Charles Holloway : An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Professor Chuck Holloway, an expert in the fields of entrepreneurship, supply networks, and technology management, reflects on his engineering and business education, his military career, and his research and teaching career at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Holloway discusses his childhood in Whittier, California; studying electrical engineering and participating in athletics and the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps at UC Berkeley as an undergraduate; and working for Admiral Hyman Rickover at the Naval Reactors Branch. Holloway describes his transition to graduate study in nuclear engineering and business administration, joining the Stanford faculty in 1968, the trajectory of his research and teaching, and his service as the associate dean for academic affairs at the GSB. Topics of special interest include the origins of GSB’s Public Management Program, the Stanford Integrated Manufacturing Association [SIMA], the Stanford Leadership Academy, and the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. Holloway also offers trenchant observations on Silicon Valley’s unique ecosystem and Stanford’s role within it.
- Summary
- Part 1 [00:00:00-00:29:50] Growing up in Whittier, California • Parents Heber Holly Holloway and Theodosia Stephens Holloway • Sister • Family memories • Impact of World War II on family • Early schooling and interests; childhood friends • Swimming and water polo at UC Berkeley • Studying electrical engineering at Cal • Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps [00:29:51 – 1:04:02] Meeting Admiral Hyman G. Rickover • Beta Theta Pi fraternity • Cal Club • Working at the Naval Reactors Branch with Admiral Rickover [1:04:03 -1:38:37] Lessons learned from working with Admiral Rickover • Rickover Foundation • Leaving Naval Reactors for graduate school • Wife, Christy; family cabin at Echo Lake; Christy’s extensive volunteer work • Children and grandchildren • Cal/Stanford Big Game divided loyalties [01:38:38 – 02:08:07] Master’s degree in nuclear engineering at UCLA • Influential advisors at UCLA • Work at Bechtel Corporation on fast reactor design • Decision to pursue PhD; dissertation applying queuing theory to manufacturing problems • First experience teaching statistics at Stanford; incorporating Bayesian probability theory into the statistics course Part 2 [00:00:00-00:36:07] Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) in the late 1960s and 1970s • Memories of anti-Vietnam War protests on campus • Early years at the GSB • GSB students in 1960s and 1970s [00:36:08 – 01:05:14] Decision Making Under Uncertainty textbook and teaching • Research on product development and operations; Hewlett-Packard examples; next-bench syndrome • Teaching product development and operations • Manufacturing strategy course; memories of Steve Jobs as guest lecturer [01:05:15–01:31:14] Work on supply chain management; Sun Microsystems example • Founding the Public Management Program at Stanford with Gene Webb • Public Management Program admissions and curriculum; appeal to women students [01:31:15–02:06:43] Helping recruit for Stanford Athletics • Approach to teaching; importance of stories to learning • Reflections on tenure • Endowed chair • Use of case studies in business schools; Sun Microsystems and Freedom Financial Networks cases Part 3 [00:00:00–00:34:12] Lessons from co-directing the Public Management Program • Serving as the associate dean of academic affairs for the GSB; Dean Rene McPherson; goals of increasing attention to organizational sociology, political science, and international business • Business school rankings • Story of Holloway’s inadvertent role in the founding of Cisco Systems • Manufacturing Visions Group • Visiting professorship at MIT • Course evaluating products of Silicon Valley startups • Book The Perpetual Enterprise Machine • Origins of interest in study and teaching of entrepreneurship; course with the School of Engineering [00:34:13–01:06:23] Stanford Integrated Manufacturing Association (SIMA); connection to the d.school • Executive Program in Product Development and Manufacturing Strategy • Next-bench syndrome revisited • Center for Entrepreneurial Studies • Adding a course on sales to the GSB curriculum [01:06:24–01:31:33] Serving on the University Cabinet Committee on Budget and Strategic Planning in the wake of the indirect cost controversy • Condoleezza Rice and “the ungroup” • Trustees Nominating Committee • Serving on the Faculty Senate, including issues of Reagan Library, faculty housing programs, and relationship of Hoover Institution to the university • Thoughts on encouraging schools to work together and interdisciplinary research and teaching [01:31:34–02:16:02] Commission on Graduate Education • Stanford Leadership Academy • Mentor for Distinguished Careers Institute participants • Transitioning to emeritus status • Emeriti Council • Change over time in GSB demographics • Influential deans at the GSB Part 4 [00:00:00–00:36:25] Comments on the distinctive ecosystem of Silicon Valley • Stanford’s role in the evolution of Silicon Valley • Reflections on the future of Silicon Valley • SRI International and rationale for joining its board • Serving on company boards [00:36:26–01:04:32] Non-profit board service, including the Northern Sierra Partnership • Thoughts on past and future challenges for Stanford, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) • Growing importance of social entrepreneurship • Gratitude for an endowed chair in Holloway’s name donated by his students; memories of Doug Burgum and other students • Awards • Career reflections
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 1 text file |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | March 18, 2021 - 2021-04-02 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Holloway, Charles A. | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Holloway, Charles A. | |
| Interviewer | Gamlen, Tod | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Holloway, Charles A. |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford University. Graduate School of Business |
| Subject | Stanford Public Management Program |
| Subject | Stanford Integrated Manufacturing Association |
| Subject | Stanford University Center for Entrepreneurial Studies |
| Subject | Stanford Leadership Academy |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Biographical Profile | Charles Holloway holds the Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Professorship in Management Emeritus. Professor Holloway is a leader in the study and teaching of entrepreneurship, supply networks, and technology management. He was the founding co-chair of: the Stanford Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB); the Stanford Integrated Manufacturing Association, a cooperative effort between the Stanford GSB and the Stanford School of Engineering; and the Public Management Program at the GSB. Professor Holloway joined the Stanford GSB faculty in 1968 and has served in a variety of positions at Stanford, including Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the GSB and co-chair of the University Commission on Graduate Education. He also served on the University Cabinet Committee on Budget and Strategic Planning, Provost Committee on Budget Implementation, Board of Trustees Nominating Committee, Co-Chair, Commission on Graduate Education, Stanford. He started and was Co-Director of the Stanford Leadership Academy and has been a mentor in the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute and, on the Emeriti(ae) Council. Prior to joining Stanford, Professor Holloway served as an officer in the Navy and was the assistant to the technical director at Naval Reactors, where he worked closely with Admiral H.G. Rickover on the design, development, and employment of nuclear-powered ships. He also worked as a senior nuclear engineer for Bechtel Corporation’s Scientific Development Department. Professor Holloway has served as a board member for more than 12 startup companies in a range of industries. He is currently on the board of several startup companies. He is the author of Decision-Making Under Uncertainty: Models and Choices, co-editor of The Perpetual Enterprise Machine–Seven Keys to Corporate Renewal Through Successful Product and Process Development, and many articles in the field of management. Professor Holloway has a BS in electrical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and an MS in nuclear engineering and PhD in business administration from the University of California, Los Angeles. |
|---|---|
| Audio/Video |
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| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/qb868bh8340 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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