Dean Hossein Nivi

Dear Alumni,

For any good organization to stay healthy, those driving it must always look for new ways to expand and grow its capabilities. The College of Business Administration is no exception.

In the last issue of The Current, I wrote about our new Business Turnaround Management Program. This time, I'd like to tell you about our emerging Health Care MBA program.

Joel Gibson '72, vice president of Human Resources at Henry Ford Macomb Health Care System, approached the College a few years back with the idea of bringing business disciplines to health care.

It was not that health care personnel lacked business skills; there is a program here at UDM in Health Services Administration. What Joel envisioned was a greater focus on business disciplines rather than the focus on the operating side of care delivery systems.

That request led to a successful pilot program at Henry Ford Macomb. We're proud that the first cohort finished the program last December and will graduate at commencement this Spring. Based on that success, we've launched our second cohort this past January.

The CBA Board of Advisors has formed a committee to help us move this program forward. Cathy Schmitt '71, who recently retired as vice president of Governmental Affairs with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, is leading this group, with the assistance of Board members Gibson, Phyllis Peters Look '51, George Barnes, Mike Desmet '80, and Richard Rassel.

One example of how this program is developing from fundamentals is the inclusion of lean principles into health care. Lean concepts came out of manufacturing, something we know. But they easily and powerfully apply to health care where the principles of customer care and efficiency apply as much as anywhere.

Reduced wait time, improved safety and quality, reductions in errors, less waste, and most importantly the effectiveness of patient care take on a new dimension in this environment. The industry is taking note, and we want to lead in applying this philosophy.

This program is a great example of where we are responding to customer interest and taking a leadership role. We look forward to the evolving development of our curriculum offerings here at the College.

I hope to see some of you at future events and look forward to all my connections with you.

Sincerely,

Hossein Nivi, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Business Administration