View the photos from the “New Beginnings” celebrationThis spring three ISE faculty and staff members – Cecilia Chen, Thom Hodgson, and Jim Wilson – retired after a combined 79 years of service in the ISE Department.
Cecilia Chen
Cecilia Chen joined the ISE Department as a bookkeeper in 2001. A year later, when the current graduate administrative assistant retired, Chen took over the position.
Over the last 16 years, she has appreciated meeting and working with so many international students to solve any problems they had. It was her job to ensure that the students completed their paperwork on time – a job she took seriously. If paperwork was not accurate or tardy, it could delay their graduation and cost them a lot of money. Luckily for the students, she was always there to reduce much of the stress the students faced and make sure no problems arose.
Chen plans to continue to help the graduate students by attending weekly student fellowship meetings held by the Chinese graduate students at NC State.
Thom Hodgson
Thom Hodgson came to NC State as the new department head in 1983 after spending 13 years in the industrial and systems engineering department at the University of Florida. When Hodgson took over the ISE department, it ranked 36th in the nation. Along with the faculty and staff, Hodgson made significant changes to streamline the undergraduate program and enhance the graduate program. In 1991, the year after he stepped down as department head, NC State ISE ranked 12th.
In 2001, Hodgson was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. He has also held many positions at NC State including Director of the Integrated Manufacturing Systems Engineering Institute (1995-2011); Co-director of the Operations Research Program (2009-2013); and Director of Graduate Programs for Engineering Online (2009-2013).
Jim Wilson
Jim Wilson has been a member of the Industrial and Systems Engineering faculty at NC State since 1991. After he led an extensive search for the next ISE department head in 1999, it became obvious to Nino Masnari, College of Engineering Dean, that Wilson was the right man for the job. He served as head of the department from 1999 to 2007.
Wilson received many awards while at NC State including the C. A. Anderson Outstanding Faculty Award in 1995 and the Faculty Award from the NC State University Libraries in 2009. He is a Fellow in both the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IISE) and Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS). In 2013, Wilson received the IISE David F. Baker Distinguished Research Award.
ISE’s “New Beginnings” Event
On June 25th, the ISE Department held a celebration to recognize the retirees, but also to thank Dr. David Kaber for his service and dedication to the Department. Kaber will be moving to Gainsville, FL to become the new ISE department head at the University of Florida. Congratulations to all the special guests.
