Tim Ruefli

Timothy Walter Ruefli passed away on June 19, 2010 in Austin, Texas. He was born October 21, 1942 to Walter and Beatrice Ruefli in the small mill town of Torrington, Connecticut. Early on, Tim's parents admitted to him that his talents had surpassed their ability to guide him. They urged him to find his own path and promised to support him. Tim appreciated the humility of their guidance and ultimately credited his mother as the source of his intellect and his father as the source of his outgoing energy. Tim first thought of teaching during middle school when he tutored a slower student and helped him pass his exams. His work life began in the offices of the hometown factory that had been part of his family for generations.

A gifted student and the first in his immediate family to attend college, Tim earned his BA in Quantitative Studies (minors: Economics and Studio Art) from Wesleyan and his Masters (1967) and PhD (in Industrial Administration, 1969) from Carnegie Mellon University. Tim accepted a fellowship at Air Force Project Rand in Santa Monica, California in the late 1960s, then joined his mentor, George Kosmetski, as faculty at the U.T. McCombs School of Business. For the next four decades Tim grew with U.T. and with Austin, a city he loved from the start, preferring its hot climate to the Northeast’s bitter winters. As a young professor at UT, Tim promoted equality for all students regardless of race, ethnicity, creed, or gender, and was against U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Tim’s research and teaching included high technology strategic management, information systems, management science, and microeconomics. He authored and co-authored two books and numerous book chapters, along with articles and monographs for leading academic and practitioner journals in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. In the 1980s he helped push U.T. into the computer age with "Classroom 2000," which incorporated telecommunications, student desktop computers, and overhead instructor displays. Tim provided leadership in establishing the MBA concentration in management information systems in the early 1990s, and in the continued development of the MIS undergraduate program. Both programs are ranked in the top five among all business schools. He also contributed to the IC2 Institute’s innovative MS in Technology Commercialization. Tim served as chair of the Department of Management and emphasized excellence in teaching, research, and service to the university and community. He thrived on academic debate and did not hesitate to take on the prevailing theories or scholars of the time when he believed that his reasoning and evidence required the rebuttal of those of his opponents.

Even after being diagnosed with brain cancer (GBM) in 2009, Tim remained focused on his students’ welfare and growth. He was an inspiring, highly sought-after professor, mentoring countless students and opening his home during the holidays, especially to foreign students far from home. His colleague Hüseyin Tanriverdi recalls, "When I went to his office, I often saw current or former students, colleagues, and business leaders who came to seek his advice and wisdom. He won the respect of everyone. He always had time for everyone. It was delightful to meet and work with Tim." His teaching awards include the CBA Foundation Teaching Award, the Hank & Mary Harkins Foundation Award for Effective Teaching in Undergraduate Classes, and the Fawn & Vijay Mahajan Teaching Excellence Award for Executive Education.

Above all, Tim was a dedicated family man who took great pride in his wife and children’s accomplishments which include many advanced degrees, awards and honors. He is survived by wife Elizabeth Ruefli, daughters Tia and Rebecca, sons Chad, Roy, and Michael, and five grandchildren. The family wishes to thank Steve Barnhart and Judith Bailey for their love and extraordinary care throughout Tim's final illness.

Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, Lamar location. Services will be at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 23rd, St. David’s Episcopal Church, 301 E. 8th Street. The family requests that donations be made to St. David’s Episcopal Church, Hospice Austin, or a charity of their choice.