DATE: October 15, 2007

CONTACT: Raju Balakrishnan, (864) 656-3769
nbalak@clemson.edu

WRITER: Teresa C. Hopkins, (864) 656-1222
hopkin1@clemson.edu

EXPERT: Raju Balakrishnan

Balakrishnan named interim associate dean

CLEMSON – Nagraj “Raju” Balakrishnan has been named interim associate dean for undergraduate programs for the College of Business and Behavioral Science (BBS).

Balakrishnan, who had been chairman of the management department of the college, now will manage the curriculum for all undergraduate programs in BBS, and will be directly involved in enhancing international opportunities for students. He also will work to further enhance the communication skills being required of all students.

“Employers increasingly want graduates who are effective communicators in addition to having superior training in their discipline,” Balakrishnan said.

He shares the vision of college Dean Claude Lilly in that he sees opportunities to create a more inclusive college.

“The unique structure of this college – business and behavioral science disciplines – gives us opportunities not typically available to programs in other universities. There is a need to get out of the ‘silo’ way of thinking,” he said.

Balakrishnan came to Clemson in 1994 after serving on the faculty at the Freeman School of Business at Tulane University. He earned a Ph.D. in management from Purdue University, a master's in mechanical engineering from the University of Kentucky and his bachelor’s degree with honors in mechanical engineering from the University of Madras in India.

Balakrishnan received the Department of Management Award for Scholarly Excellence in 1997, was named MBA Teacher of the Year in 1998 and 2006 and received the college Graduate Teaching Excellence Award in 1998 and 2000.

His research on the flow of information in supply chains, vendor selection issues in manufacturing and problems related to the interface between manufacturing and marketing have been published in leading academic journals such as "Decision Sciences," "Production and Operations Management," "European Journal of Operational Research," and "IIE Transactions."

He serves is a senior departmental editor of "Production and Operations Management," and is the secretary of the Production and Operations Management Society. He is lead author of the textbook "Managerial Decision Modeling with Spreadsheets," second edition, published by Prentice-Hall in 2007.