David Hale Named Winner of Blackmon-Moody Award at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Dr. David P. Hale, who led The University of Alabama’s management information systems program to national prominence, is the 2001 winner of the University’s prestigious Blackmon-Moody Outstanding Professor Award.

Hale is director of the University’s MIS programs and associate professor of information systems, statistics and management science in the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration.

Created by Frederick Moody Blackmon of Montgomery to honor the memory of his grandmother, Sarah McCorkle Moody of Tuscaloosa, the Blackmon-Moody Outstanding Professor Award is presented annually to a faculty member whose, “singular, exceptional, or timely work, whether in the form of research, a product, a program or published material, has brought national recognition to the faculty member and The University of Alabama.”

UA President Andrew Sorensen and a committee that reviews faculty nominations made by academic departments select the award recipient.

Hale was chosen for the 2001 award because of the national recognition he has brought to the University in the five years he has been at the Capstone. During this time, Hale has established the MIS-MBA program, which is ranked fourth nationally by ComputerWorld magazine; created the state’s Information Technology Workforce Resource Centers (a collaborative initiative of Alabama State University, Bishop State Community College and UA); and established the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration’s Enterprise Integration Lab and the Alabama Institute for Manufacturing Excellence’s Manufacturing Information Technology Center. Hale has also established the MIS Forum, a group of leading global business organizations that funds more than 75 student scholarships annually.

“David Hale has been a tremendous force in making our MIS program a national leader,” Sorensen said. “The UA program is acknowledged by business leaders across the nation as one that affords their organizations an instant return on investment when they hire one of our students. He is a teacher, an academic coach, an innovator and a visionary. He is extending the influence of the MIS program and the University across the nation in very positive fashion.”

Dr. Ronald Rogers, dean of the Graduate School at UA and coordinator of the award, said Hale has more than met the Blackmon-Moody Outstanding Professor Award requirements. “He’s done incredible work to put the C&BA programs on the map to receive regional and national recognition,” Rogers said.

Ron Griffin, senior vice president and chief information officer for The Home Depot, said that since Hale had joined the program, UA has become the company’s preferred source of IT talent. “Not only were the undergraduate students rock solid on three fundamentals which we require (technology, business-outcome-focused and people/teaming skills), they had an incredible work ethic, practical real-life experience and a level of maturity and business effectiveness that generally surpasses that of most MBA candidates we recruit from other institutions,” Griffin said. Hale’s program at UA has become the envy of similar programs at other institutions nationwide, he said.

Dr. Yvonne Kennedy, president of Bishop State Community College in Mobile, said the MIS program under Hale’s guidance “has migrated from obscurity to a program of national prominence.” She said Hale has made available “both the physical and human resources of The University of Alabama’s MIS program to ensure that our college and the Alabama College System’s two-year colleges have access to the education and experiences so necessary to succeed in today’s information technology core field.”

Dr. J. Barry Mason, C&BA dean, said he is pleased that Hale has received this recognition from the University. “David Hale really goes above and beyond what is required of a professor. He has brought a tremendous amount of recognition to the College’s MIS program through his hard work and dedication. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award.”

Hale said the award provides a legacy for the MIS program. “This is outstanding for this program and the work the team of MIS faculty and students has done in the last five years,” he said. “I am also extremely pleased that the program has received recognition and is now part of the Alabama Tradition.”

Hale said the award “provides momentum to continue building the MIS programs, both undergraduate and graduate. With this recognition and the program’s national ranking, we have a base to recruit additional top caliber faculty and students to the program, and to extend our outreach efforts throughout the region.”

Editor’s Note: Hale will receive the award during a ceremony scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21 in the President’s Mansion on the UA campus.