“I was stunned.  I couldn’t believe it,” Allen S. Lee, a professor of information systems at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Business, says was his reaction to learning he was the recipient of the LEO Award for Lifetime Exceptional Achievement in Information Systems.

The award is given to distinguished members of the research community whose contributions have changed the field and influenced others, according to the Association for Information Systems, which presents the award.

The award is named after one of the world’s first commercial applications of computing — the Lyons Electronic Office.

Dr. Lee, who also serves as an adviser to graduate students in the doctoral program, was presented the award at the 36th annual meeting of the International Conference on Information Systems in Fort Worth, Texas, in December.

“I thought my time had passed,” Dr. Lee humbly says of winning the award. “My belief was that others were, and are, more qualified than I am to deserve the award.”

He was recognized for a distinguished career that includes impacting the lives of hundreds of students, publishing articles in top peer-reviewed journals, making presentations at international academic conferences and formerly serving as editor-in-chief of the prestigious MIS Quarterly, a journal that reports on the development of information technology-based services.

“My field’s recognition of me inspires me to continue working hard and to do even more for the field — not just my own work, but also mentoring younger colleagues,” Dr. Lee says.

Dr. Lee credits much of his success in life to the lessons he learned from his parents, who came to the United States from China.

“They instilled in me the cultural value that to be a teacher is to hold one of the most noble positions in society,” he explains.

To demonstrate to students at VCU that success has not come easily to him, on the first day of class each semester, the engaging professor presents to his students a slideshow of pictures from his childhood spent in a small apartment on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

And Dr. Lee, now in his 17th year of teaching at VCU, challenges his students to aim high in their aspirations.

“I tell all of my students that, eventually, in their lifetimes, their achievements must exceed my own or else knowledge does not grow,” he explains of his teaching philosophy.

Here’s a look at this week’s exceptional Personality, Dr. Allen S. Lee:

Date and place of birth: Oct. 14 in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Current home: North Chesterfield.

Alma maters: Cornell University, bachelor’s degree; University of California at Berkeley, master’s degree; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, doctorate.

Family: Husband, Michael L. Trancynger.

Technology: My opinion on technology is captured in a title on a paper I am working on with a co-author, Dionysios Demetis. The title: “When Humans Using the IT Artifact Becomes IT Using the Human Artifact.” In other words, we are in danger of becoming instruments used by technology instead of the other way around.

Advice to aspiring students: Companies do not practice the fundamentals of good information systems design, implementation and management. This means that there will always be technological messes in companies that the companies will always need to hire people to solve.

Definition of an information system: An information system is made up of not only the information technology, but also the people and the data. The three interact in ways that continually transform one another. What emerges as the resultant information system can therefore change, even day to day.

Information systems are important because: They are not only the lifeblood of companies and government agencies, but also the emancipator of individuals. Consider the information system made up of cell phones, YouTube, citizens and visual information on police brutality. Information systems can, and do, save society.

How I got interested in information systems: Because I had to. When I was looking for a job, the jobs were in information systems, so I became “interested” in information systems.

How I got involved in field: One of the members of my doctoral dissertation committee told me that business schools in universities were hiring into professor positions scholars with backgrounds in computers and statistics, even if they did not have doctorates in business. So I applied for a position in a business school and, luckily, one was offered to me. One could not do this today.

What I studied in school or by myself to learn about information systems: After I became a professor in what was a new field for me, I went to the library and started reading about information systems. I retooled myself for a new field.  It was risky; there was always the chance that I could not retool myself adequately and not publish sufficiently in time to get tenure.

What information systems were like when I entered the field: In 1983, personal computers had not even been invented. Mainframe computers were dominant. Minicomputers were an innovation. All the thinking was technology driven; the role of people in an information system was only secondary, an afterthought.

What they are today: In businesses and other large organizations, the role of people in an information system is, unfortunately, still considered secondary. They see people as “users” to be “trained.” In university research on information systems, however, people are considered a key component of an information system. 

My contributions include: Perhaps my most significant contribution is being a teacher to undergraduate students, especially at VCU. Also, many years ago, as the editor-in-chief of MIS Quarterly, the top research journal in my field, I made the contributions of (1) integrating qualitative research into the study of information systems, (2) promoting the acceptance of design science research, in addition to the predominant behavioral research, (3) helping to found a journal for practitioners, MIS Quarterly Executive, and (4) bringing about equal representation on the editorial board for women and increasing the number of editorial board members from outside of the United States.

Future of information systems: The interactions among information technology, people and data are unpredictable, so the future of information systems is unpredictable.  Perhaps the greatest impact will be in developing countries.

Young people need to consider this field because: Plenty of jobs in information systems are available. A job in information systems can be a good springboard to a career outside of information systems, too. An information systems education teaches one how to think logically — a great skill for any profession and a great skill in life in general.

What makes me tick: Everyday is a gift. Now that today is given to me, I think about what I can do for others to show my gratitude.

If I could have my wish, it would be: The realization of racial equality in my lifetime.

Prized possession: An award-winning photograph taken by my father in China before he came to the United States.

Nobody knows: As a youth, I chose to be baptized against my parents’ wishes.

Best late-night snack: Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

Quality I most admire in another person: The ability to listen.

Best time of my life: The two years (1975-77) I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, during which I explored and indulged in being Asian American and gay.

Outlook at start of day: To be on the lookout for coffee.

How I unwind: It used to be Scotch. Now, it’s Netflix.

The best thing my parents ever taught me: You always have to be on your best behavior because what you do reflects on all other Chinese people.

The book that influenced me the most: “The Face of the Fox” by Frederick O. Gearing, about an anthropological ethnography of a Native American tribe. It taught me about the universality of culture and social structure, regardless of race and ethnicity.

What I’m reading now: “Introduction to Social Systems” by Niklas Luhmann.

My next goal: To choose what to accomplish in retirement (at least four years from now).