Haslam College of Business - Haslam College of Business Celebrates Award of UPS Smith Prize

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business on October 10 celebrated its Master of Science in Business Analytics program’s receipt of the national 2018 UPS George D. Smith Prize for an innovative curriculum.

Presented by INFORMS, the leading international association for operations research and analytics professionals, the award recognizes teaching in the context of a true business environment that prepares students to become effective business analytics practitioners.

Interim Chancellor Wayne T. Davis pointed out in his remarks that the Smith Prize was created in the spirit of strengthening ties between industry and higher education, and has also been awarded to MIT, Carnegie Mellon University and the United States Air Force Academy.

“We’re in pretty good company here, and it’s gratifying to see this program do so well and be recognized in its efforts,” Davis said. “In truth, our goal is not about winning awards. It’s actually about providing students with a top-tier education, and then having them go out into the workforce and marketplace to succeed at the very highest levels.”

Stephen L. Mangum, dean and Stokely Foundation Leadership Chair at Haslam, spoke at the ceremony with pride about the college’s accomplishments.

“Collaboration between academia and industry is something beautiful to behold,” Mangum said. “The synergies created when done right are exceptional, and they are certainly value creating. However, conscious effort and steadfast purpose are required to be successful in this effort.

“We are celebrating a very successful example of such collaboration in the creation, launch and excellent track record of the Haslam College of Business’ Master of Science in Business Analytics Program,” he said.

The Master of Science in Business Analytics was launched in 2010, and each year classes fill with approximately 40 students. It is integrated with the college’s semiannual Business Analytics Forum, which connects more than 200 industry practitioners and students to share best practices, expand industry knowledge and enable students to learn about current issues from industry partners.

For more information about the Master of Science in Business Analytics program, visit https://haslam.utk.edu/business-analytics-statistics/msba.