Spychalski Retires After 39 Years At Smeal

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA (August 9, 2007) – John Spychalski, professor emeritus of supply chain management, recently retired from Penn State's Smeal College of Business after serving on the college's faculty for nearly 40 years.

Spychalski came to Smeal in 1968 as an associate professor after serving as assistant professor of transportation at the University of Maryland. In 1973, he was promoted to professor, and he served as chair of the Department of Business Logistics, now the Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems, from 1982 to 1998.

An expert in transportation, Spychalski's teaching and research interests focused on the management, economics, public policy, and history of transportation, and management of the procurement of transport services. He authored articles, book chapters, and papers on a wide range of topics within the transport sphere, and has been a presenter of papers and a panelist at professional meetings and seminars in Canada, Hungary, Sweden and the United States.

He taught courses at the undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and executive levels throughout his tenure at Smeal. He also served Smeal students in many other capacities, including as a graduate adviser and Schreyer Honors College adviser.

His many service commitments to the college and University include time as faculty president of the Epsilon Chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma, college representative in the University Faculty Senate and Senate Council, member of the University Tenure and Promotion Board, and chair of the Scholarship Committee for the Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems.

Outside of Penn State and Smeal, Spychalski served as an external evaluator on promotion and tenure cases for The Ohio State University and the University of Maryland.

He served as a paper referee for the Transportation Research Board, book manuscript reviewer for the Indiana University Press, and evaluator for the European Commission’s Rail Freight Research and Demonstration Project Proposals. He also served on the editorial board of the Encyclopedia of North American Railroads, and is editor emeritus of the Transportation Journal.

Among his many professional affiliations are the American Economic Association, American Society of Transportation and Logistics, Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, and the Transportation Research Board.

In the State College community, he serves as a voting member of the Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization and chair of the Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA), whose board he has sat on since 1980.

Spychalski holds a bachelor's degree from St. Joseph's College, and an M.B.A. and D.B.A. from Indiana University.

He and his wife, Mary Ann, have two adult children and two grandchildren.

In his retirement, Spychalski will continue to support Smeal and the Supply Chain and Information Systems program voluntarily as an adviser for Schreyer Scholars, Marine Corps Fellows, and Beta Gamma Sigma members. He will also serve as an ex officio member of the Department Scholarship Committee and as manager of the Spisak Lecture series, in addition to hosting donor visits.