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Great news! Copies of two messages follow. Members of this list will want to participate in A-CASA in three ways: attend the conference on Friday, September 29th, be part of the competency bank, and help find additional corporate members. RSVP to acasa@....
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NEWS RELEASE Release Date: For Immediate Release
Contact: Sandy Rathman at (215)898 7244
rathman@...
University of Pennsylvania
School of Engineering
RESEARCHERS AND INDUSTRY JOIN FORCES TO EXAMINE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE NETWORK CENTRIC ECONOMY
The School of Engineering and Applied Science of the University of Pennsylvania announced the creation of the Ackoff Center for Advanced Systems Approaches (A-CASA). The Ackoff Center, named for Dr. Russell
Ackoff, Emeritus Anheuser-Busch Professor of the Wharton School, will operate as a think tank in the vanguard of systems approaches. A-CASA is dedicated to education, academic research, industry research and consulting, and outreach programs in the area of systems approaches.
Faculty from Engineering and the Wharton School is expected to work under the auspices of A-CASA on multi-disciplinary research topics in such areas as netcentricity and sustainability. Netcentricity or network centricity is the centrality of telecommunications networks and the Internet for business, education, and leisure. The Ackoff Center will examine the implications of netcentricity on a variety of topics including production, logistics, trading, organizational design, and knowledge management. Sustainability is the ability of organizations and countries to sustain economic development, standard of living, quality of life and the environment. The Ackoff Center will examine several issues related to sustainability in both "new economy" and traditional organizations.
The Center is the result of generous contributions of the Anheuser-Busch Foundation, Analog Devices, and the General Motors Foundation, and research grants that will sustain the Center's first year operating budget of $1 Million. Future funding is anticipated from corporate memberships, research grants and Executive Education. The membership program will allow for close liaison with leading edge companies for industry-sponsored research and short-term Fellows from industry to work on intellectually challenging projects with standing faculty and students. Further, A-CASA will provide opportunities for internships for undergraduates and graduate students from Penn and other institutions to further enhance the educational mission of the University. An annual workshop will be conducted to disseminate the results of the research to academia and industry leaders. Says Jack Purnell, Executive Vice President of Anheuser-Busch, "This is a unique opportunity to combine the systems theory and research capabilities of the exceptional faculty at Penn Engineering and Wharton with the real-world industry experience and wisdom brought by Russ Ackoff and his senior associates."
The Director of the Center, G. Anandalingam, National Center Professor of Resource and Technology Management and Professor of Information Management at the Wharton School, will be responsible for directing the research activities and for general administrative decision-making. "The intention is for the Ackoff Center to develop innovative ideas in systems approaches that will enable the Center to evolve into a world class institution with contributions to solving intractable problems, wherever they exist," says Eduardo Glandt, Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. A-CASA will extend its offerings beyond the walls of Penn through the application of information technology and the Internet and will represent a competency bank of knowledge for all Systems Thinking related academic activities, research and practices which are scattered around the world.
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Invitation to Ackoff Center Reception
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:
We kindly request the pleasure of your company at the inaugural ceremony for The Ackoff Center for Advanced Systems Approaches (A-CASA) at the University of Pennsylvania.
The opening ceremony, will begin with a gala on the evening of Thursday, September 28th, to be followed by a one-day conference on Friday, September 29th on the challenge facing the systems-thinking community:
"Systems Approaches, Directions for Development: Designs for the Future."
The conference will provide an occasion for Russell Ackoff and other distinguished thought leaders to address the challenge from their perspective. In addition, representatives from business and government organizations will address the same challenge from their perspectives. The conference will be concluded with a panel discussion synthesizing the content of the day.
Within the next few weeks you will receive a program note with further details.
In any event, we thank you in advance for your consideration of our invitation and hope that the Ackoff Center will have your support in its endeavors to provide continuity to the pioneering work guided by systems-thinking philosophy.
If we can provide you with additional information, please don't hesitate to contact us acasa@....
We look forward to receiving your reply by August 31, 2000.
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Dr. G. ANANDALINGAM
National Center Professor of Resource and Technology Management
CHAIR, Department of Systems Engineering
Professor of Operations and Information Management
(Wharton School of Business)
University of Pennsylvania
Towne Building 295 Telephone: 215-898-8790
220 South 33rd Street Facsimile: 215-898-5020
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6315 E-Mail: anand@...
U. S. A.
http://www.seas.upenn.edu/sys/homeanand.html
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