Students took part in leadership and team-building exercises during the retreat.

The CMIS Leadership Retreat ensures that students gain a head start in their future careers by helping them become comfortable with the process of the job hunt. Former Aggies gave leadership development presentations focusing on topics such as diversity in the workplace, financial management and social networking, sharing career advice and real-world experience that was learned both on the job and at Texas A&M University. Although the talks gave students a glimpse into the future, students were challenged to further develop their knowledge in these topics while still in college.

On the last night of the retreat, students were able to celebrate the friendships made and the accomplishments of the retreat over dinner and ice cream with corporate representatives from many different companies across the state of Texas. Many representatives were fellow Ags who were able to easily relate to the students in their experiences. The social event was an opportunity to meet recruiters in an informal setting, giving students an advantage by allowing them to meet and build a rapport with career fair representatives before the event.

The annual CMIS Leadership Retreat is held at Camp Allen in Navasota, Texas.

Students attending the retreat participated in several different team-building exercises, ranging from icebreaker games to outdoor activities such as the ropes course and the giant swing. All activities focus on the importance of team building, teamwork and leadership. Students gained practical knowledge in these areas; knowledge they can use for events such as the annual CMIS Case Competition as well as their respective professional careers.

Outside of the professional-centered activities, there were opportunities for students to socialize with one another: taking a dip in the pool, tie-dyeing t-shirts, and playing ping pong; just to name a few.

Although CMIS hosted the retreat, students had a hand in planning the retreat. The student planning committee helped choosing topics for presenters, which speakers would be brought in to speak about such topics, and even the design of the t-shirts.

Students gained invaluable information about life after college and built lasting friendships, all while having a great time, making the eighth annual CMIS Leadership Retreat a true success.

Neil Geismar, an associate professor in the department of Information and Operations Management at Texas A&M University, along with fellow researchers Milind Dawande and Chelliah Sriskandarajah from the University of Texas at Dallas, explored the solutions to these companies’ issues with distribution of perishable products.

Geismar

The zero-inventory production and distribution problem (ZIPDP) is a common problem encountered in situations in which a product cannot be inventoried because of its short shelf life. Short shelf life is determined by either physical characteristics (such as perishable food items or chemicals) or by the limited duration of market interest (such as magazines, DVDs and electronic games).

Geismar’s research was initiated at the request of the Vice President of Operations at Blockbuster, Inc.’s, distribution center in McKinney, Texas. “He asked us for help to make his system run more efficiently,” Geismar explains. The facility supports 5,600 retail stores via 40 regional hubs, or “pool points.”

“Quick delivery of DVDs to the retail outlets is important because DVDs have an extremely short product life cycle, which can be attributed to the ephemeral nature of most entertainment products, to the release of new titles on DVD every week, and to the release date requirements imposed by the movie studios,” Geismar says.

ZIPDP’s challenge is to coordinate the production and transportation operations so that the total cost of operations is minimized while the product lifetime and the delivery capacity constraints are satisfied. Geismar puts it this way: “The product’s limited lifetime implies that no inventory can be held between production and delivery; hence, the two functions are tightly coupled.”

The researchers examined a popular method of distribution, the pool-point delivery model, which is also known as the “hub-and-spoke” delivery model. In pool-point distribution, the product or service is delivered to dispersed clusters of demand points by first delivering large quantities to pool points (hubs), which are centrally located in their respective clusters. The large quantities of products are then dispersed into small carriers for point-to-point connections (spokes).

This system is used by a wide variety of industries: airlines (large jets fly between hubs, small ones from hubs to other cities), freight distribution, light petroleum products, candy distribution, automobile distribution, and newspaper delivery. Each of these industries requires two steps of distribution—first to the “hubs,” then to the “spokes.”

Combining pool-point distribution and zero-inventory products is no simple feat. Geismar’s research discusses a few real-world examples of this type of distribution, including the production and distribution of ready concrete for the construction of venues for the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics. This example served as a case study for the researchers to investigate when considering the production and distribution of Blockbuster DVDs.

Geismar says the research primarily focused on two objectives relevant in the practice: Minimizing the sum of production and delivery time, and minimizing the total cost for producing and delivering products. The research also examined minimizing mean flow time, minimizing maximum lateness, and minimizing the number of late deliveries in the pool point distribution system.

