Arnoff-Schloss Memorial Lectures

The E. Leonard Arnoff-Milton J. Schloss Sr. Memorial Lectures on the Practice of Management Science are among the most prestigious series of lectures in the world on operations research and management science topics. The lecture is presented annually in the Spring. Sponsored by the OBAIS Department, it is partially supported by proceeds from an endowment. A world-class slate of presentations have been offered since 1992. Below you will find the titles and speakers for past lectures. Note information provided for the past lecturers are current as of the date of the lecture.

An endowment for the Arnoff-Schloss Lecture Series has been established to support lectures for future years. We hope that individuals, but especially companies, will consider designating contributions to the Arnoff-Schloss Lecture Series.

Please contact Operations and Business Analytics Professor and Department Head Sachin Modi if you would like to lend financial support.

Len Arnoff was the Dean of the UC College of Business Administration from 1983 to 1988. Len was a pioneer in the field of operations research (OR). He co-authored the first OR textbook, worked for Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory (now part of NASA), and served as a Principal, Partner, and National Director of Planning and Operations Services for Ernst and Young. At UC, he was instrumental in gaining the support of Carl H. Lindner to consolidate all College of Business Administration departments in a single building.

Milt Schloss was passionate about the fields of operations and management science. He was a member of the Business Advisory Council, adjunct professor of management at UC, and the first executive-in-residence for the Total Quality Management Center in the UC College of Business Administration in 1991. Milt was an avid practitioner of Total Quality Management during his executive careers at Hillshire Farm, Kahn’s and John Morrell. Milt was also a decorated World War II veteran and a longtime philanthropic supporter of many University of Cincinnati programs.

• Dr. Christopher Tang, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Distinguished Professor at UCLA Anderson School of Management
  April 13, 2023
  "Managing Supply Chains in the Environmental, Social and Governance Era"
  
  
• Regina Liu, Rutgers University, Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University
  April 18, 2022
  "Data, Statistics, and the Stories They Tell"
  
  
• Arun Rai, Georgia State University, Regents' Professor of the University System of Georgia, J. Mack Robinson Chair of IT-Enabled Supply Chains and Process Innovation
  Sept 18, 2020
  "How Will the AI Genie Behave?"
  
  
• Rebecca Doerge, Professor of Statistics and Professor of Biology, Glen de Vries Dean of the Mellon College of Science, Carnegie Mellon University
  April 17, 2019
  “The Future of Statistical Bioinformatics and Genomics in the Automated World of Agriculture”
  
  
• Xiao-Li Meng, Whipple V. N. Jones, Professor of Statistics, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University
  April 18, 2018
  "How Small Are Our Big Data: Turning the 2016 Surprise into a 2020 Vision"
  
  
• Garrett van Ryzin, the Paul M. Montrone Professor of Decision, Risk and Operations at Columbia Business School, and Head of Marketplace Optimization for Uber
  April 19, 2017 6:00 p.m.
  "Marketplace Engineering"
  
  
• Wayne L. Winston, Kelly School of Business, Indiana University, Bauer College of Business, University of Houston
  April 20, 2016
  "Sports Analytics: Past, Present, and Future"
  
  
• Wallace Hopp, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
  March 10, 2015
  "Patient Routing for Cost Effective Care: Lessons from Emergency Medicine and Cardiac Surgery"
  
  
• Lawrence M. Wein, Stanford University
  March 31, 2014
  "Data-Driven Operations Research Analyses in the Public Sector"
  
  
• Cynthia Barnhart, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  April 11, 2013
  "Congestion and Delays in the National Air Transportation System"
  
  
• Margaret L. Brandeau, Stanford University
  May 9, 2012
  "Operations Research & Public Health: A Little Help Can Go a Long Way"
  
  
• Leonard Kleinrock, University of California Los Angeles
  May 5, 2011
  "A Brief History of the Internet and its Dynamic Future"
  
  
• Hau L. Lee, Stanford University
  May 5, 2010
  "Creating Value With Supply Chain Excellence"
  
  
• Ralph L. Keeny, Duke University
  May 6, 2009
  "Making Informed Business, Health, and Personal Decisions"
  
  
• Michael Trick, Carnegie Mellon University
  June 4, 2008
  "Sports Scheduling and the Practice of Operations Research"
  
  
• Yossi Sheffi, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  April 19, 2007
  "The Resilient Enterprise"
  
  
• Karla L. Hoffman, George Mason University
  May 25, 2006
  "The Dance of the 30-Ton Trucks"
  
  
• William P. Pierskalla, University of California, Los Angeles
  May 12, 2005
  "How Are We Ever Going to Fix Our Health Care System? Doesn't Anyone Have Any Workable Ideas?"
  
  
• Marshall L. Fisher, University of Pennsylvania
  May 27, 2004
  "Rocket-Science Retailing"
  
  
• Gary L. Lilien, The Pennsylvania State University
  May 8, 2003
  "Modeled to Bits: Marketing Decision Models for the Digital, Networked Economy"
  
  
• John R. Birge, Northwestern University
  May 30, 2002
  "Using Management Science to Reduce Enterprise Risks: Defining the Role of Operational and Financial Hedges"
  
  
• Robert E.D. (Gene) Woolsey, Colorado School of Mines
  May 11, 2001
  "On Doing Well by Doing Better O.R. - Thirty Years and Counting"
  
  
• Edward H. Kaplan, Yale University
  May 25, 2000
  "Policy Modeling for Better Decisions: The Case of HIV Prevention"
  
  
• Arnold I. Barnett, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  May 6, 1999
  "Aviation Safety in Numbers"
  
  
• Steven C. Wheelwright, Harvard University
  May 14, 1998
  "Leading Product Development – From Art to Science"
  
  
• John D.C. Little, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  May 15, 1997
  "Operations Research/Management Science, Marketing, and the Internet"
  
  
• Alfred Blumstein, Carnegie Mellon University
  May 23, 1996
  "Youth Violence, Illicit-Drug Markets, and Gun Availability"
  
  
• Russell Ackoff, INTERACT: The Institute for Interactive Management
  May 2, 1995
  "Systems Thinking: An Intellectual and Managerial Revolution"
  
  
• Saul I. Gass, University of Maryland
  May 18, 1994
  "Operations Research/Management Science: The Way it Should Be"
  
  
• Thomas Cook, American Airlines Decision Technologies
  April 29, 1993
  "Operations Research Applications in the Airline Industry"
  
  
• Robert E.D. (Gene) Woolsey, Colorado School of Mines
  May 19, 1992
  "Success in Management Science/Operations Research - How To Do It in Spite of Your Education"