The Fifth Column: The Diamond Pins, or $800,000,000 and Still Counting

The Operations Research/Management Science (OR/MS) program at the Colorado School of Mines has been in existence for more than 30 years. The program is unique in that most of its students must complete a client project that results in reduced costs, increased profits, or management acceptance and implementation of an immeasurable but high-impact policy change. This paper is a compendium of the projects that have qualified students for a diamond pin. At the Colorado School of Mines, they have generated at least $800 million in verified savings; the actual savings depend on the calculation method used. In summary, one tiny OR program has generated savings that exceed the gross domestic product of several small countries that are members of the United Nations. The author immodestly suggest that a listing of verified savings that OR graduates have generated and ranked by institution might also be in order.