The research details how these systems operate and provide “efficient algorithms to find optimal schedules for various objectives,” the research states.

The researchers’ paper was the first rigorous study of pool-point distribution in a zero-inventory system. Geismar notes that managers’ supply chain decisions are based on production times, delivery times, the cost to hire each truck, and the cost to increase the production rate, so the results of the study proved effective and beneficial to companies facing distribution issues similar to Blockbuster.

Geismar’s research sums it up this way: “By analyzing overall system cost, we provided managerial insights into how different costs for trucks and for production rates affect the optimum decisions on how many trucks to hire and on which production rate to use for various objectives.”

Five years ago, a group of Texas A&M students personified what Aggies do best—they recognized a need and did something about it. They created The Wells Project, an organization that raises awareness and funds for the current water crisis in Africa.

Mays students have been active in The Wells Project at Texas A&M, an organization that raises awareness and funds for the current water crisis in Africa.

“It’s so easy to get wrapped up in our own lives, our own luxury, our comfort—especially when the message of society is often, ‘It’s all about me,’” Mays student Valerie Whitt ’12 emphasizes.

“I remember being moved by the reality of the water crisis,” says Whitt, who served as the 2011 Wells Project president. “I realized how clean, safe water was something I took for granted every day.”

The Wells Project’s mission also hit home with accounting major Will Whitehill ’13, newly appointed president for 2012. “I have a passion for the thirsty,” he says. “When I saw them on campus a few years ago and found out about the cause, I knew The Wells Project was for me. The things it stood for were the same passions God had laid on my heart.”

A growing issue

“Water is the most basic human necessity, but roughly one out of eight people do not have access to clean, safe drinking water,” Whitehill says.

Often referred as the “silent crisis” for its ability to slip out of media headlines, the global water crisis claims more lives than any wars or natural disasters. It halts progress of developing countries, forcing the impoverished to live in vulnerability and uncertainty.

“While we can conveniently walk to our sink and fill a glass of water without fear of getting sick and dying, there are hundreds of millions of people in the world that lack access to clean water,” says Whitt. “But instead of feeling guilty or overwhelmed by this reality, we can feel empowered.”

Empowered to create change

In 2007, a group of Aggies, motivated by their faith to create change, founded The Wells Project. The Wells Project is partnered with the Houston-based nonprofit Living Water International. The organization seeks to engage Aggies in the global water crisis by funding clean water wells in communities across the globe.

Whitt says the solution of drilling wells is “simple and sustainable.” “It is estimated that just one dollar can provide clean water for one person for an entire year,” she stresses.

Whitehill calls the organization “more than a social group or resume builder,” but says, “The Wells Project is a place for students to work for a common purpose and to bring an end to something that is affecting 884 million people around the world.”

The Wells Project members are divided into three teams: campus outreach, community outreach and an event team. Each member’s talents and passions are highlighted, as they “pour their energy” into campaigns around the Bryan/College Station area, says Whitt.

According to Eric Newman ’11, the 2010 president and current advisor to the organization, The Wells Project’s reach isn’t constrained to A&M. “Here’s the coolest part,” he says. “What started at A&M in 2007 is spreading to campuses across the nation. This year, more than 20 colleges and universities (from Southern Cal and Pepperdine to Virginia and Georgia Tech) participated in 10 Days, The Wells Project’s biggest campaign.”

“It’s been very cool to see the growth not only internally, but also externally as other schools develop their Wells Projects based off of Texas A&M’s model,” Whitt adds.

10 Days Campaign

The Wells Project’s largest annual campaign centers on a simple premise—spend less to give more.

This year’s 10 Day Campaign earned $70,000 nationally, with nearly $20,000 coming from The Wells Project at Texas A&M.

The 10 Days Campaign is a Living Water International initiative predominantly launched through The Wells Project on college campuses, and encourages students to make water their only beverage for 10 days. Students donate the money saved from not spending on coffee, soda, etc., and that money funds the drilling of wells around the world.

Whitt puts the 10 Days Campaign into perspective—“Imagine how many lives you can change if you give up a couple coffees? If you and your roommates gave up a couple coffees? If every student at Texas A&M gave up just one coffee? It’s exciting to think about. You matter, and every little bit helps.”

