The classroom isn’t the only place important learning happens at the Naveen Jindal School of Management. Although The University of Texas at Dallas boasts world-class professors and modern academic buildings where formal instruction provides students with the top academics, there is more learning — important learning — that happens outside of class to help them succeed in life.
Some of those extracurricular pursuits result in award-winning accomplishments, too. One perfect example is INFORMS — standing for Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, the largest professional and academic association for decision and data sciences, includes economics, analytics, management, behavioral science, statistics and artificial intelligence in its scope — with a very active student chapter at UTD. The student organization is attracting attention, including winning a national award, the 2023 INFORMS Student Chapter Annual Award, Summa Cum Laude.
“The award we won is through the sheer hard work of our team, because it’s a true team effort,” said Nikhita Agarwal, the current UTD club president who will receive both her MBA and master’s in marketing next spring. “I’m really excited and thrilled. The core committee we had was really strong.”
The organization’s recognition of UTD’s chapter, one of 54 nationwide, was its top award. This student chapter, housed in the Jindal School, is open to students with a variety of majors.
The coveted INFORMS award was a successful team effort of UTD students. The club was evaluated on educational activities and professional events planned for the 2022-2023 school year, when it was led by Hirdesh Katare, the club’s president that academic year.
“It was an extraordinary year,” said faculty advisor Dr. Monica Brussolo, an associate professor of instruction at JSOM. Brussolo has advised the INFORMS chapter for eight years, seeing the positive effects club involvement has had on many students. “A lot of things happened that year, and we all agree that this is good for the students. I’m very excited for them and very happy for the work they put into getting this done.
The student-led events illustrated a concern for social impact and how to improve the planet. The activities included educational guest speakers addressing the club, but there was more that the awards selection committee saw as a superior effort. The highlights, inspired by the students’ concern for social impact, were collaborating with a company to clean a nature preserve and packing food for children.
The students met often to organize the events, and this team approach is where much of the outside-of-class learning happens. Students see the value.
“My experience on working with INFORMS has given me experience working with people, and that will help me in my career,” said Tirth Patel, the club’s current vice president who is completing a master’s degree in supply chain management. “It has given me a chance to do networking, leadership skills, problem-solving skills and event planning.”
Brussolo continues to see the positive effects club involvement has had on students.
“The benefit to students is that they develop skills that are transferable to the job market,” she said. “They learn networking skills and leadership skills. I think that just getting exposed allows the students to become more well-rounded professionals.”
Winning awards is nothing new for UTD students. INFORMS has named UTD’s student chapter an award winner four times before, including another prestigious summa cum laude designation in 2016. Looking beyond the classroom for important components to professional development is something the professor always advises.
“No matter what JSOM organizations students join, they will benefit,” she said. “These groups offer many opportunities to develop leadership, teamwork and networking skills, giving them key advantages when they enter the job market. INFORMS is one of the best student organizations for doing that.”
Written by Joy Donovan
