“Congratulations on behalf of the College of Business and Innovation,” noted COBI Interim Dean Thomas Sharkey at the April 23 certificate awards ceremony at the completion of the classes. “We are pleased that we are, in part, responsible for these programs, along with other leaders of this University, for the development of UT’s staff.”
Julia Rippke, who completed the
leadership course, said, “We learned a lot from the instructors in the College
of Business and Innovation, which is a jewel in the crown of our university.”
"These courses reflect a
commitment to learning, professionalism and leadership, not only to improving
yourself, but also our University of Toledo," noted Daniel Johnson, UT President
Emeritus and keynote speaker at the certificate presentations.
"Your secret is out: you are
a learner," Johnson said. "You
are the building blocks of the knowledge economy. Our ability to contribute is based on what we
know. It is a building process which takes many forms, and there are no
shortcuts. Courses such as these provide
a framework for adding to your knowledge. The power of application extracts the value of
what you learn and applies it in the workplace, the home and everyday life. The return on your investment is what you do
with that knowledge."
He pointed out, however, that
"Learning doesn’t always make your life easier. It may result in more responsibility and
harder decisions, decisions that may impact the lives of others."
Johnson told the participants,
“Whether or not you recognize it, you have inspired us as much as others have
inspired you. There is no way to improve
in this rapidly changing world without learning. You are using every opportunity you have, and
your actions speak for themselves."
Certificate recipients in the
various professional development program
categories are:
Leadership Certificate: Sherry Blosser, John Cavins, Lori
Deshetler, Elissa Falcone, Michael Firsdon, Lisa Hasselschwert, Tracy Jahns,
Sherri Jiannuzzi, Alan Lasu, Monica Leppelmeier, Joseph Manner, Brenda
McKinley, Erik Meiner, Marc Miller, David Nietrzeba, Patricia Pulcini, Julia
Rippke, Lorie Sarnes, Douglas Sinnott, David Walczak, Alyson Walker
Blosser said the course taught
her to “take the first 15 minutes of each day to figure out what you have to
do. “ Hasselschwert observed, “It’s not just one thing, but taking everything
and putting it together.”
Exceptional Customer Service Certificate: Sara Clark, Maxine
Cross, Robert Frye, Reynaldo Guerra, Deborah Houck, Michael Klug, Ashley
Lavalette, Georgina Molina, Antra Pump, Seane Ronfeldt, Melodie Rufener,
Victoria Stamm, Kevin Thoman, Cheryl Thomas, Peter Thomas, Carl Warner, Doreen
Wisniewski
Clark said the course taught her
to "ask ourselves, 'How do we interact with our students, and how are we
serving them? Are we doing a good job… or a great job?'"
Ronfeldt said, “I realized the
importance of teamwork and how much of an investment UT made in us; it is a
wonderful institution.”
And Stamm discovered not to treat
people by the Golden Rule, but rather “by the Platinum Rule, which is how they
want to be treated.”
Managerial Finance and Budgeting Certificate: Donna Braswell,
Jennifer Freeman, Brenda Humberston, Patricia Pertz, Marianne Pohlman, Meghan
Rayfield, Mary Ann Schuster, Janet Sumner, Jason Toth, Denise Turk, Hesham
Youssef
Braswell said, “In the course of
the classes I learned the big picture about the budget,” while Toth echoed the
sentiment by saying, “Thanks for the opportunity to get to know a lot of great
individuals and what they go through, and for making me look at the University
as a whole.”
Youssef observed, “UT has an
amazing impact on my life. Through the
course I learned how to think outside the box, to analyze a problem and come up
with a solution.”
Professional Human Resource Management Certificate: Joe Klep,
Denise Shordt, Linda Torbet
Klep said, “No matter how many
years you have in your profession, these courses keep you up to date for the 21st
century.”
Project Management Certificate: Melinda Adler, Gail Burgin,
Scott Case, John Cavins, Dominic D’Emilio, Michael Haar, Alan Lasu, Carol
Lawrence, Leslie Rhegness, John White
Case said,"Project
management is an art form, to define processes and how long they take,” while
Lawrence observed, “The information I gained was value-added, and we walked
away with an actual project that can be carried forward at UT.”
Six Sigma Certificate: Scott Case, John Cavins, Dominic
D’Emilio, Diane Eisel, Rick Gerasimiak, Mary Kurtz, Michael Lowry, Joseph
Manner, Marc Miller, Jim Nowaczyk, Robert Rahman
Participants in the Six Sigma certificate
program not only learned the Six Sigma principles, but applied them throughout
the course to specific projects and issues at the University.
For example, one team worked on
the issue of charge capture reconciliation for the UTMC radiology department
and laboratory. Delays in billing and
reconciling charges for supplies resulted in lost revenue, increased processing
labor charges, and a decline in patient satisfaction due to confusion about billing
statements they received.
Steps in the Six Sigma process on
this project included listening to the voice of the customer, including
internal customers, such as staff in radiology, laboratory and patient
financial services, as well as listening to external customers, including
patients and insurance companies.
Applying Six Sigma tools, such as
documenting current processes, measurements, analyses, and implementing
improved operating procedures, led to the hospital receiving more rapid payment
for services provided, adding to an improved financial bottom line.
Diane Eisel said, however, that
"the impact on the customer is priceless."
She added, “We had a great team;
I learned from them and all the people we worked with. Everyone has a passion for their work, and
strives to make UT a better place. It is
really important to see the Six Sigma Process is meaningful.”
Mary Kurtz, who worked with a
team on a project to reduce the volume of calls to UT's Information Technology Help
Desk, said her experience with the Six Sigma Process showed her “that even the
smallest problem can impact everything. I
see every day as a new opportunity.”
On the same team as Kurtz, Mike
Lowry, manager of Information Security, said “Anytime you can add to your
knowledge is a good thing, and this was all about going through a process that
works and that you can improve over time.”
Chuck Lehnert, UT's Vice President
of Administration, observed, "Most of my career I have been involved with
physical assets; buildings, land and equipment, which we keep in good,
functioning shape. But our most valuable
assets are people and these courses are an investment in those assets."
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