This year’s campaign (held Oct. 10-19) raised more than $70,000 nationally, with nearly $20,000 coming from The Wells Project Texas A&M.

The business of compassion

Although the organization boasts a wide variety of talents and majors (“from engineers, to business students, education majors and biology,” as Whitt says), Mays students have predominately led The Wells Project.

The founder, Henry Proegler ’09 (finance), 2010 president Eric Newman ’11 (business honors/management), 2011 president Valerie Whitt ’12 (business honors/supply chain) and 2012 president Will Whitehill ’13 (accounting) say the invaluable lessons they learn in class translate into their leadership of The Wells Project.

“The skills and abilities I have learned in my business classes have affected the way our community team interacts with the community and has opened my eyes to more efficient, effective and engaging ways to partner with businesses, schools and churches,” Whitehill says of his time at Mays.

Whitt agrees, saying, “Being a business student has helped in the logistics and marketing of running a large scale campaign, as well as in the general management of an organization of 50 members and learning to lead effectively. We strategize how to best engage the students at Texas A&M, how to most effectively and clearly communicate our message, and constantly evaluate to see how we can improve and continue to grow and sustain this organization.”

A promising future for The Wells Project

Taking the reigns as president, Whitehill says he’s honored and privileged to serve in the position. “The presidents before me have established a legacy of dedication and service to the Wells Project, which is something I plan to uphold and instill in future presidents.”

With a significantly increasing number of members each year, Whitehill has big plans for The Wells Project’s future, including events involving athletics, campus “water days,” and a group mission trip to an affected country.

Regardless of the plans, Whitehill says The Wells Project’s purpose remains clear— “Creating awareness about the water crisis and its effects is at the forefront of what we do, so finding a way to make the campus more informed and passionate about the water crisis is one of our biggest goals as we prepare for this next year.”

The competition offers future information technology professionals an opportunity to sharpen their analytical, presentation and teamwork skills. It challenges the student teams to solve an IT-related business problem.

The students had one week to prepare solutions to online marketing challenges faced by the company that makes and sells “skinny” wallets. They presented their solutions Oct. 20-21 to business professionals, who judged the proposals based on their originality, creativity and feasibility.

Of the 10 undergraduate teams and 18 graduate teams that participated in the competition, four teams of undergraduates and four teams of graduate students were the winners, while four teams (two undergraduate and two graduate) were named finalists.

Undergraduate teams

• 1st place: M3 Technical Consultants – John Maye, Jr., Megan Schulte, Michelle Shaffer
• 2nd place: In Case of eNERDgency – Austin Jackson, Benjamin Lockhart, Andreaus Perkins
• 3rd place: Case Solutions – Kathleen Baker, Ashley Jacobs, Megan Olson
• 4th place: JAR – Roger Bynum, Jonathan Harris, Artem Neretin
• Finalist: JJK – Kelsey Brawner, John Reavis, Jakob Rosenberg
• Finalist: Pay Us Money – Neil Amsberry, Kyle Shaffer, Benjamin Suchy

Graduate teams

• 1st place: The Info Incredibles – Shalabh Jain, John Morrison, Ronak Tali
• 2nd place: Fortius Consulting – Suyesh Chaudhari, Jason Earles, Vasu Pandey
• 3rd place: Team SNT – Siddharth Basu, Trishka Fernandes, Nimmy Jose
• 4th place: Blue Orchid – Benjamin Finn, Udayan Sathe, Aparna Vishwanathan
• Finalist: Synergia Inc. – Chandan Jethani, Viraj Mehta, Rishit Mishra
• Finalist: Team OSM – Alejandro Fautsch, Thomas Walther, Eric Wivagg

All participants received tote bags filled with items such as T-shirts, pens, notepads, USB hubs and other items donated by CMIS advisory board member companies. Such participation by corporation makes the event one of the center’s most impactful, says director ’Jon (Sean) Jasperson.

Members of the winning teams received scholarships ranging from $100 to $350 and gas cards for $100 to $200, along with laptop carry cases from HP and a Big Skinny wallet. Each member of the finalist teams received a $50 scholarship.

