Data Analytics Lab Named for Intrepid Pioneer and K-State Alumnus, Dr. Lynn Y.S. Lin
In a ceremony held December 3, 2021, the Data Analytics Lab in the Kansas State University College of Business was named for 1963 graduate Lynn Y.S. Lin. Born in 1936 Taiwan, his orphaned father began working in the salt mines at age 11, and eventually became a self-taught engineer. As a child, he was a self-described “good student,” even though he had missed two years of school due to war prior to entering fourth grade, and despite almost constant hunger. Lynn eventually earned a master’s degree in agricultural economics from National Chung-Hsing University (NCHU) in Taiwan. It was at NCHU that he also met his future wife, Liz.
Liz traveled to the United States in 1960 to pursue her PhD at Kansas State University. With less than $100 to his name, Lynn followed her to the United States in 1961, to earn a degree in agricultural economics from a Texas university. Because he had already taken the required coursework at NCHU, he changed his degree program to statistics.
In 1962, the Lin’s married, and Lynn accepted a research assistantship at K-State in the statistics department. He earned a master’s degree in statistics from K-State in 1963. The couple then moved to Minneapolis, where Liz worked in the Federal Reserve, and he obtained his PhD at the University of Minnesota in statistics.
While working as a corporate chief statistician at Pillsbury, he created the Booz Allen Sales Estimation System (BASES), a groundbreaking statistical tool using consumer purchase behavior to determine whether a new product concept would have a successful launch in the market. In 1998, BASES was sold to The Nielsen Corporation, and is the most frequently used new product sales forecasting (STM) model in the world, currently with 65-70% market share worldwide. Since 2002, Lin Model, marketed by Lin Consulting, has been forecasting sales potential for consumer-packaged goods, durable products, and services very successfully in 60 plus countries.
He has published more than 50 technical papers in the areas of statistics, economics, advertising research, and new product research in the U.S. and abroad. He frequently appears as a speaker/lecturer at top business schools [Wharton (UPENN), Columbia University, Johnson (Cornell), Haas (Cal-Berkeley), Fisher (Ohio State University), Carlson (University of Minnesota), Kansas State University (mathematics & statistics), Georgetown University, BiMBA and Guanghua (Peking University), Antai (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)], Xian Jiao Tong University, Beijing Film Academy; National Cheng-Chi University and National Chung-Hsing University in Taiwan.
In addition to academic and business conferences in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and South America, he has also taught a “New Product Management” course at the Berkeley-Columbia Executive MBA program (started in May 2006) a joint EMBA program between the University of California-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business.
Dr. Lin held a visiting professorship at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University’s IMBA program (2008-2016) and is a Chair Professor at National Chung-Hsing University (2009-date) in Taiwan.
“Dr. Lin is an inspiring example of the “American Dream,” said Dr. Chwen Sheu, Associate Dean for Academic Programs for the K-State College of Business. “As an international student, he benefited from the educational system in this country, and he is now able and willing to give back to this society and the educational system from which he benefited. His gift provides tremendous support to the data analytics (DA) and international programs at K-State in many ways, such as offering student scholarships and assistantships, subsidizing students to complete DA-related certifications, hiring industry managers to teach up-to-date courses, encouraging faculty for professional development, encouraging study abroad, and recruiting international students. All of those activities will definitely upgrade the quality of our DA program and help better prepare our students to contribute to the business community.”
The Lin’s philanthropic support to the College of Business ensures that his legacy of overcoming almost impossible circumstances to live the American dream, marches on.
As Kansas State University’s strategic partner for philanthropy, the KSU Foundation inspires and guides philanthropy toward university priorities to boldly advance the K-State family. Email cbadevelopment@ksufoundation.org or visit www.ksufoundation.org for more information.