ForeverMissed
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This memorial website was created in memory of our loved one, Sandra Slaughter. We will remember her forever.

November 7, 2014
November 7, 2014
I worked closely with Sandy on the 2009 International Conference in Information Systems, held in Arizona. Sandy was a great professional and fun to be with. This is very sad news, and I send my deepest sympathy to her family, friends, colleagues and students.
November 7, 2014
November 7, 2014
Sandy was with me in Tepper School for 12 years. We continued to work together after she went to Georgia Tech. We had a joint paper accepted for a journal just last month. And now, she is suddenly gone.
It will take me a long time to get over this void. May her soul rest in peace!
November 7, 2014
November 7, 2014
* Posted on behalf of Dr. Sylvester Ivanaj, Prof. ITM, ICN, Nancy, France. Translated from French by John McIntyre *

Sandra was a person to be admired. I spent the entire day of October 23 with her, from greeting her at the train station, breakfast in town, visit of the historic city, presentations with our MBA students and professors on MOOCs and business analytics. I took her back to the train station around 5:00 pm. What struck me most was her simplicity, her calming quality, on the one hand, and the remarkable command of the field and her achievements.  I have had it on my mind often these past days and I feel a sense of injustice at her passing mixed in with regret for the loss of this extraordinarily talented person who could be so simple in daily living.
November 7, 2014
November 7, 2014
My earliest interactions with Sandy were as a PhD student and a newly minted assistant professor. She was very warm and nurturing towards younger faculty and Phd students- wonderful with advice and incredibly generous with her time given how many commitments she had. I really don’t know how she was able to take on so many professional responsibilities and still found time to patiently mentor and nurture each one of us. Over the years, I have also gotten to spend some time with her and got to know her well. She took such joy in so many little things – I still remember her peals of laughter! She emailed me only last week, I was looking forward to seeing her at INFORMS, and barely two days later heard the news that she is no more! It is all too soon!

