Eller College of Management MIS Department Celebrates 50 Years of Excellence
From March 21-23, the Department of Management Information Systems (MIS) in the Eller College of Management, hosted a variety of activities to commemorate its 50th anniversary. MIS thought leaders, faculty, students, alumni and friends gathered in Tucson to celebrate 50 years of legacy and excellence.
The celebration kicked off on Thursday, March 21 with an opening reception in the McClelland Hall Atrium.
On Friday, March 22, attendees convened in the morning for an academic conference centered around information systems research. Dr. Lynda Applegate, an Eller MIS alumna and a professor at Harvard Business School, began the conference with a keynote presentation about information technology and organization.
Additional sessions—which included talks by current faculty members, current PhD students, and PhD alumni—focused on the frontier of current MIS research and the future of MIS research. The academic conference culminated in a panel discussion on generative AI in academia and practice.
As the conference wrapped up, attendees moved to the McClelland Hall Atrium for a welcome reception, complete with food from local favorites, El Charro and Eegee’s. Guests also had a chance to take a tour of various MIS spaces throughout McClelland Hall and hear from master’s students in the Artificial Intelligence Lab about their current research.
Saturday, March 23 was packed with exciting activities. Attendees could either spend the morning golfing at Omni Tucson National Resort, touring the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, or visiting their favorite Tucson spots.
Dr. Jay Nunamaker
The weekend concluded with a reception and dinner at the Westin La Paloma Resort on Saturday evening. A string quartet played music that set the tone for networking and mingling. Thanks to generous donors, the department held a raffle, so guests were able to purchase tickets and vie for prizes.
Remarks took place after dinner. Current and former Eller faculty members and doctoral alumni spoke about the department and its impact on their lives. UA Regents’ Professor of MIS and founder of the MIS Department Dr. Jay F. Nunamaker, Jr., earned a standing ovation from the crowd. In addition to giving a presentation about the department and his initial vision for it, Nunamaker received the inaugural Founder’s Award.
Not only was the weekend a chance to reconnect with friends and reflect on the past 50 years of MIS, but it was also an opportunity to look ahead to the next 50 years and how the MIS Department can continue its legacy.
