ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Tauber Institute for Global Operations Engineering Co-director Larry Seiford is the 2014 recipient of the Albert G. Holzman Distinguished Educator Award from the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE). The award recognizes educators who have contributed significantly to the profession through teaching, research and publication, extension, innovation, or administration. The Holzman award is one of the highest honors bestowed by IIE and as such a recipient’s contributions must be considered to be of the highest caliber and be nationally or internationally recognized. Only one award is given per year.

Seiford, an IIE Fellow and long-time member, has made contributions to a number of research areas (e.g., game theory, consensus rankings, multi-criteria decision theory) but he is probably best known for his extensive work in the field of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). In addition to numerous papers both extending the theory and describing innovative applications of the methodology in new and novel areas, he has co-authored four books that are standard DEA reading. This body of work has firmly established and extended the field and he is now recognized as one of the world’s leading experts in the theory and application of DEA. Google Scholar lists nearly 14,500 total citations to his work.

Seiford is widely regarded as an exceptional teacher. In addition to the strong educational components of his activities as Chair of Industrial and Operations Engineering (IOE) and NSF Program Director, he has been effectively and innovatively teaching OR/MS classes for more than 30 years. “His teaching excellence and concern for students have been recognized by numerous awards including the General Electric Outstanding Teaching Award, the Outstanding Advisor Award, appointment as Lilly Endowment Teaching Fellow, and appointment as a Lilly Faculty Teaching Mentor. In addition he was awarded the degree, Doctor Honoris Causa, from the National Ministry of Education of France,” said Mark Daskin, U-M’s current IOE Chair.

On the operational side, Seiford has applied OR/MS methodologies to significant practical problems in education (e.g., Dekalb, GA and Lancaster, PA schools), health care delivery (e.g., USAF Surgeon General’s Office) and financial services (e.g., Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce). He has developed and delivered an introductory short course on the methodology of Data Envelopment Analysis. This was presented on-site at both the University of Kansas for healthcare personnel and at USAF personnel at Scott Air Force Base. A more condensed version has been presented as a tutorial at several international conferences and workshops. In addition, he is in demand as a seminar speaker at IE departments at universities around the world.

“Larry Seiford is a very popular teacher and students praise his classes. Enrollments for his courses are always at capacity with a long waitlist. His teaching approach employs learning styles, technology, media, and interaction, particularly in a large classroom of undergraduates,” said Daskin.

Seiford currently serves as the Goff Smith Co-Director of the Tauber Institute for Global Operations at the University of Michigan. Under his leadership, Tauber was awarded the inaugural (2012) UPS George D. Smith Prize for innovative and effective preparation of students to be good practitioners of O.R. and analytics. He chaired the IOE Department at the University of Michigan from 2000-2009 and while under his direction, the department was consistently ranked #2 in the nation. He was a member of CIEADH, chairing several subcommittees, and is an active member of the IIE Council of Fellows. Previously, he served as Program Director for the Operations Research and Production Systems programs at the National Science Foundation. He also serves in editorial positions for five journals.

About Tauber Institute for Global Operations

The Tauber Institute for Global Operations is a joint venture between the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business and the College of Engineering, and many industry partners to facilitate cross-disciplinary education in global operations management. In addition to broad array of core and elective courses, the innovative LeadershipAdvantage^SM Program provides students with the tools to ascend to major operations leadership roles. Well-designed and managed team projects form the cornerstone of the Tauber Institute experience and allow students to apply their knowledge to real world settings. The Tauber Institute is an inaugural recipient of the UPS George D. Smith Prize for effective and innovative preparation of students to be good practitioners of operations research, management science, or analytics. http://www.tauber.umich.edu

Contact:
Theresa Ceccarelli 734-647-0308 [email protected]