Interview

Every year INFORMS organizes its Combined Colloquia featuring the Future Academician Colloquium (FAC), the Future Practitioner Colloquium (FPC), and the Teaching Effectiveness Colloquium (TEC). All three colloquia are sponsored by INFORMS, INFORM-ED, the INFORMS Student Affairs Committee and Omega Rho, and are designed to provide the attendees with technical material, career experiences from senior and junior OR/MS professionals, and an environment for networking.

We asked a set of questions to each of the individual chairs of this year’s INFORMS Combined Colloquia. Dr. Sriram Narayanan and Dr. Yimin Wang are the chairs of the Future Academician Colloquium, Dr. Murat Bayiz is the chair of the Future Practitioner Colloquium, and Dr. Matthew Bailey is the chair of the Teaching Effectiveness Colloquium. From the interview, we expect our readers to draw conclusions about the differences and similarities among the colloquia.

We would like to thank Dr. Eda Kemahlioglu-Ziya, 2011 Combined Colloquia Chair, for her cooperation to carry out this interview and the feedback she provided.

1.- What is the general profile of the expected Colloquium attendee?

Dr. Narayanan & Dr. Wang: The general profile of the expected attendee is a graduating student or someone who is close to graduation in operations management/operations research courses.

Dr. Bayiz: The typical profile for the Future Practitioner Colloquium is a PhD candidate or a recent PhD graduate in OR/MS or related field, who is seeking to follow a non-academic career.

Dr. Bailey: Typically, a newer faculty member looking for advice and examples of different teaching approaches from a variety of experienced professors.

2.- What is the aspect that attendees most value from the Colloquium?

Dr. Narayanan & Dr. Wang: In the past, attendees have often found advice regarding the job search process; the interview process and the transition from student to faculty among the most useful.

Dr. Bayiz: First of all, students will hear valuable experiences of successful OR/MS professionals from various industries. Speakers will cover agendas that will prepare students for an effective job search process and being successful in early years in their careers. Lastly, the colloquium will be an excellent platform where the students can network with their peers and the speakers.

Dr. Bailey: The close level of interaction with highly successful teachers. The Teaching Effectiveness Colloquium is an opportunity to learn new approaches, but also discuss the challenges of balancing teaching and research.

3.- What is the average attendance in previous versions?

Dr. Narayanan & Dr. Wang: The average attendance is about 50 students every year.

Dr. Bayiz: Average of the last two years is about 15 students.

Dr. Bailey: This is my first year organizing the Colloquium, but I believe that attendance is typically 15-20 attendees.

4.- When and where is this year's Colloquium taking place?

Dr. Narayanan & Dr. Wang: This year’s colloquium is taking place at Charlotte Convention Center. The colloquium is scheduled to be held on the 12th November 2011. It is a one day event. Attendees are also encouraged to attend the Dinner event that is scheduled on the 11th November.

Dr. Bayiz: November 12 (Saturday) at Charlotte Convention Center, NC.

Dr. Bailey: November 12 at Charlotte Convention Center, NC.

5.- What are the requirements to attend?

Dr. Narayanan & Dr. Wang: The requirements to attend are the following:

1. Be a member of INFORMS or have applied for membership at the time of the nomination;
2. Have completed basic coursework and initiated research;
3. Be within one year from completing all degree requirements;
4. Have excellent potential for contributing to the fields of operations research, management science or a related field;
5. Have good communication skills;
6. Have never attended an INFORMS Future Academician Colloquium.

Dr. Bayiz: The requirements are the following:

• Be a member of INFORMS
• Have completed basic coursework and initiated research (for students)
• Be within one year of completing all degree requirements (for students)
• Have completed his or her PhD and be within three years of starting their first practice job (for current practitioner)
• Have excellent potential for contributing to the fields of OR/MS or a related field
• Have good communication skills

Dr. Bailey: All academic units that regularly offer courses in operations research, management science and related fields are invited to nominate faculty members and advanced doctoral students intending to pursue a career in academia for participation in the Teaching Effectiveness Colloquium.

