Cliff Ragsdale honored with emeritus status
Cliff Ragsdale, professor of business information technology in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of professor emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
The emeritus title may be conferred on retired faculty members who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in recognition of exemplary service to the university. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive a copy of the resolution and a certificate of appreciation.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1990, Ragsdale made significant contributions in the fields of management science and operations management. He wrote more than 55 research articles and the textbook "Spreadsheet Modeling and Decision Analysis: A Practical Introduction to Management Science," now in its ninth edition.
He was appointed as the Bank of America Professor of Business Information Technology.
Ragsdale served in leadership roles for the Decision Sciences Institute and the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science. He was elected fellow of the Decision Sciences Institute in 2010 and received the organization’s Lifetime Distinguished Educator Award in 2021.
Ragsdale was a highly regarded teacher at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He received the Pamplin College of Business Outstanding Faculty in Doctoral Education Award in both 2008 and 2017 and the Pamplin College of Business Certificate of Teaching Excellence Award in 1993.
From 2015-23, Ragsdale served as the academic director of the Center for Business Analytics, developing the curriculum, and recruiting students who sought to earn a master’s degree in business administration with a focus on business analytics.
In addition, Ragsdale advised 32 students on master’s degrees and doctorates and helped them develop successful careers in both academic and industrial settings.
Ragsdale received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Central Florida and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.
