September 26, 2011
Dr. Keith Harman, professor of business at OBU, recently was selected as a member of the International Review Board for the June 2012 Informing Science Institute Annual Conference in Montreal, Canada. Each year, 20-30 people are chosen for the position, but the same people are not always chosen. Harman, however, has been chosen to serve on the review board for the past eight years.
The Informing Science Institute (ISI) is an international organization with a mission of "production" and "retroduction," seeking to draw together people who "teach, research, and use information technologies to inform clients … to share their knowledge with others." ISI has more than 500 members from more than 60 countries. The review board is composed of scholars representing several disciplines, but reviewers mainly represent areas such as computer science, education, business and engineering. The scholars are mostly researchers, consultants, academic administrators and faculty members.
To be selected forthe review board, a member must have been published in one or more of the Informing Science journals. Preferably, the member also will have served as an editor, co-editor or reviewer for one of the Informing Science journals. Those who have had books published by ISI Press also are qualified. Harman has fulfilled each of these requirements.
As a member of the review board, Harman's role is to review papers submitted to the ISI annual conference. He is assigned papers based on areas representing his interest and expertise: intellectual capital, knowledge management, strategy and technology and online learning. After voting on the papers submitted individually, the board as a whole votes on "Best Paper" awards given at the conference.
At OBU, Harman has taught in the Paul Dickinson College of Business for five years. He said his activities in ISI help keep him current in his field of work. He has gained the opportunity to interact with scholars from around the world and deepen his own understanding through others' insights.
"My scholarship allows me to stand as a credible scholar which, in turn, makes me a credible witness for Christ among my scholarly peers," Harman said. "Certainly it advances the name and reputation of OBU. Most importantly, it allows me the wonderful privilege of glorifying God as I try to make the most of the talents (as paltry they may be) He has graciously entrusted to me."
For more information about the Informing Science Institute, click here.