Sharda inducted into Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame

By Dollie Elliott

Ramesh Sharda, vice dean of the Watson Graduate School of Management, was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame by the Oklahoma Education Heritage Society on Oct. 24 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

Sharda is an internationally known scholar in business analytics and data science who has led the development of OSU’s interdisciplinary graduate program in telecommunications management and earned the institution recognition as a leader in information assurance programs. Sharda was the founding co-director of OSU’s Ph.D. in Business for Executives program, which offers a doctoral degree in a groundbreaking format that merges executive education with rigorous academic preparation.

“Dr. Sharda’s induction into the Hall of Fame is a fitting honor for someone who has had such a distinguished academic career,” says Ken Eastman, dean of the Spears School of Business. “He truly epitomizes the land-grant spirit, and his contributions to Spears Business and OSU are too numerous to mention. We are honored to have him as a member of our faculty and I know that he will continue his productivity well into the future.”

Sharda earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Udaipur in Rajasthan, India, before coming to the United States. He earned a master’s degree in engineering from Ohio State University, and an MBA and his doctoral degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Ramesh Sharda attends the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame ceremony at the Oklahoma Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City with family and friends.

He joined the OSU faculty after completing his education, and he has held several positions during his 33 years in Stillwater — assistant professor, associate professor and currently Regents Professor of Management Science and Information Systems, Chuck and Kim Watson Chair, ConocoPhillips Chair of Management Technology, and director of the Institute for Research in Information Systems. His research in analytics is recognized worldwide. Sharda has co-authored textbooks on analytics and data science that many universities are using.

“When Dr. Wayne Meinhart called me in 1979 to invite me for a campus visit because he had seen my CV (curriculum vitae) and was interested in exploring my candidacy, to be honest, I did not even know much about Oklahoma,” Sharda says. “I recall going to a travel agent — mind you, this is before the days of Expedia and Google Maps — and trying to figure out how to get to Stillwater.

“Higher Education Hall of Famer Dr. Bob Sandmeyer was the dean of the College of Business then. When I finished my visit and was leaving from the Oklahoma City airport, I told Wayne that I was going to leave for India in a couple of days. He asked me to scribble my India address, which I did on a Kleenex. A few days later I received a telegram in India with an offer from OSU! Clearly, I accepted the offer, and it has been a good journey,” Sharda says.

The professor has received several awards including the Spears School of Business Greiner Graduate Teaching Award twice and the University Regents Distinguished Research Award.

In 2014, Sharda was named to the new position of interim vice dean of the Watson Graduate School of Management before receiving the permanent position in 2014, joining the Spears School executive leadership team of Dean Ken Eastman and Associate Deans Karen Flaherty and Carol Johnson.

“I am here because OSU has been such a nurturing place. Our culture of collegiality while focusing on excellence has been carried forward by many administrators, including President Hargis; our new vice president of research, Kenneth Sewell; my colleagues and friends; Spears School Dean Ken Eastman and MSIS Department Chair Rick Wilson. The spirit of excellence and the encouraging culture at OSU has allowed me to be an academic entrepreneur,” Sharda says.

He received international recognition in January 2012 at the Jewels of Rajasthan in the World event where impactful individuals who originate from the state of Rajasthan in northwestern India were honored. He also received the 2013 HG Lifetime Service Award from INFORMS Computing Society.

The Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame was established in 1994 to recognize and honor individuals, living and deceased, for outstanding meritorious service to higher education in Oklahoma. This year represented the 23rd year to honor higher education educators and administrators as well as those who support higher education with distinguished contributions.

To be eligible for induction, an individual must have been employed by one or more institutions of public or private higher education in Oklahoma on a full-time basis for a minimum of 10 years. Individuals who have performed outstanding service to higher education in the state, organizations or institutions (despite not being employed) are also eligible for consideration.