Thank You Notes That I Treasure

Graduations and accompanying celebrations for 2017 are now over but the joyousness of these special occasions lingers. 

In the past few weeks other special events have included multiple PhD dissertation defenses, a dissertation proposal defense, and an undergraduate honors thesis defense. Tomorrow I have another PhD dissertation defense and then it will be over with defenses for a while. I chaired two of the five committees and was a committee member for the others.

With the above momentous happenings and, since also it is the end of the year, as a faculty member, I thought it fitting to write on the very special thank you notes that I have received from graduating students, present students, and even from some of their family members.

One favorite message came via Twitter from a student I taught years ago, and it said: "@Supernetworks - Thank you for making a difference in so many lives."

Nothing makes a faculty member happier than getting feedback on one's impact. The above "Thank you" I will always treasure.

The same goes for the lovely note cards that I received, some of which are in the photo above.

In one of them a student wrote: "If it weren't for you, I would not be where I am today, and for the future. Your 597LG class (Humanitarian Logistics and Healthcare) will always be the most influential class that directed my path for my future.... I've learned and thought about ideas more than I ever have, truly pushing the boundaries of research. .. You've taught me to be fearless, and to succeed in face of challenge."

A message from another student stated: "You have really encouraged my love for supply chains and logistics. You serve as a role model for me not only for all that you have accomplished, but how you represent yourself as a women in the industry."

And a message from a father touched me deeply:  "I look back to my daughter's journey from the day she joined the business school till this day & observe with great satisfaction the progress she has made during this period despite several difficulties in studying at an unknown location and country...

This, Madam, could not have been possible without your able guidance & the opportunities & conducive environment provided by you and the University... My daughter's achievement is therefore dedicated to you, Madam, & I would like to thank you for all your efforts  in bringing her to this higher pedestal of learning."

On dreary days, I will look again at the Thank You notes to remind myself of the truly special role that we as university faculty have. The memories of the students and how deeply they enriched my life will never leave me. They are all part of my academic family!

And just yesterday, I wrote and mailed 3 Thank You cards to a colleague, a former student, and to a relative!

Music Supply Chains and Serving on International Dissertations

I came across a very interesting dissertation on music supply chains that was successfully defended for a Masters degree recently in Bergen, Norway at NHH. The dissertation, written by Brandeis Bellamy, is entitled: How Has the Changing Demand for Downloadable Music Influenced the Strategic Business Models of Firms? and it can be accessed here. I thought to myself, what a fascinating application of supply chains and a topic that anyone (and especially college students) can relate to. I couldn't help but read the dissertation and was really surprised and pleased to see that my Supply Chain Network Economics book was cited in it. I wrote this book while I was a Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard in 2005-2006. Coincidentally, Elaine Chew, who is an outstanding pianist and an operations researcher, who studies music from a mathematics perspective, was a Fellow at Radcliffe in 2007-2008, and we had the pleasure of having her speak at the Isenberg School in our INFORMS Speaker Series that Fall.

While reading the dissertation from NHH in Bergen, I so fondly recalled a doctoral dissertation that I was an examiner for, which involved travel to Bergen in northern Norway in the month of March. Bergen was magical with crocuses blooming and the defense is a very formal affair there with a reception afterwards (the student passed with glowing colors) and an elegant banquet. The defense was my second trip to Bergen. I had been there earlier for a NATO Scientific conference, after which we took the 7 hour train trip from Bergen to Oslo with spectacular views.

Tomorrow, I will be an oral examiner (sounds as though I am a dentist) for a doctoral dissertation in Auckland, New Zealand. I will not be flying out (would have to be on a plane already, if that were the case) but will be videoconferencing. The videoconferencing technology we used to stream my lecture last May to UC Davis. Tomorrow we will be using it for a doctoral defense. I am keeping my fingers crossed that everything works out.

The last time I was in Auckland, New Zealand was in January 2008 and the trip included being stuck at LAX on the tarmac in the plane for 4 hours in a fierce rainstorm before we took off for Auckland. The pain and suffering associated with this trip were compensated by the fantastic conference on Multicriteria Decision-Making and the conference talks, tours, and festivities.

Above I share with you some photos of Auckland, New Zealand.

It's never dull being an academic!