Sandy, you were such a great mentor, I hope I learn from the example you set and from your graciousness, enthusiasm and your positive energy. My thoughts and prayers are with her family!
November 7, 2014
November 7, 2014
Stunned to hear about Sandy's passing this week. She was a doctoral committee member, teacher, friend and mentor to me during my doctoral studies at CMU (and clearly to a lot of other people too). She was always warm, gracious and generous with her time and attention. Even when she vehemently disagreed with you, she did it with grace and positivity! I was fortunate enough to work with for ICIS, on dissertation committees, as a co-author and finally, as a mentor (often seeking advice on critical issues) and she unfailingly delivered on every occasion. Even though her life was cut short in her prime, I believe she has left a tremendous legacy in terms of her work, friendship, goodwill and respect. RIP Sandy...
November 7, 2014
November 7, 2014
I had the pleasure of working with Sandy earlier this year at the Big Data Industry Forum. She was super kind and always gracious to work with. My sincere condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues.
November 7, 2014
November 7, 2014
Sandy was one of the first people at Scheller (outside of my own area) to learn my name and greet me in the halls. Her constant smile and kindness made Scheller a better place to work and her absence in the school will definitely be felt. To say “she will be missed” seems trite but absolutely true in this case.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Professor Slaughter was a wonderful professor. She was meticulous, warm, brilliant and clearly loved teaching. After I took a class with her in project management, she continued to make herself available as a resource and contact. It was an honor to learn from her and Georgia Tech was lucky to have her on faculty. My condolences to her family.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
As my PhD advisor, Sandy is a perfect model of professors. I am always learning from her. She always smiles to me and keeps praising me when talking to other professors on conferences. She was also very ready to help, spending numerous meetings with me to improve our research, help with my teaching, conduct mock interviews for my job hunting, etc. Rigorous to research, she continuously asks questions that may flaw our research, and I also benefit from this in my individual work or collaborative work with other colleagues. She also shows me her enthusiasm in her classes and demonstrates how to become a good teacher. Without her guidance, I may not be able to survive from my PhD life. What's more, her instructions still inspire and guide me now when I become a professor and start to co-supervise master and PhD students. My students like me -- but just because that what I do is imitating what Sandy did to me. As one of my colleague PhD students said, there is still time until there isn't anymore, and I regret that I did not study with her for more time. Sad and shocking and still could not believe it. A huge loss to everyone, the community, the school, and also myself. But she will still be in my heart and her words will never be forgotten. In my entire life. Rest in peace, Sandy.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Sandy was so beloved by so many of us in the IS community. Every dotoral student in Infomation Systems has read her work and benefited immensely from her scholarship.  She has been a wonderful collague and mentor over the years for so many of us. I've learned from her values and work ethic through serving with her on the MS editorial board and was looking forward to hearing her wise counsel for many, many more years! She was so generous and giving with her time and efforts to help so many people in the academia. She will be forever missed!!
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
I’m still under shock—I worked closely with Sandy and we just spent hours together a few days prior in some long P&T meetings. I first met Sandy in 2006 when she was a rising star as an associate professor at CMU, and we were trying to recruit her at GT. I knew she would be a huge addition to our faculty and we were lucky to appoint her as the Costley Chair and promoted her to full professor. Professionally, Sandy transformed the ITM group at GT to become one of the best in the U.S. Moreover, working closely with Sandy on the college-wide P&T committee for the last few years, I came to know her well—and valued her high standards combined with compassion for each person going through the process. Sandy spent countless hours trying to understand and evaluate research not in her immediate area. Through her P&T work, Sandy clearly raised the stature of the Scheller College. Personally, she was always warm and understanding, and giving of her time. May her soul rest in peace. My love goes out to Sandy’s family. She will be sorely missed. A terrible loss for us all.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Sandy always had a spring in her step and a smile on her face. She was brilliant and humble and made the Scheller College of Business a better place. I am thankful for her assistance teaching Project Management to the undergraduates in the T&M Program and for the positivity she brought to everything she did. I keep thinking I will see her walking across the 4th floor bridge like I did so often every week. My condolences to her close friends and family. She will be sorely missed.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Sandy Slaughter made you proud to be a member of our community of scholars. Along with luminous intellect, she had the gentleness and caring of a wonderful human being.
Uncounted papers published in JMIS make a greater contribution to our discipline thanks to her insightful and giving work on them. We will always have her own work, which will last, and we will always remember Sandy with warmth and respect.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Dear Sandy,
Thank you for being such an open, friendly and supporting human being. I am very glad to have met you and your spirit will always be alive. May your soul rest in peace. My deepest condolences to your family. You will be missed.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Dear Sandra, such a terrible loss for all of us. You were an outstanding academic and a great person.
Chiara
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Sandy was a great mentor and simply a wonderful person who cared about others. She was very dedicated in whatever she took up. This is a great loss to the community, and in particular to her school. RIP!
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Sandy and I graduated the same year; she from Minnesota and I from Texas. I've known her since we were PhD students and we have the hometown of Milwaukee in common. Sandy was the person who set the values of scholarship, collegiality, and kindness for our peer group. She always set the bar for the rest of us, but in a most humble way. I cannot count the number of times I asked her for help or her opinion and she was always there. It is hard to foresee the MIS field without her presence. She will stay with us through her work and our fond memories of her goodness, humility, and every attribute that makes for both a great person and a great academician. Peace be with you Sandy.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Before I had the privilege of meeting Sandy, I was first exposed to her work on outsourcing with Soon Ang dating back to 1996. Reading that brilliant work gave me the “aha” feeling that one gets when stuck for months in their data analysis. Later on meeting Sandy with her ever-present smile and always encouraging comments in one of the first ICIS conferences I attended was a crucial part of me developing a sense that IS community is a wonderful virtual family that I want to be a part of. Sandy then played a crucial role in my career being a developmental and supportive AE on two of my early accepted papers. Sandy personified so many wonderful things that are right about our community. I still cannot get over the shock of this terrible loss. Hers are huge shoes to fill.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Sandy will be missed for her scholarship and for her wonderful presence. She served as a dissertation committee member on three committees for our students and was always supportive and constructive, but at the same time providing uncompromising rigor. To say that I was in awe of her while hearing her advice and comments on the speakerphone would be an understatement. In other situations, I saw her true spirit: Some bring conflict; she brought peace. Some bring gloom; she brought sunshine. Some tear down; she built up. Thanks for your inspiration, leadership, and mentorship, even when you didn't realize you were doing it!
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Sandy - you will be missed. It was a privilege to know you. Thank you for your kindness, your generous spirit and your smile.

I recall the time we walked around the lake in Germany at the outsourcing conference and talked about life outside of what we do every day."

