RETIREMENTS:
Former ISyE chair retires
 fter 26 years as a faculty member, Emerson Electric Professor in Total Quality Harold Steudel retired from the ISyE department. A member of the American Society of Quality, Steudel is a recognized leader in the fields of quality engineering and quality management, pursuing several aspects of quality in manufacturing with the goal of reducing defective products and increasing production efficiency and customer satisfaction.
A Wisconsin native, Steudel received his BS and PhD degrees (’68 and ’74, respectively) in mechanical engineering from UW-Madison. He spent eight years as a faculty member at the Marquette University School of Business before joining the UW-Madison College of Engineering in 1982.
Steudel chaired the ISyE department from 1998 to 2007 and recently served as a guiding force through the Mechanical Engineering Building planning and construction phases. He has authored 36 publications, conducted 15 sponsored industrial research projects and served as director of the Quality Assurance Systems Research Consortium.
However, he considers the greatest highlights of his career to be his time spent teaching more than 10,000 students, providing them with knowledge and skills useful to improve their lives and the world in which they live. He developed four popular quality-related engineering courses, including a web-based course offered through the Master of Engineering in Professional Practice program.
“I feel very fortunate to have been part of the vibrant learning community at UW-Madison, rich with opportunities to work with students of all ages in research and the exploration of ideas and methodologies, both traditional and emerging,” he says.
In retirement, Steudel plans to stay connected to the ISyE department and the College of Engineering through teaching, service, development and other opportunities that might arise. He also plans to travel more with his wife, Carol.
Along with Professor Harry Steudel, three other distinguished industrial and systems engineering faculty retired in 2008 and 2009. Their combined years of experience total more than 100 years of teaching, research and outreach. (Read complete profiles about the retirees at www.engr.wisc.edu/alumni/perspective/35.2/retirements.html)
Dennis G. Fryback joined the UW-Madison faculty in 1974. Population health sciences was Fryback’s home department; however, he maintained a close affiliation with ISyE as a methodologist who built analytical tools and methods to analyze the cost-effectiveness of healthcare technology, drugs and treatments. Overall, his findings have helped standardize the way in which scientists measure health-related quality of life. “This is important to measuring the benefits of healthcare, which is not just about making life longer, but about improving quality of life, too,” he says.
He is a founding member of the Society for Medical Decision Making and has remained continuously active in its activities since 1978. He has received many honors and fellowships, and in 2000, he was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine.
Fryback is among a group of researchers who are part of a U.S. government initiative to assemble a national health account. He plans to continue his consulting work and participation on National Academies committees. In addition, he is hoping to enjoy more time with his wife and extended family. “I’d like to get back to my hobby of astrophotography, too,” he adds.
Professor Steve Robinson joined the UW-Madison faculty in 1972. A pioneer in decision science and stochastic optimization, Robinson is a leader in optimization and developing tools for complex situations. Military applications are important to Robinson, who served as an officer in the U.S. Army from 1963 to 1969, spending two years in the elite Special Forces in Vietnam. He remained in the U.S. Army Reserve until 1993, retiring as a colonel.
“My time as a professional soldier gave me an appreciation for complex operations and some of the difficulties people face when they have to do things in a hurry and without much preparation,” he says.
Robinson has received many honors and awards from professional societies. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2008, marking him as one of the most distinguished engineers in the nation. Since retiring, Robinson has retained a presence on campus, continuing to teach, write and pursue research. “My basic goal was to have very little change in what I’m doing, and so far that has worked,” he says.
Professor Rajan Suri joined the UW-Madison faculty in 1985 and established himself as a revolutionary in manufacturing practices. He directed the Manufacturing Systems Engineering Program for 14 years, and in 1994 he founded the Center for Quick Response Manufacturing (CQRM).
More than 250 companies have partnered with the CQRM to revolutionize their manufacturing practices. In developing the QRM philosophy, Suri combined management methods, engineering techniques, and behavioral insights to create a comprehensive theory for reducing lead times throughout a manufacturing enterprise, and put that theory into practice through the CQRM. “While everyone knows that ‘time is money,’ I was able to demonstrate that time is a lot more money than most managers realize,” he says.
QRM also has provided students with ample hands-on experience, both through the CQRM and Suri’s ISyE 415 and ISyE 641 courses, among the highest rated large-enrollment classes in the department. Currently, Suri is writing a second book on QRM targeted to executives, explaining QRM in management language. He continues to be involved in the CQRM through workshops and industry projects.
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