DOCTORAL ISSUESROBERT T. SUMICHRAST, Feature Editor,
Pamplin College of Business, This issue of Decision Line marks the beginning of a regular new feature, Doctoral Issues, that will present information of direct use to students and faculty advisers. One of the goals of this column is to disseminate information from the Institute's annual doctoral student consortium. Of course, a newsletter column can never compete with actual attendance. But we hope this column will supplement the conference by providing information earlier to those who will attend, and by providing some of the consortium's content to those not going to Boston in November. The first column is by Robert Jacobs, the 1995 Doctoral Student Consortium Coordinator, who provides an overview of what students can expect at this year's program. (See page 28 for instructions about how to apply for admission to the Consortium.) Articles by some of the faculty scheduled to appear on the Consortium's program will appear in future issues of Decision Line. In the July issue, Nancy Lea Hyer, Associate Dean at Vanderbilt, will discuss time management issues for graduate students. In the September/October issue, Harvey Brightman of Georgia State University will discuss the need for training university-level teaching within the doctoral program. If you have ideas for articles that relate to doctoral issues, please contact me at (703) 231-4535, or via e-mail at rsumichr@vt.edu THE 1995 DOCTORAL STUDENT CONSORTIUMby F. Robert Jacobs, Graduate School of Business, Indiana University The 1995 Doctoral Student Consortium will be held Sunday, November 19, before the Decision Sciences Institute's annual meeting. Steve Cowen, the current president of the AACSB, will be the plenary speaker at the consortium. His address will focus on the direction of business school education as viewed through its major accreditation agency. Following the plenary speech, the consortium will spend time familiarizing the students with the Institute's placement services and strategies for interviewing at the conference. Questions like ``What to expect?'', ``What questions will be asked?'', and ``How should one follow up the interview?'' will be addressed by individuals with first-hand experience in the process. In today's tough job market, it is important that job seekers understand what different schools expect of new faculty. Representatives from a number of different schools, ranging from large research-oriented to small teaching schools, will be represented in a panel to discuss these expectations. Another important consideration is completing the dissertation and getting that first publication hit. Editors and key players at major journals, including Jack Meredith from the Journal of Operations Management and Lee Krajewski from Decision Sciences, will discuss how to publish successfully in these prestigious journals as well as address the common mistakes that new faculty make. The working lunch will provide students an opportunity to share dissertation topics with colleagues and interested faculty from around the world. In addition, Linda Sprague, a senior member of the Decision Sciences Institute, will describe the history of the Institute in a luncheon address. Following the lunch, in a small group breakout session, participants will work with a team of faculty members led by Dorothy Dologite of Baruch College, Julie and Kenneth Kendall from Rutgers, and Robert Mockler from St. John's University. This will be a hands-on workshop with the goal of creating a strategic plan for a seven-year research program. The day will conclude with sessions on teaching effectiveness and effective time management. Harvey Brightman of Georgia State University will lead a session on improving classroom instruction. Being effective in the classroom is a great challenge to those just starting in the academic profession. Finally, Nancy Lea Hyer (Associate Dean at Owen at Vanderbilt), will discuss navigating the stressful period between the start of the interview process and the start of the academic year. Time management is critical due to the pressures of completing the dissertation, interviewing, and moving households. Possibly the most valuable feature of this year's conference is the opportunity to begin networking with future colleagues. Remember to get your application materials in by June 30. We look forward to seeing you at this year's conference.
F. Robert Jacobs is Professor of Operations Management at the Graduate School of Business, Indiana University. His research interests are in business process engineering. He is the current Midwest Regionally Elected Vice President for the Decision Sciences Institute.
Robert Sumichrast |