From the Editor: Forty Years and Counting and Farewell

Abstract

This is my last issue as editor in chief of Interfaces. I have to say, being editor in chief has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. This issue also marks the 40th year of Interfaces. I believe it remains the undisputed premiere journal of OR practice. At the time of this writing, my successor has not yet been named. Before giving a little detail about the contents and theme for this special issue, I want to thank the many people who have helped me along the way in my six years as editor in chief. Thanks to all of the members of the editorial board. Their dedication to a highquality and efficient review process has made my job much easier. Thanks, too, to all of the many reviewers who, along with the board, have kept our standards high. At 11 percent, our acceptance rate remains low. I also offer a heartfelt thank you to the editorial staff: Kelly Kophazi, Alice Barrett Mack, Candita Gerzevitz, Stephanie Myers, and Pat Shaffer, Director of Publications. It truly has been a pleasure working with you. A special thanks to Kelly. She has been with me since day one. Together, we transitioned from paper to electronic submissions and then to Manuscript Central. On more than one occasion, it was Kelly who kept the train rolling. Thanks to all of you who read Interfaces and have taken the time to let me know what you really liked and what could be improved. I hope, like my predecessors, that I have left the journal a little better. I decided to mark this 40th anniversary of Interfaces with an issue consisting of papers by authors whom I consider to really be on the interface between theory and practice. I approached Sridhar Tayur (Carnegie Mellon and SmartOps) about telling us what he has learned from being simultaneously a very successful academic and entrepreneur. After struggling a bit to come up with something new, we decided to talk about monetizing the value of OR. As you will see, it is a different style of paper. David Miller of the University of Alabama has been director of the Alabama Productivity Center for many years. The center’s mission is to improve Alabama companies’ quality, productivity, and competitiveness through the use of the university’s research and educational resources. I invited David to tell his story, so that others may learn what has worked and what has not worked in trying to do practice in an academic setting. Mike Gorman of the University of Dayton, winner of the 2010 INFORMS Prize for the Teaching of OR/MS Practice, has written about practice in the classroom. Many have written about this. Very few have implemented it more enthusiastically than Mike. I believe what he has done should serve as a model for those of us in academia who care about practice and about creating successful OR practitioners. Gene Woolsey, Professor Emeritus of the Colorado School of Mines, founding editor of this journal and author of numerous editions of his Fifth Column, summarizes the cumulative impact his program has had at the School of Mines in a Fifth Column for this special issue. I have spoken to Gene several times this year. Although his health is not what it used to be,