Praised as a mentor and a motivator with an open door policy, Catherine C. Giapponi, Sc.D., associate professor of management at Fairfield University, has been chosen as the recipient of the 2012 Dolan School of Business Excellence in Teaching Award. A native of New Haven, Connecticut, she lives in Wallingford.

The award is given each year to a faculty member based on student nominations. Students recommend faculty based on their ability to engage students dynamically in the classroom, and on the degree to which they exemplify Jesuit values, among many other attributes. One student shared how Dr. Giapponi has taken the time to get to know her as a person outside the classroom, helping to "understand myself a bit better." Inspired by her passion, the student noted, "She goes above and beyond her duties as a professor, person and business professional."

Another undergraduate stated that Dr. Giapponi spends hours writing individual comments for each student so that they can improve on exams and assignments. Dr. Giapponi, the student observed, even takes one class every semester to go over "takeaways" - lessons for students to take with them after graduation. "Many students visit her office for help with subject matter, advising or even just to chat," she emphasized.

Donald E. Gibson, Ph.D., professor and dean of the Dolan School of Business , noted students feel Dr. Giapponi embodies Jesuit values. "It is clear to me that Cathy is committed to educating 'the whole person,' " he said.

Dr. Giapponi is a longtime mentor in the University's Ignatian Residential College, a program that helps students explore the deeper meaning of how they uniquely fit into the world. A volunteer for many annual student initiatives like Hunger Cleanup, she is a faculty advisor of Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society. A faculty member since 2001, Dr. Giapponi teaches the business strategy capstone course at both the undergraduate and MBA levels. She developed a service-learning course in which a team of graduate students developed a strategic plan for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Bridgeport. S he also developed a nonprofit management course that led to a business plan for a new community nonprofit, "Her Haven." Extensively published, she has written articles on such topics as gender discrimination in compensation and ethical decision-making.

Fairfield, Connecticut resident Xin James He, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Information Systems and Operations Management, received the Dolan School of Business Outstanding Research Paper Award. This award is for his research paper published in the European Journal of Operational Research , entitled "The impact of stochastic lead time reduction on inventory cost under order crossover," co-authored with Jack Hayya and Terry Harrison of Penn State University. This research contributes to basic theory in supply chain and inventory management by introducing a new concept of effective lead-time as a result of order crossover.

The European Journal of Operational Research is a premier journal in operations management, said faculty members who made the decision. A draft version of the research, entitled "Crashing Stochastic Lead Times," won the Outstanding Achievement Award at the 40th Decision Science Institute Annual Meeting in New Orleans in 2009. The article and its circulated working manuscripts have been cited in numerous articles and attributed with opening a new line of research in this area.

"I am truly honored to receive this award," said. Dr. He. "At the same time, I am grateful and pleasantly surprised that I was selected to receive this honor since many Dolan School of Business faculty members have also published high quality research articles in top tier refereed journals in their respective disciplines."

Posted On: 05-23-2012 11:05 AM

Volume: 44 Number: 310