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Press Release

Another Eller College professor singled out for prestigious award

Sudha Ram recognized by IBM for research in data storage innovation

TUCSON, Ariz. – September 24, 2007 –  For the third consecutive year, IBM has selected an Eller College of Management professor to receive its prestigious Faculty Award for Sustained Achievement. This year’s recipient, Sudha Ram, is the McClelland Professor of Management Information Systems (MIS) and director of the College’s Advanced Database Research Group.

The information age has presented the global business community with many solutions and a growing challenge — data storage. IBM recognized the importance of Ram’s research which focuses on data storage solutions.

“Many corporations struggle with data storage issues,” Ram explained. “The amount of data generated in the world today is overwhelming, and it is estimated to grow at least tenfold between now and 2010. Most companies need to develop efficient processes for storage, retrieval, and management of their data.”

Ben Briggs, Manager of IBM Software Services nominated Ram for the award. “We seek to support faculty at universities who are leaders in their fields,” he said. “Dr. Ram’s research in enterprise storage management addresses many of the complex storage management issues that face today’s global enterprises. She is taking an innovative approach with the use of virtual labs which are portable, cost effective, and global. They will be used to train the next generation of students not only at IBM, but at companies worldwide.”

The Faculty Award includes a  monetary prize which Ram will use to develop a series of case studies to identify best practices in enterprise storage management. The cases will be incorporated into classes to teach graduate students how to deal with data life cycles, how to minimize the cost of storage and maximize the benefits, and when/when not to archive or dispose of data.

The IBM award is the second time this year that Ram has been recognized for her research. In April she was honored by The University of Arizona for her leadership in technology innovation with the UA at the Leading Edge award.

IBM has previously singled out Eller College faculty for excellence in teaching and research: Amar Gupta — the Thomas R. Brown Chair in Management and Technology — won the award in 2006, and J. Leon Zhao — Eller Professor in MIS — won it in 2005. The highly competitive award recognizes U.S. university faculty members for quality programs important to the computer industry.

The Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona is internationally recognized for pioneering research, innovative curriculum, distinguished faculty, excellence in management information systems, entrepreneurship, and social responsibility. U.S. News & World Report ranks the Eller undergraduate program #14 among public business schools and three of its programs are among the top 20 — Entrepreneurship, MIS, and Management. U.S. News & World Report ranks the Eller MBA Full-Time program #44 in the U.S. and #21 among public business schools. The College leads the nation’s business schools in generating grant funds for research. In addition to a Full-Time MBA program, the Eller College offers an Evening MBA program and the Eller Executive MBA. The Eller College of Management supports approximately 5,700 undergraduate and 700 graduate students on the UA campus in beautiful Tucson, Arizona.

Press Contact:
Liz Warren-Pederson, Eller College of Management
520.626.9547, news@eller.arizona.edu

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