This year, 30 undergraduate Department of Information and Operations Management (INFO) students attended the retreat, where they participated in a variety of activities ranging from business etiquette workshops to ice cream socials.

Students who attend the CMIS Leadership Retreat participated in outdoor activities designed to build their teamwork skills, such as scavenger hunts, canoe games and races, and ropes course challenges.

The purpose of the retreat centers on the importance of leadership techniques and how they translate in the professional world. Students participate in conflict resolution and personal managing sessions, where they are able to assess their own leadership style and learn how to effectively apply it to the workplace. Numerous guest speakers share on topics including real-world finances and crossing cultural boundaries.

Additionally, corporate representatives from around Texas come and meet with the students, offering career advice and real-world insight.

“It’s a relaxed way for companies to meet with some of the students over dinner,” says Randy Blaschke ’84, senior IT manager with HP. “Students ask questions about the career opportunities that are out there and we have casual conversation about which opportunities align with their capabilities.”

This is Blaschke’s second year at the retreat, although he’s been involved with CMIS for eight. He is consistently impressed with the students who attend, adding, “I like the ambition that I see in these kids.”

Jennifer Smith ’07, ITS analyst for Anadarko Petroleum, attended the 2011 retreat as a corporate representative. She attended the first four retreats (2004-2007) as a student.

“The setting is very casual, so it gives students an opportunity to ask for career advice, about the transition from college to corporate life, and for information about the companies at which we work,” says Smith.

This year, 30 undergraduate INFO department students attended the retreat at Camp Allen in Navasota.

MIS student Kaleigh Morgan ’12 also appreciated the casual environment, saying it was a great way to meet and talk with the corporate reps “without the pressure of trying to score a job or interview.”

But the retreat isn’t all leadership workshops and career-centered talk.

Students who attend the retreat also participate in outdoor activities such as scavenger hunts, canoe games and races, and ropes course challenges. The activities are designed to build teamwork amongst the students, many of whom will work together on group projects throughout their time at Mays.

The CMIS leadership retreat has a long-standing history of preparing students for leadership roles in the information technology field. Not only do the students gain invaluable knowledge regarding their personal strengths and career options, they also establish friendships amongst peers who share common interests.

Morgan sums it up this way: “I think it was a great experience to not only get to know other people within my major and recruiters, but also to spend some time figuring out where my strengths lie as a member of the group, which is definitely something I’ll be discussing in my upcoming interviews this year.”

Mays faculty members who have accepted endowed positions are:

• Audra Boone, Finance (Mays Research Fellow)
• Rich Metters, Information and Operations Management (Tenneco Professorship in Business)
• Suresh Ramanathan, Marketing (David R. Norcom ’73 Endowed Professorship in Business)
• Konduru Sivaramakrishnan, Accounting (Peggy Pitman Mays Eminent Scholar Chair in Business)

Brad Kirkman (Management) and Mike Wilkins (Accounting) received the Mays Teaching Fellowship for Innovation.

Rogelio Oliva (Information and Operations Management) received the EMBA Outstanding Faculty Award.

Dan Chiaburu (Management) received the Lockheed Martin Teaching Award.

Allan Chen (Management), Tim Dye (Finance), Xenophon Koufteros (Information and Operations Management) and Dwayne Whitten (Information and Operations Management) received the Nancy & William Gardiner ’76 Teaching Excellence awards.

Subodha Kumar (Information and Operations Management) was given the Montague CTE Award.

“The argument for improving a course is to make it better, but we wanted to find out if people really thought that was true,” said Mays professor Gregory Heim. “Some people embrace change, while others don’t.”

Many service managers redesign their services periodically to keep their offerings fresh, competitive and desirable to customers. Prior research has shown that it could increase repeat business. What Heim and Ketzenberg wondered was how service firm managers and employees relearn to improve their performance after these major redesigns.

That was the extent of Heim’s golf knowledge at the start of this project. He sought out a colleague to fill the gaps. He did not have to search far to find someone to fit the bill. In fact, Ketzenberg was just down the hall. Ketzenberbg has two passions: research and golf, and he considers the opportunity to combine both a godsend. Heim says he focused on the data analysis, while Ketzenberg provided golfing expertise. “It was an ideal pairing for this project,” Heim says.