To Sandy's family - please know how valued and loved she was in the field. RIP.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
I still recall the day my wife and I took Sandy to lunch at an Indian restaurant in Hawaii more than twenty years ago when we tried to recruit her as a newly minted PhD student. She was amazingly smart, very perceptive and the nicest person you could meet. While we could not recruit her, those impressions formed back then only became stronger over time. She was a gentle soul, and she will be missed.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
I got to know Sandy at my first WISE meeting in 1999. She was the co-chair if I recollect. She treated everyone, PhD students, junior faculty, peers, with the same level of respect, cheer and intellectual curiosity. Over the years, through a series of professional interactions, she became the one to emulate. Here at Minnesota, many in our department and school fondly remember her as a star PhD student. She was apparently very good at trivial pursuit! I had the pleasure of sending her a "mark the date" email for this coming Sunday when she was going to be inducted as a ISS Distinguished Academic Fellow. She had responded on Sep 3, 2014 by saying "Dear Ravi,

Wow! Thank you for this great news! I am very honored. And, I will mark the date.

Many thanks,

Sandy"

It's tragic that she is no longer around. RIP.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
I attended several talks given by Prof. Sandra Slaughter at various conferences. I am always motivated by her great passion and vision for the IS field. She is such a great role model. She is gone too soon but never gonna be forgotten.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Dear Sandy, as a junior member in our community I did not get the opportunity to interact with you a lot. However, I have been influenced so much because of you as an IS scholar as well as a member from the CMU campus. You were such a warm and supportive person. I remember last month when I visited the ITM group you wrote me a very kind message and told me that you were sorry to miss my visit because you were visiting Pittsburgh during the same time. You were joking that "we two are trading cities for a couple of days."  I was really touched how amiable and approachable you were to a junior scholar like me. I regret so much that I missed you last time. You will always be my role model and you will be forever remembered and missed by all of us.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Sandy, it was a privilege to know you as a colleague. The last time I saw you was at this year's AMCIS Junior Faculty Consortium. I was always inspired by your kindness and sympathy to those who would receive our suggestions and comments. I learned how to help others by watching you talking to others. You will be missed.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
I missed Sandy after she left Tepper, but could look forward to seeing her at conferences, where she always brightened my day. She was good at her job, good in the classroom, and good with people. We will miss her.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Dear and wonderful Sandra,

It was a pleasure to work with you while you were at Carnegie Mellon: as an undergraduate academic advisor during your time at CMU, I know how much your undergraduate students learned from you and valued what you taught them, as such an important part of their preparations for professional work in business. You were also a wonderful colleague. It is too soon to lose you.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
There are many who publish well and make a name for themselves, and then there are those who have the class to live with the greatness. Sandy had both.
I first met Sandy when I was a doctoral student and she conducted a research seminar at Texas A&M. I asked her a few questions and a year later she greeted me as if we had known each other for years. Her work in Software Evolution was a guiding light to my own research. She proved to be a great mentor at each step of my career. This is not just a loss of a great scholar; it's the loss of a great human being. We love you Sandy and may you RIP.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
When Sandy began the Minnesota PhD program she became an instant colleague of many of the faculty, based on her great IT experience, her ready smile, and her incredible work ethic. She was a joy to be around and a good friend. Her untimely death is a great loss to the management and IT communities.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Dear Sandy,

You are one of the best colleagues and friends I have in my life. You have always been so nice to everyone. You never hesitate to offer help to others. I have been so grateful to know you. We shared so much wonderful time together while at Carnegie Mellon. I remembered your amazing biking-around-the-whole-world journey. There was also one time, I locked myself out while teaching an evening class, and you helped me call school police and waited with me even though it was quite late already....that is you, always so thoughtful and sweet. The loss of you really broke me, and I still find it hard to take.... Sandy, you will always hold a special place in my heart and memory. Love you, Pei-yu
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
I don’t recall Sandy from when I was an undergraduate student at Carnegie Mellon University. But years later, as a Ph.D. student at Maryland, I returned to Carnegie Mellon with a friend from my undergraduate years. As we roamed around campus and reminisced, we came across Sandy’s door. I basically started to tremble in admiration and explain to my friend that this office belonged to one of the “Gods” of my field. I had seen her present at ICIS and was moved and immediately knew the kind of work I wanted to do. My friend looked as though I was insane and said we should just knock. I responded that we couldn’t. My friend dragged me over and knocked. When Sandy came to the door my friend explained that we graduated from Carnegie Mellon and that I thought Sandy’s work was amazing. If I could have disappeared I would have, but Sandy responded as though she expected us. She smiled, opened her office door, invited us in and offered us a cup of tea. She engaged me in a conversation about what kind of research interested me and I left encouraged. I’ve never experienced such graciousness from a hero. I could recount many more similar encounters with her over the years. Like so many others I find the combination of her keen intellect and kind spirit a unique gift. She makes me proud to be a part of this community.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
I'm a secretary at Tepper and I'm very sorry to hear of Sandra's passing. I spoke to her just days ago and she was always smiling and very nice to me. I'm sorry for your loss.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
May she Rest in Peace.

