In 1999, I met Jan.
We were at the International Conference on Information Systems. I was a young PhD student & conference volunteer. Jan worked at a booth & distributed copies of the conference proceedings.
We both sat around the lobby a lot, so I struck up a conversation. She was great.
I did not realize this was the beginning of a 20+ year friendship.
I only later came to know that Jan was a staff member at the University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management & the managing editor of MIS Quarterly.
Jan ran operations for my discipline's top journal.
You would never know it, though, she treated us all the same.
While not faculty, I would come to think of Jan as the most influential person in my career & perhaps my field.
Why?
First, Jan encouraged #PhDstudents.
Jan let me & hundreds of students know that publishing in MISQ was possible.
She gave me confidence.
Second, Jan supported #AssistantProfessors.
Jan told me that I might someday serve on the #editorialboard.
She believed young faculty were the future.
Third, Jan kept people honest.
I watched Jan tell the most productive person in the world that their behavior was unacceptable & demand they do better.
She is a role model for candor.
Fourth, Jan is loyal.
Jan supported Gordon Davis, #MISQ, & my discipline- without question - for 30 years.
She gave all of us stability.
Fifth, Jan became the heart of the community.
She gave tips for good papers, managed peer review, & listened to the woes of countless students.
Jan touched every generation of IS scholars.
Sixth, Jan kept tabs on everyone.
Jan never forgot my daughter’s name, inquired after my students, & ensured I made deadlines.
Jan made sure we knew that we mattered.
Finally, Jan helped create a constructive, #supportiveculture in my field.
She demanded excellence & gave it in return.
Absent Jan, I am not sure what my field would look like.
She is not replaceable.
While not an academic, Jan, as a staff member, helped to define a young academic field and humanized it for young faculty.
I know she did this for more than me - bc people like Sue Brown & Michelle Carter - have shared similar stories.
While Jan (or #mommabear as my friends like to call her) has retired, I was delighted to see her at a recent conference, share a meal, remember old times, & catch her up on my present. It was good to spend time with my favorite #academicauntie.
For #earlycareerscholars, it is essential to remember that people like Jan help weave the fabric of your field. While they may not always hold PhDs, they make valuable contributions to #academiclife.
Be attentive, & you’ll see many people who make your academic life possible, like Matthew Nelson or Robina Wahid, who keep my professional association running. Take time to get to know them. You won’t regret it.
I will never forget Jan & her contributions to my academic life. She has made it better.
Comments