Heim says a major research challenge is obtaining real-world operating data from companies upon which to base the research. Most companies are reluctant to share their data. For this study, the authors were looking for data from multiple companies over multiple years. Golf courses posed less of a problem, since the data were publicly reported.

Heim

The data came in the form of “panel data” from The Dallas Morning News. The News tracks the top Texas golf courses annually through ratings and evaluations of top courses by golf professionals, as well as information on when the courses were designed and redesigned. Heim and Ketzenberg chose to study the data from 1989 to 2009. Their study provides managerial insight by demonstrating the extent of learning, illustrating how redesigns can negatively affect service outcomes, showing how relearning occurs and discussing tactics for success when redesigning services.

Major redesigns, intended to improve products and services, tend to throw the quality of service off track, the researchers found. The question was how long the service suffers, which they studied through learning effect patterns during routine operation periods as well as “window of opportunity” effects the local service crews felt after outside firms had completed the major redesigns.

“We wanted to see what we could learn about what happens when you destroy the course to redesign it; how age affects the long-term experience; and whether the quality of service gets better with time,” says Heim. “When you redesign it, there’s a period of time when the customers miss the familiar old course and they have to re-learn to navigate the course – the hazards, slope of the course, shape of the greens, and so forth. The argument for improving a course is to make it better, but we wanted to find out if people really thought that was true. Some people embrace change, while others don’t.”

Ketzenberg

The topic is a nontraditional one for the field of information and operations management, but both of them say it was fun to do. The lessons learned were to carefully consider changes, communicate about them with stakeholders and make the investment in training staff for the transition. “Discontinuous events that lead to dissatisfaction on the customer’s part are not going to pan out to be good investments,” Heim says.

Both Texas A&M researchers plan to continue golf-related research: Heim intends to update the golf data for new studies while Ketzenberg is working with Rogelio Oliva and a colleague from Europe, Mozart Menezes, on a paper titled “Optimal Scheduling of Golf Beverage Carts.” Ketzenberg explains, “We are trying to answer the often-heard golfer’s lament of why there is never a beverage cart around when you want one. Fun stuff.”

For more information, contact Heim at gheim@mays.tamu.edu or Ketzenberg at mketzenberg@mays.tamu.edu.

The paper “Learning and Relearning Effects with Innovative Service Designs: An Analysis of Top Golf Courses” by Heim and Ketzenberg was released in July 2011 in Journal of Operations Management.

The barrios marginales where Jorge Mahomar spends his days are not safe.

Well-educated men from wealthy families, like Mahomar, don’t go there. They would be assaulted, robbed, maybe killed.

The streets of Unidad y Fuerza on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras, are full of gangs, drugs, guns…and children. Children who have no place to go, no safe place to play, little food in their stomachs and often no shoes on their feet.

Jorge is not afraid of these neighborhoods, not even at night when the policia won’t go there. He is the one you call when you need something.

He gets a lot of calls. My daughter is sick, we have no food, we need a place to stay…Will you help me?

Gang leaders, covered in tattoos and used to the quick justice of a handgun, would not think of harming Jorge. He has devoted more than 30 years of his life as well as all his resources to the children of this city. Some he is able to rescue, see them go to school, find jobs, make a good life. Others he has lost to gangs, drugs, and an early death. He is not an old man, only in his 50s, but he looks tired, worn.

He cannot do this work on his own forever. There are too many needs and not enough resources.

Global impact

It is fall 2003. Robert Furr ’04 and Jorge Mahomar’s son, Jose ‘04, begin their final year at Mays. Both accept the invitation to participate in the Academy for Future International Leaders (AFIL), an interdisciplinary program at A&M that allows outstanding undergraduates the opportunity to focus on global issues. One program requirement is to complete a project of global significance that applies their international leadership skills within the campus community. Students are paired based on their interests and asked to complete a sustainable project that promotes international awareness.

Four Mays graduates have spearheaded an effort to help families in Honduras.

Robert, a management of information systems major, wants to support an orphanage or school.

Jose, a finance major, knows of an immediate need—the children his father works with in Honduras. Perhaps he could organize an A&M clothing drive?

Program advisor Susan Mallet introduces Robert and Jose, suggesting they combine efforts. With input from Jorge, the project evolves ambitiously: a family center in Honduras that serves children and their parents.

