1. DEPARTMENT OF MIS, OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT, & DECISION SCIENCES
300 College Park, Dayton, Ohio 45469-2130
Phone: (937) 229-3382
To: Whom it May Concern:
From: Dr. Michael F. Gorman
University of Dayton
University of Dayton
Department of MIS, OM and DSC
Dayton, OH 45469-2130
I have been asked to provide a recommendation for Jason Stewart. It is my pleasure to do so.
I have known Jason for over two years. He has taken two classes with me, a junior-level process
analysis class, and a senior Capstone Course in which he participated in a consulting project with
a student team and a live client. He has also done some “extra credit” consulting for me that I
will explain below. In short, I know Jason better than I know most students. In both classes, he
showed a great ability to assimilate new and complex material and apply it admirably. His grades
were strong in both courses, completing both with an “A”. To my knowledge, he has received
A’s in all of his major courses, has a strong overall GPA, and is one of the top, if not the top
students in his class in the Operations Management major (a class of over 40 students).
I would like to discuss his performance in each course, and in the extra-curricular consulting
project he conducted for me. In the first course, he showed high levels of engagement,
enthusiasm and interest. He regularly scored in the top of his class in most assignments and tests.
Further, he was a “go-to” person in class for discussion topics and answers to tough questions.
He clearly understood the material quickly and easily, and mastered it as well as any student I
have taught in the course. Simply, he is a smart guy, and catches on quickly in an academic
setting to new material.
In the second course, the Operations Management Capstone Course, I was able to work with him
in a small team setting, observing his ability to communicate and work with teammates, client
and advisor (me). It should be noted he took this course while undertaking a full time Co-op at
General Electric Aviation in Cincinnati – over an hour away from the University of Dayton. He
could only do this with my approval, which I granted due to his strong performance in the
previous class. His teammates were aware of this arrangement and consented to working with
Jason “long distance”. The client, who I will not name, was a new client (which always poses a
risk in such a class), also was aware of Jason’s arrangement.
As is the case with any “real world” project, there are risk and challenges, and this one had
many. The project did not go well. The client was somewhat non-responsive, hard to work with,
and their data was exceedingly confusingly organized. The project also required learning
sophisticated scheduling software. All of this lead to challenges for the team, further
complicated by Jason’s scheduling and geographic challenges. His teammates badly

2. DEPARTMENT OF MIS, OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT, & DECISION SCIENCES
300 College Park, Dayton, Ohio 45469-2130
Phone: (937) 229-3382
underperformed in their responsibilities, and their deliverables were of low quality, lacked depth
and breadth, and were sometimes inaccurate.
This does not sound like much of a ringing endorsement, I realize. Life is unpredictable and
complicated, as are these projects. What is noteworthy to me is how Jason handled this adversity.
It is a testimony to his drive and determination, leadership, and dedication to quality.
From his disadvantaged position, he tried to lead his teammates both through example and
pitching in on their portions of the work. He worked directly with me, his advisor, on carving out
a deliverable that he could be solely responsible for, so that we could deliver value to the client
in some way. He carried the final presentation, though he understandably might know far less
than his teammates, he demonstrated far greater mastery of the software, the data, the problem,
and the solutions. His score for the project was far greater than his teammates (we offer
differentiated grades for teammates based on advisor, team member, and client feedback on
individual performance) – one of the greatest differentials I have ever given. The response was
unanimous; all constituencies of the project agreed that Jason’s contribution was far superior to
the others.
Though he made the most of a bad situation, his situational disadvantage was too great to earn an
A. He contacted me at the end of the semester, acknowledged that he probably didn’t deserve an
A given the project was such a disappointment, and wondered if there was any way he could
“conduct another senior project” to show what he could do. I understood Jason’s request
completely. He wanted to get an A, to be sure, but I felt he actually had a burning desire to be
part of a success, to make a difference, to have a “win”. In order to help him bring his senior
project experience to a positive conclusion, I gladly gave him that opportunity.
It so happened I had another team that did well, but, simply, ran out of time to really deliver
great value to their client (a different client). I put Jason on the job. On his own time that
summer, he spent six weeks extending the other teams’ project, doing deeper dive analytics,
providing more detailed insights and pointed recommendations. He essentially redid their project
(with the advantage of a great head start, no doubt), with occasional guidance from me. He was
easy to work with. He regularly responded to my suggestions with quick, accurate and on the
mark changes. (He listened well!) He provided keen insights that were well documented. He
provided a nicely organized and convincing final document. He developed an intuition for the
problem that allowed him to suggest concrete ways the ideas could be implemented. He
participated actively, professionally, and enthusiastically (via phone; he was still working full
time!) in the final presentation. The recommendations were spot on, and of high potential value
to the client. I told him afterwards – that was one of the best meetings I have ever been in, in
terms of fluidity, comprehension, and client acceptance of the results. Of course, he earned an A.
As a final testimony to Jason’s admirability – he later emailed to ask “what ever happened to that
project – are they doing it?” He cares about his work. I told him that the client is now actively
seeking ways to implement the recommendations. I am working with them on work that I believe

3. DEPARTMENT OF MIS, OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT, & DECISION SCIENCES
300 College Park, Dayton, Ohio 45469-2130
Phone: (937) 229-3382
is publishable in a research journal based on this work. Of course, Jason offered to help if
needed. If published, Jason will be acknowledged as a key contributor to the project’s success.
I highly recommend Jason for any position requiring leadership, hardwork, analytical
sophistication and direct, honest, and open communication.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like more information.
Sincerely,
Michael F Gorman
Sincerely,
Michael F. Gorman
Michael.gorman@udayton.edu