SCC President Receives Award from UQMI

Surry Community College President Dr. David Shockley was recognized by THE UNITED QUALITY MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE (UQMI) with an award and letter of commendation for organizational and leadership excellence during the SCC Board of Trustees meeting in October.

UQMI Board Chair Dr. Ronald Fite read, “This letter is presented to Dr. David Shockley, President of Surry Community College, for his outstanding leadership and commitment to excellence for the continued improvement of the student experience at Surry Community College. By this letter, the Board Members of THE UNITED QUALITY MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE, does hereby recognize you for those efforts that you have taken that will produce measurable results utilizing the principles of Lean Six Sigma as the catalyst for long-term and sustainable improvement.”

The letter was signed by Fite and 12 members of the UQMI Board of Directors.

“We do not present this award annually or on any kind of regular basis. Matter of fact, we have only presented this award three times in 20 years,” Fite explained. “We save this recognition until someone truly meets all the standards exemplified by this award.”

Shockley said, “I am truly honored to be recognized by THE UNITED QUALITY MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE for lean practices implemented at Surry Community College. We have committed to having all our employees certified as Six Sigma Yellow Belts. Currently, 78 employees have completed this certification with the goal of creating a ‘lean thinking college’ that seeks sustainable excellence within higher education through continuous and measurable improvement.”

UQMI is an international accreditation and certification organization that consists of members from a variety of industries and diverse occupations that share a common interest in a balanced approach to continuous improvement. Dr. Daniel Stoelb founded the original organization in 1998 under the name of the Lean Manufacturing Consortium. In 2009, the Lean Manufacturing Consortium merged with another organization, named the International Lean Association. In 2010, the LMC and ILA restructured under the direction of Dr. Ronald Fite and emerged as The UNITED QUALITY MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE (UQMI).

The organization consists of a board chair and board of directors that represent a wide range of knowledge and experience. These individuals come from manufacturing, consulting firms and academic backgrounds.

“Our support is focused on the quality disciplines that are typically required of those individuals that are seeking to move forward in the field of quality engineering,” according to UQMI.org. “Our goal is to provide a standardized, recognized means of recognition and certification. Our values are to remain unbiased and objectively review the work of any student and instructor. These students may be self-taught through experience or taught by any instructor. We will accomplish this by requiring a peer review by our board of directors for those seeking certification.”

UQMI’s services provide certifications and recognition of various continuous improvement disciplines, offered to individuals both domestically and internationally. In addition, UQMI provides support for consultants, universities and organizations that wish to have their instructors approved and courses accredited.