Name: Patricia Sendall
Title: Associate Professor of Management Information Systems
Company: Merrimack College, N. Andover, MA
Contact Info:
psendall@merrimack.edu OR
psendall@sprintmail.com
How I arrived at my present job (academic and other influences): I have the best of both worlds. I love technology and I love to teach. My first taste of technology was as a part time classified ad taker while I was in college. I enjoyed working with the system. Then, I took a part time job, while still in college, with Texas Instruments as they began to penetrate the home computing market with their TI-99/4A. I went on to sell Apple Lisa's, Macintoshes, Apple IIx and early IBM PC's and compatibles to businesses and consumers when the software selection was slim and archaic! (Do you remember WordStar)? :-)
In undergrad school, I wrote code using PL/1 and COBOL on punchcards. Both my finance and marketing profs were teaching and working on their Ph.D.'s at the same time. I asked lots of questions about careers in academe and began to consider a career in higher education.
I went back to school and received my MBA in Information Systems, began teaching on the college level part time while doing consulting work. I was hired at the same college to teach MIS and have been there since 1990. Recently, at the ripe age of 40, I decided to begin work on my Ph.D. in Information Systems.
How I organize my day: I begin every morning by answering emails and voicemails. I also do a quick online scan of the daily articles that pertain to technology. Often, I can either use that information/source in my classroom or in my research. In addition, I do whatever has the most pressing deadline, whether it is a research project for my doctoral program, preparing a lecture prep for work, or grading papers for my students.
Amount of time spent working daily (at home and office): Wow, that's a good question. I typically work 7 days a week. Some days I can only grab a couple of hours, and other days several more hours. I juggle work, school and family daily. I might work in the morning on my research, go into work and teach my courses, meet with my students, come home and do my domestic thing (which includes the usual stuff like cooking, driving kids to activities and coaching my girl's travel soccer team), then settle into my office in the evening to work on research, etc. Therefore, my workday can range anywhere from 1-15 hours a day (excluding domestic work).
What I do to get myself thinking creatively: READ, READ, READ. I like to read about what other people are doing with technology. I enjoy going to conferences to learn about how other academics are using technology in the classroom, and of course I like to share my strategies with them.
PLAY, PLAY, PLAY. I enjoy the challenge of discovering how to use different technologies on my own. I only use the manual as a last resort. The fun is in the challenge of discovery!
My problem-solving strategy: I try to do my homework, listen to all sides of the argument, weigh the options or alternatives, then make my own decision.
What I do to relieve stress: Walk the dog, go to the gym, community service, read the newspaper, and LAUGH! I wish I could exercise more because it really does help to reduce the stress. Sometimes it just doesn't fit into my schedule, but I do my best. Also, I continue to do my community service as a volunteer coach. I have always been athletic and I love contributing something to the girls in the community. When I'm out there, running around on the soccer field with a bunch of 11-year-olds, it tends to reground me. All the other stuff just doesn't matter. Laughing is a wonderful way to relieve stress. Bottom line, it's not a cliché when people tell you not to sweat the small stuff. If you've had anyone close to you become ill and/or die, you realize that nothing else really matters.
My hero, mentor, or person I most admire and why: Gloria Steinem and Grace Hopper. Gloria Steinem for all she's done to pave the way for women in every aspect of life. Amazing Grace Hopper for paving the way for women to succeed in technology. She was WAY ahead of her time. Truly an amazing woman.
What I do to mentor those who work for me: I mentor students and young athletes. Studies have shown that men have an easier time finding mentors in the workplace. It's not so for women because there are still fewer women at executive level positions. In addition, studies continue to show small percentages of women majoring in technology. Its important to me to mentor young women, to encourage them to follow their dreams. Out on the soccer field, I teach more than just soccer. There is self-esteem building, teamwork concepts, vocabulary building. Some of our international players teach us how to speak their language. Bottom line - having fun and just plain being kids is the most important thing.
How a negative event changed my life in a positive way: When I was a Junior in high school, all of my friends were talking about college. I always got good grades in school, but my parents never talked about college. I was the third of four daughters and I never remember them talking to my sisters about college, either. One day, I came home and started talking about college. My father said, Girls dont go to college. Your job is to get married, have children, and make your husband happy. It would be a waste of education for a girl to go to college. The rest is history! I put myself through undergraduate and graduate school, a post-MBA certificate, and now my doctoral program. Where theres a will, theres a way. I never allowed that comment to stop me, and I've done it all on my own. Its been difficult sometimes, but what a sense of gratification!
One event or decision in my life I wish I could go back and change: Although I had absolutely no control over this, I wish I could have gone from my undergrad program right into a doctoral program. I would loved to have gone to MIT.
At one point in my early career, I was an account executive (advertising sales person) at a small newspaper. My roommate, the newspaper's photographer, had resigned after two years and asked if I'd like to join her and a friend as they traveled through Europe for the summer. I had just gotten a job offer with a major metropolitan newspaper, making more money than I had ever dreamed of. I took the job. I regret doing that. Youre only young once. Job/career opportunities will happen if I make them happen. The youthful European trip will never happen again. I wish I hadn't let my work ethic get in the way of enjoying life.
What values are the most important to me and what I value in others: Honesty, integrity, loyalty, empathy, sincerity.
What inspires, motivates, or gets me excited about my job on a daily basis: I love technology, I love to learn, I love to teach. The young people with whom I interact on a daily basis are wonderful. They are great fun, they can be intense and sometimes a pain in the butt. I enjoy watching them grow and become successful, gainfully employed adults upon graduation!
Biography
Research interests:
Electronic Commerce/Web Commerce
Electronic Commerce and the European Union
Privacy
Security
Database Management Systems
Information Systems Pedagogy
Goals:
To receive my Ph.D. in Information Systems by 2002.
To retire before age 60.
To raise happy, healthy, moral, ethical, intelligent children.
BALANCE in my daily life.
General Interests:
Family
Community Service
Career
Snowboarding
Mountain Biking
Step Aerobics
English Springer Spaniels
Last Modified:
Location:
www.acm.org/crossroads/dayinlife/bios/patricia_sendall.html