Robert and Jose are full of excitement. If every third student on campus gives $1, they will meet their fundraising goal of $15,000; enough to build and supply a simple, one-story facility. Easy!

As they begin the campaign, however, obstacles mount. They are in competition with every student organization on the A&M campus, all raising money for their own causes. Due to university regulation, there are restrictions on their solicitations on campus, as they are not affiliated with a recognized student group nor are they an established non-profit.

Full of passion, they raise some initial funds and plan to continue the work after graduation. Jose lands a job with an investment bank in New York City. Robert deploys with his National Guard unit to Iraq. Both become increasingly busy as the demands of the post graduation “real world” clamor for attention.

Tragedy leads to blessing

The project might have stalled there, had it not been for a tragic accident: their advisor, Mallet, drowned while on vacation in the summer of 2004. “She had done so much to encourage us. We wanted to do this to honor her,” says Jose.

With renewed fervor, the pair continue planning for the family center. They approach the next class of AFIL about teaming with them and receive initial interest. Then the day after Christmas 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami devastates millions in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The AFIL students instead turn toward that crisis.

Jose and Robert do not give up.

In 2005, a new class of AFIL students is approached with the opportunity to partner with “Building a Future.” Jordan Baucum ’06, a marketing major, joins the cause and begins looking for grant opportunities, including his internship employer: Chevron.

Suddenly, the project is propelled light years ahead: Chevron provides a $30,000 grant for the construction of the facility, grander than the Aggies’ original plans. By 2006, the Texaco Family Support Center is constructed in Unidad y Fuerza. (Texaco is the Chevron brand in Latin America.)

A beacon of hope

Robert was still in Iraq when the center was being constructed. He describes his first visit to see the finished product: driving over unpaved, pothole-cratered roads, past tattered shacks, then pulling up to the brightly painted family center, so vibrantly different from all its surroundings. “It was amazing…I could feel the good that was happening…The building is one of the nicest ones in the community.” It’s also one of the tallest, he says, so you can see it from a distance, a beacon of hope amid the poverty.

The center now serves 60-100 people per day, supporting the continuing education of both children and their families.

Today the center serves 60-100 people per day. It’s not a daycare, stresses Robert, but a place that serves the whole family. For kids, it offers a safe place where they can play and receive supplemental education and meals. For adults, it’s a place to hone essential skills like reading and writing. Recently the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture provided an introduction to the Junior Master Gardener program, teaching children and adults basics about nutrition and growing food.

Many of the children who spend time at the center come from single parent households, says Jordan. Fathers are often absent: some have left for the U.S. to seek work; some are in jail; others have been killed due to gang activity. In this circumstance, a mother has to choose between working to provide for her family or staying home to care for her children. The center allows these women to work, giving them the pride of earning a paycheck, as well as the peace of mind of knowing their kids are not roaming the streets, easy targets for gangs.

The kids at the center “are in love with learning,” says Robert. “They love to draw and to read, or have someone read with them.” Unlike American kids who complain about school work, these pupils are eager for the extra lessons they learn at the center, especially when it’s their turn to use one of the Chevron-provided computers, stocked with educational games.

“We hope it encourages them to continue with school,” says Jordan.

The work is important to Jordan. He knows the role educational opportunities have had on his own success: as a child, he struggled with learning. Without years of speech therapy and tutoring in reading, and the help of dedicated parents and teachers, he would have fallen behind his peers, and been labeled a “special education” student. “But because I had all the best, I was able to succeed and thrive, in high school and at A&M.” He wants to provide children in Honduras with opportunities for the same kind of success.

“It doesn’t have to be big. You just have to get started.”

Building a Future added a fourth board member in David Clayton ‘07, a fellow AFIL student. Each of the board members lives in a different part of the world (Dallas, New York City, San Francisco, and South Africa). They communicate often as they make plans to expand the presence of the nonprofit. In addition to seeking funding from corporations and individuals, they also promote Building a Future in another way: by coordinating visits for student groups from A&M and other colleges that visit Honduras for service trips. The Aggie Men’s Club has made several trips to Unidad y Fuerza and the surrounding area. Recently, a group of these students built three houses for impoverished families there.

