John H. Morris, BIE 1965

If there is any doubt how important private dollars are to a state university, just ask R. Gary Parker, ISyE director of Graduate Studies. They certainly make his job easier. As part of The Campaign for Georgia Tech, alumnus John Morris, BIE 1965, created a fellowship fund for graduate study that "has literally altered the way we can do business in the recruitment of top graduate students," says Parker.

The John Morris Fellowships vary in amount, duration, and semester offered. But their availability and flexibility are helping ISyE land top graduate students who could attend other institutions. "The use of the John Morris Fellowship funds has been a godsend for us in leveraging our strength in attracting the absolute best Ph.D. students," says Parker. "And even for the ones we don't get, I promise you that we make their decision particularly difficult."

Fellowship money controlled by the School serves as "add ons," says Parker, funds added in addition to existing assistantships. Assistantships for teaching or research, usually a 1/3 time position, typically equal a tuition waver and stipend. It is not a lot to live on, especially if the graduate student has a family. "What has really been the distinguishing characteristic with the Morris Fellowships is that John allowed us to 'relax' restrictions on its use, in particular, allowing us to award some of this money to non-U.S. applicants," continues Parker.

ISyE has the best program in the United States, but "we are competing on a world-class stage, and put brutally, many of the best Ph.D. applicants out there are simply not from the U.S.," says Parker. "Compounding this is the cold, hard fact that our competitors at Cornell, Stanford, and MIT, by virtue of their private standing, simply do not have to worry about citizenship matters in the way we, as a public institution, do. Virtually all of the fellowship money that is offered by Tech and/or by the government (the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense) requires citizenship." Also at issue for some prospective students is the lure of a name like MIT, Stanford, or Berkeley.

Daniel Espinoza is one of ISyE's top doctoral candidates, recruited by MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and Cornell. A native of Chile, the John Morris Fellowship clinched his decision to attend Georgia Tech. For starters, it allowed him to bring his wife with him. "I think that without this support, we couldn't be here, because the stipend that you get is not enough for two people. We are going to be three soon, and my wife can't work due to visa restrictions," he says. Espinoza's undergraduate work, in mathematical engineering at the Universidad de Chile, was already a six-year commitment, with thesis.

Jerry O'Neal is another Morris Fellow — a West Point mathematics and foreign languages graduate with more than seven years experience in the Army. "I considered other schools, but none of them offered the package Tech did, and none of them had the strength of the program," he says. "The package they put together for us made all the difference. To be honest, for us the tougher decision was whether I would be able to do graduate school at all." O'Neal and his wife have two small children, and it is important to the couple that she stay at home.

John Morris keeps in touch with the fellowship program through Parker. "I owe a great deal of my success to Georgia Tech and ISyE," he says. "I am very proud and thankful to be able to help ISyE to stay number one by helping to attract top graduate students. I am very impressed by the quality and breadth of the students and know they will be successful."

Morris and his wife Cherie live in Laguna Niguel, California. John is retired co-chairman of StoneCreek Capital, a merchant banking firm that sponsors leveraged acquisitions and leveraged buildups in partnership with management teams. He is a former trustee of the Georgia Tech Foundation and an emeritus member of the ISyE Advisory Board. He is a member of the ISyE Hall of Fame and the ISyE Academy of Distinguished Alumni, and he was honored with the College of Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1996.



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