QuADS Formed

The QuADS organization was founded in 1998 at the suggestion of Dr. Connie McLaren and was spearheaded by Rex Critchlow and Keith Richards. The Quality and Decision Systems (QDS) program, a part of the Analytical Department of the School of Business at Indiana State University, prepares students for a career in one of the quantitatively-oriented areas of business. Students learn advanced topics in statistics, quality, and microcomputer applications to supplement the broad business background they receive in the business core. Through selection of electives, students may choose to focus on operations management, quality assurance, or statistical analysis. Students can select courses to help prepare them for a variety of professional certifications, such as the Certified Quality Engineer, Certification in Production and Inventory Management, and Certification in Integrated Resource Management. Typical career opportunities available include Operations Manager, Quality Control Manager, Statistical Process Control Coordinator, Quality Analyst, and Operations Research Analyst Assistant.

Parts of the original QuADS website is still available on the Web Archive.

Insuring the future: Gongaware Gift will Ensure New Levels of Excellence for ISU's Insurance, Risk Management Program

October 1998

“Nature,” as the philosopher Bernard Spinoza once observed, “abhors a vacuum” and moves quickly to fill it.

So, too, it appears to be Don Gongaware’s nature to abhor a vacuum.

In his case, the perceived vacuum was a lack of educational opportunities for those interested in pursuing management careers in the insurance industry.

His feelings about this subject were based on his personal experiences and observations during his long and distinguished career.

“I got into the field in the classic way – by accident,” says Don, who retired in March as chief operations officer and executive vice president of Conseco.  “I had one semester of school left and my GI Bill was running out.  I had a wife and three kids at home, and needless to say, I needed to supplement my income.

“An employment agency asked me if I wanted to become a group underwriter.  It didn’t pay much, but I jumped on it as a temporary job until I got my degree.  Thirty years later I retired from the insurance industry.”

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