I wish her family, friends, and colleagues strength and courage in the time to come. Sandra will be dearly missed.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
It was just a few months ago when I interacted with Sandy at the Doctoral Consortium in Savannah. I cannot believe that she is gone -- so suddenly and so young. I knew her as a wonderful person, always willing to go the extra step to help a colleague. She will be greatly missed.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Thank you for your wonderful work in the IS community. You not only gave use insights through your research, but helped make our lives better through your work with AIS. You will be missed.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
It was a great shock to hear of Sandy's passing. I had the priviledge to meet her during her service on AIS Council. I can only recall positive contributions and friendly smiles. She gave shape to the mid-career development forum. What a loss for our community!
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
I'm so deeply saddened to learn of Sandy's passing and the hole it will undoubtedly leave within the Georgia Tech Scheller College... While I never had the pleasure of being her student, in my four years working for the College as an undergrad there, her warmth and kindness were her reputation just as much as her academic prestige. I've greatly missed seeing her smile and hearing her laughter in our brief encounters through the office hallways and mailroom since my departure, and it pains me to know that Scheller has lost that light. Prayers go out to her friends and family
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
I continue to find it hard to believe that Sandy is not with us any more. She was a model scholar and colleague. Always considerate, fair and respectful of others. It was such a pleasure to work with her. I will sorely miss her sunny smile, compassion and helpfulness. This is a major loss for the Scheller College, and her discipline. May she rest in peace.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Sandy, it has been privilege and honor to work with you over the last three months on a research commentary. You are such a humble, kind, and generous person. I am shocked and saddened by your sudden passing. You have touched so many people's lives and will be long remembered. May you rest in peace.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Sandy was a good friend and long time colleague at CMU. She was a scholar, a mentor and .... -- a wonderful human being. I will miss her. May her soul rest in peace.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
I was shocked and, of course, deeply saddened to hear this tragic news. Sandy's devotion to the development of new ideas (and the young scholars who think them) was, and will remain, legendary. To have achieved so much professionally, to continue to outperform after achieving pinnacle after pinnacle of success, and to hold the personal respect and gratitude of so many for her generosity with her time: a seemingly impossible triad, yet one everyone would instantly agree Sandy held.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
With the loss of Sandy, I feel like we lost a warm and glowing light of caring and support in the world. I knew when I was a reader of her PHD thesis at Minnesota, that she had all of what it would take to be great in research. And I know she was a devoted teacher right from the start. We all benefited from her kind and committed approach to helping colleagues, developing the research of others, and finding time for friendship with people.

Sandy, you are a model for the rest of us who work in your discipline. An inspiration! What a loss for Georgia Tech, its students, staff and faculty colleagues.

I'd like to send my condolences to Sandy's family especially. I wish you well in these difficult days, and hope that time will heal your wounds from losing Sandy. We all loved her, but it must be that you loved her even more -- if that's possible.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
Sandy will be missed dearly. Her wonderful smile and gentle nod made her very unique. Ever since we attended doctoral consortium back in 1994 in Victoria Island together, we had good friendship. Always greeted me with her unique smiling "Hi Prabhudev" and pronounced my name perfectly. She was extraordinarily supportive of authors as an editor and particularly to younger faculty. She will be missed dearly.
November 6, 2014
November 6, 2014
I checked my Inbox and the oldest email she sent me (that is still in my InBox) was in 1999. She helped to review a paper for one of the workshops that I organized. As usual, her review was very thorough and comprehensive – it is 2.5 pages of detailed comments for a workshop paper! She was a great colleague with a great smile. I am still in shock and disbelief. She will be missed.
November 5, 2014
November 5, 2014
Sandy was a great faculty member who excelled in all aspects of academia: research productivity, awards, grants, high quality teaching, etc. But what distinguished Sandy – and why this is a such a terrible loss for so many – is that she was more than a great faculty member; she was a great colleague. Throughout her career, she devoted herself to others. She served tirelessly on numerous editorial boards, helping the rest of us improve and publish our research. She served on discipline-wide initiatives, helping to create structures that enable all of us to be more successful. She mentored students at all levels, helping them with their projects and career aspirations. Personally, she advised me, supported me, collaborated with me, and encouraged me. It is hard to imagine a greater loss for the Scheller College of Business, for Georgia Tech, and for the Information Systems academic community.
November 5, 2014
November 5, 2014
Dear Sandy,