To be eligible for consideration, an individual must be a:

• member of INFORMS or have applied for membership at the time of the nomination;
• tenured or tenure-track faculty member in one of INFORMS' constituent disciplines or be within one year of completing all degree requirements for a PhD in one of INFORMS' constituent disciplines. All tenured and tenure-track faculty members can be nominated but preference will be given to first-time nominees should there be a capacity constraint.

Complete nomination packages must be received by July 15. A complete nomination by the department will include:

• letter of recommendation from the department chair;
• list of OR/MS courses taught or expected to be taught by the nominee;
• list of INFORMS teaching effectiveness colloquia and workshops that the nominee has attended in the last two years;
• mailing address, e-mail address and phone number of the nominee;
• departmental contact information for invoicing (needed for more than one nominated participant, or if nominees also accepted for FAC or FPC).

6.- How many students per Department can attend?

Dr. Narayanan & Dr. Wang: We do not have a fixed number. We encourage as many submissions per Department as possible. Usually the chosen applicants depend on the PhD program size of the school and strength of applicants. We attempt to provide representation to as many schools as possible.

Dr. Bayiz: We do not have a limit at this point.

Dr. Bailey: There is no up-front limit on the number of nominees.

**(see note at the end of interview)

7.- What is the cost of attendance?

All chairs: The registration fee for each of the Colloquia is $300. However, the fee will be waived for one participant from a department nominated to the Combined Colloquia. A second participant from a department to the combined colloquia pays $150, and each additional participant pays $300

8.- Is there any financial assistance for this year's Colloquium?

All chairs: The participants do not pay their own registration fees. Instead, the nominating department pays for their registration. INFORMS does not offer any financial assistance to cover other expenses (such as lodging) of the participants.

9.- Are most of the attendees coming from universities in the U.S.?

Dr. Narayanan & Dr. Wang: Effort is made to encourage international participation. However, in the past, a majority of the participants have been from the United States.

Dr. Bayiz: Yes.

Dr. Bailey: Yes.

10.- What types of sessions will be included in this year's Colloquium?

Dr. Narayanan & Dr. Wang: The topics for this year’s colloquium will cover the interview process and the job search process, special issues for international and dual career couples, transitioning from student to professor, research and publishing, service to community and finally, a round up session on what it takes to be a successful academic. Also, this year the colloquium features a new session on Building a Successful Academic Career where senior academics will field questions from students and offer insights from their academic careers.

Dr. Bayiz: Career paths for OR/MS professionals

Job search process

Skills for OR/MS professionals in early career years

• Analytical/problem solving skills
• Communication skills
• Time Management skills
• Etc.

Dr. Bailey: The Teaching Effectiveness Colloquium is focusing on approaches and issues with teaching with an emphasis this year on modeling. We have been able to put together a great lineup of speakers to discuss their experiences and insights. The TEC speakers will include: Steven Pollack, Jeffrey Camm, Cliff Ragsdale, Donna Llewelyn, Peter Bell, Michael Fry, and Jeffrey Ohlmann. In my opinion, the quality and variety of speakers for the colloquium are the highlight. Topics will include issues in teaching modeling, spreadsheet modeling, using cases in the classroom, and operations research in sports.

11.- What suggestions can you provide to students that are still deciding which colloquium to attend?

Dr. Narayanan & Dr. Wang: If you are planning to be in the job market this (or the coming) year, and are considering a career in academia, we would encourage you to consider attending the Future Academician Colloquium.

Dr. Bayiz: The Future Practitioners Colloquium is designed to prepare students for non-academic careers. At the end of the colloquium, students will understand the alternative career paths, tips for the effective job search, and skills to start a successful career.

Dr. Bailey: The intended TEC audience is typically already working as a faculty member, in contrast the attendees of the other colloquia. If a faculty member is looking for some guidance in teaching new courses or refining current courses, they will find great value in the Teaching Effectiveness Colloquium.

** In the past, some nominations were rejected to keep the size of the colloquia manageable.