The Southwest Decision Sciences Institute is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Timothy Paul Cronan to receive the Outstanding Educator Award for 2005. Dr. Cronan is Professor of Information Systems, Director of the Masters of Information Systems Program in the Walton College of Business, and holder of the M.D. Mathews Endowed Chair in Business at the University of Arkansas.

Shortly after receiving his Ph. D. from Louisiana Tech in 1979, Paul Cronan actively researched many areas of information systems, including the effective teaching of business computer courses. This commitment to effective teaching has continued throughout his career. He has investigated such things as teaching portfolios, distance learning, and multimedia in the classroom. Numerous presentations, proceedings, and journal articles on teaching demonstrate his dedication to his students and to the classroom.

Dr. Cronan’s dedication to teaching also involves encouraging and helping others to become better teachers. At UA, Dr. Cronan wrote “A Handbook for Teaching Assistants” in 1991, with revisions and other editions coming later. To encourage and facilitate classroom excellence by his colleagues, he wrote “Teaching at the University: Ideas and Suggestions for Faculty“ in 1992. From 1993-1995, Paul Cronan was co-director and co-founder of the University of Arkansas Teaching and Faculty Support Center. He also served as president and member of the executive committee of the UA Teaching Academy, of which he was a charter member. From its inception until 2004, Cronan co-directed the Walton College Center for Teaching Effectiveness and Faculty Development. Professor Cronan has truly been a leader in the area of teaching.

Recognition of Dr. Cronan’s excellence in teaching began in 1981, as he was the recipient of the 21st annual Distinguished Achievement in Teaching Award from the Arkansas Alumni Association. Numerous departmental and local awards followed. In 1995 Paul Cronan received further recognition when the International Association for Computer Information Systems named him "Computer Educator of the Year.”

Dr. Cronan has served his profession well in research. He has served as associate editor for MIS Quarterly and on the editorial board of the Journal of Computer Information Systems. He has published in Decision Sciences; MIS Quarterly; OMEGA; International Journal of Management Science; Journal of Management Information Systems; Communications of the ACM; Journal of Computer Information Systems; and numerous other journals. At UA, he has received several departmental and college awards for research, including the Phillips 66 Faculty Excellence Award in Research. As SWDSI President, DSI Regionally Elected Vice-President, and a member of the DSI Board of Directors, Paul Cronan has served the Institute well and was awarded the SWDSI Distinguished Service Award in 1996. For overall contributions in his field, the University of Southwestern Louisiana named Paul Cronan the Outstanding Computer Science Alumni in 1990.

In recognition of Professor Cronan’s many contributions to higher education, the Southwest Region of the Decision Sciences Institute hereby presents the Outstanding Educator Award to Dr. Timothy Paul Cronan.