When you first moved into your new office at Georgia Tech as my neighbor, you kindly asked me if I mind your singing in your office. I said absolutely not.
I guess I finally got your sense of humor. Perhaps what you meant by singing was actually laughing. I was right – it turns out that that was the best music I have ever had – you laugh loud and a lot when you made con-calls! Wait a minute … I used to be the loudest laughter in the ITM group of Georgia Tech (if not in the entire SCOB!). :-)
November 5, 2014
November 5, 2014
Sandy has always been characterized to be gentle and giving, and she meant a lot to each one of us who have benefited from her mentorship, and to those who have worked with her in one way to another. I am lucky to have been one of many students to have directly benefited from her mentorship and guidance during my phd days. I have always appreciated that Sandy was such a good advisor to me, but it was only when I became a Phd student advisor myself did I realize how giving and open-minded Sandy has been to me during my own PhD days. And her mentorship extends not just to her Phd students but to so many others who have reached out to her for advice throughout all these years. I know of countless people whom Sandy would spend time meeting to provide guidance to them even though they were not her student or colleague. Sandy has always been an inspiration and role model to me – I often remind myself what kind of academic I would like to become by thinking about her. I will continue to cherish her in my thoughts. And I really miss you, Sandy.
November 5, 2014
November 5, 2014
Professor Sandra Slaughter was a great mentor. She was gentle, kind and always willing to help others. It was a privilege knowing her.
November 5, 2014
November 5, 2014
I still cannot believe what I read when I opened my email box and saw the email subject of “Memorials.” At first I thought it may be a person with the identical name. However, the moment I clicked at the remembrance website and saw the photo of Sandy with her beautiful smile, I cannot help my tears. Sandy was on my dissertation committee when I was a doctoral student at CMU. She was such a great adviser and mentor. Her kind support and guidance encouraged me to keep on improving my research work. I will never forget all the thoughtful advice and guidance she has given me, and I will always cherish all those memories. Sandy, you and your beautiful smile will always be remembered and cherished in my heart.
November 5, 2014
November 5, 2014
While I cannot still believe that Sandy is no longer with us, I am grateful that I knew her and worked with her. I can only thank her for the time she invested me and for the advice she always gave me as her PhD student.
She was the best advisor one could ask for, and a wonderful mentor.
She was a doyen of the field and her academic contributions are there for the world to see. However, our community has lost more than a brilliant academic, we have lost an amazingly positive human being who touched so many lives.
Her warmth, her laugh, her enthusiasm for any new research project we would embark on, her vivid mind, all of these would remain in my memory forever.
I will miss you so much Sandy. May you rest in peace.
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Recent Tributes
November 3, 2023
November 3, 2023
Dear Sandy, I still miss your warmth and graciousness. You were a wonderful mentor.
November 3, 2023
November 3, 2023
Dearest Sandy, Its been so long, still miss having you around...
November 3, 2023
November 3, 2023
Dear Sandy:
This year, ICIS and WITS/WISE are in India. I remember when we went to Bangalore and took you around in an autorickshaw. You'd have loved it.
Thanks so much for being there for me!
Nishtha
Recent stories

So charming and mindful person

November 8, 2014

I met Sandra two weeks ago in Paris on Oct. 24th. I fetched her at her hotel and accompanied her to Telecom Ecole de Management in Paris suburbs for a research seminar. I had such a nice discussion with her on the train, and I remember her so well laughing when we mentioned some incredible small things that can happen by hazard in life ... Her talk at the seminar was so interesting and enthusiastic and all attendees were delighted meeting her.

My colleagues at Telecom Ecole de Management and myself will keep remembrance of her as a delightful person dear to our hearts.

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