Organizing student trips is an important function of Building a Future, say Robert and Jordan. It’s an opportunity for a life-changing experience for students, as they are exposed to new cultures and environments. More than a learning experience, it’s a gateway for involvement in global humanitarian efforts.

The board members say that they hope one of them will eventually be able to devote their efforts to the foundation full-time, instead of each giving a few hours a week, and a few weeks each year. The organization is currently seeking to hire a full-time coordinator on site in Honduras to expand their operations and help at the center, which is minimally staffed by one teacher and several volunteers. Jorge Mahomar is their partner in the effort and their liaison on site, helping them match needs in Honduras with resources from the U.S.

Jordan invites everyone to visit the Building a Future website to learn more about the effort in Honduras, make a donation, or find an opportunity to volunteer. You don’t even have to have a passport or speak Spanish to be involved, says Jordan: Being an advocate for social change in your own community—speaking out for children who lack access to education, health care, and nutrition is a great place to start. “What you do doesn’t have to be big. You just have to get started.”

The grants will be used to implement electronic health records (EHR) systems in small and rural health care facilities, through the newly created regional extension centers.

The CentrEast Regional Extension Center, still in development, is located at Texas A&M. Arun Sen, professor of information and operations management at Mays, and two A&M colleagues are involved in creating the center, which will assist physicians offices in creating a paperless pipeline of health information.

The HHS grants were awarded to 46 regional extension centers around the U.S., including the four such centers in Texas. The CentrEast center received a grant of $384,000 for the rural initiative.

By converting to EHR technology, rural health care facilities can qualify for substantial additional incentive payments from Medicare or Medicaid. These electronic records will bring higher quality care to patients by reducing medical errors and costs, say experts.

Sen says that soon health care information will be available via an electronic pipeline that will move patient records from local to state to national levels. The National Health Information Network is already under development. Sen and A&M colleagues Robert Morrow of Rural and Community Health Institute (RCHI) and Amarnath Banerjee of Look College of Engineering at A&M are creating the system through which Texas health care providers will upload patient information to this national system. The team of researchers from A&M will be on the leading edge of designing an electronic health record system to be used for the state.

Sen

This is the future President Obama envisions for health care in the United States, but it is dependent on the sharpest minds in management of information systems and IT. Through a $5.2 million grant from the federal government, Arun Sen, professor of information and operations management at Mays, and two A&M colleagues will develop one of four regional extension centers for health care IT for the state of Texas, creating a resource for doctors as patient health care records become digitized in compliance with goals set by the Obama administration for a paperless health care system.

Sen says that soon health care information will be available via an electronic pipeline that will move patient records from local to state to national levels. The National Health Information Network is already under development. Sen and A&M colleagues Robert Morrow of Rural and Community Health Institute (RCHI) and Amarnath Banerjee of Look College of Engineering at A&M are creating the system through which Texas health care providers will upload patient information to this national system. The team of researchers from A&M will be on the leading edge of designing an electronic health record (EHR) system to be used for the state.

These three researchers will also establish the CentrEast Regional Extension Center (centreastrec.org) for HealthCare IT and a health information exchange (HIE)—a hub for providers to coordinate with the national system.

“This is a very ambitious project,” Sen says.

Streamlining patient records by digitizing and sharing them is still optional for health care providers. However, by 2015, providers must participate in the national network, or risk nonpayment or partial payment from Medicare and Medicaid. Providers seeking to use EHRs face a variety of challenges, such as assessing needs, selecting and negotiating with a system vendor or reseller, implementing project management, and instituting workflow changes to improve clinical performance and ultimately, outcomes. Past experience has shown that local technical assistance can result in effective implementation of EHRs.

There will be 60 such centers in the U.S. Sen’s work will involve researching how patient information is currently handled and developing a more efficient process as providers modernize their record systems. The center will also connect providers with vendors who specialize in digitizing records, and will serve as a data repository for all area providers.

The federal funding for the center will last for four years, with the bulk of the money provided in the first two years. By years three and four, Sen says the center should be a self-sufficient business, as doctors will pay for the services and resources provided. Sen predicts there will be a large demand from area providers as the center advances healthcare in the region. The ultimate measure of a the center’s effectiveness will be whether it has assisted providers in becoming meaningful users of certified EHR technology.