference (ISECON) and I was asked to introduce him before he gave his address. With Betty Albert's help, I put together a list of Jay's accomplishments and awards and read it as part of the introduction. It is an incredible list. I think after I read the list, the people in attendance at the conference expected that Jay could walk on water. But, as I told the attendees at the conference, Jay's list of academic and professional achievements is not what makes him a great man. Rather, it is the fact that he genuinely cares about helping others. The amazing about Jay is that in spite of all that he has accomplished in his career, he is still so approachable. In all of the years that I worked with Jay, I never saw him turn away someone who approached him with a question. Even if he was very busy, he would take the time to listen and to kindly respond. I often saw him stay late into the evening advising students and other colleagues. He has not forgotten what it is like to be a student or a new member of the faculty.
This short poem expresses a great lesson I learned from Jay:
'Tis the human touch in this world that counts,
The touch of your hand and mine,
Which means far more to the fainting heart
Than shelter, bread and wine;
For shelter is gone when the night is o'er,
And bread lasts only a day
But the touch of the hand and the sound of the voice
Sing on in the soul always. (Spencer Michael Free)
Much of what I have accomplished in my career I owe to lessons I have learned from Jay Nunamaker. He is my mentor and my friend and I am grateful for the privilege I had to work side by side with him for so many years. My life has truly been blessed by my association with him".
Susan Athey - 1987, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs, Colorado State University College of Business
"The day I took my oral exam for the Ph.D. program, I was a nervous wreck, of course. I couldn't even eat breakfast or lunch. I was fully prepared for the questioning to last an entire 2 hours. The exam went fine and it ended after only about an hour. I was VERY happy when Jay told me I passed. I found out later that he had a golf reservation and needed to leave in order to make his tee time! Jay .. I hope you are still playing golf"!
Craig K. Tyran – 1993, Associate Dean and Director for the Center for Excellence in Management Education, Western Washington University
"Thank you Jay for creating Arizona's outstanding MIS program. My time in the doctoral program (1988-1993) was an wonderful experience and I will never forget it. Also, I will not forget the times when we teamed up on the golf course for the golf matches - I recall that we won many "skins" over the years! Thank you for inviting me to be part of your MIS program (and your golf foursome). With much appreciation, Craig."
Kenneth Griggs – 1989, Professor of Information Systems, CalPoly
"It was 1984, and I was a lot younger and thinner. I was down from Montreal to check out the Ph.D. program at Arizona. When I arrived, Jay had assigned Lynda Applegate to host my visit and everything had been planned flawlessly.
I recall being ushered past the reception area with the electrically locked door (I'm sure that many will recall THAT) and into Jay's inner sanctum; I had a slight "Wizard of Oz" feeling about it. Jay put me at ease and we had a great chat. He had a gracious and low-key kind of charm and he made sure that I met the entire faculty and checked in periodically to see that I was OK.
Subsequently, I traveled to other universities with MIS Ph.D.'s and none could compare to the program that Jay had built. Jay had constructed a kind of family where everything worked. Jay was the program's father and its maestro. For me, and I'm sure many others, the program was a singular event in my life and I don't regret a minute of it. And, as an added bonus Jay put me the same cubicle with the lovely Rosemary Wild who later became my wife. (Note: Rosemary wants everyone to know that she did not make me add the last statement)".
Rosemary Wilde – 1989, Chair, Management/IS Department, CalPoly
"Jay ruined us for our professional futures. He provided a learning atmosphere bar none. Jay created an environment in which there was tremendous intellectual stimulation and exploration, a family-like dynamic that promoted exceptional camaraderie that led to a network of life-long friends, and access to resources that were traditionally not available to students.
We worked hard and played hard and expected our future academic lives to be a continuation of this almost ideal situation. They weren’t, but that’s ok Jay, we forgive you. The four years I spent in the MIS Ph.D. program under Jay’s leadership were four of the best years of my life and for that I am grateful. And by the way, thanks for throwing in the husband – I didn’t expect Ken Griggs to be part of the package".
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