The Wave

Funds will go toward “Lean Healthcare” training at St. Luke’s

A major state grant promises to increase efficiency, enhance quality, and improve employee satisfaction at St. Luke’s, one of the region’s largest health care systems. The Minnesota Job Skills Partnership (MJSP) has awarded a $287,897 grant to Lake Superior College to develop “Lean Healthcare” training for St. Luke’s hospital and clinics.

A grant-signing ceremony will celebrate this collaboration on Thursday, May 15, at 2 p.m. in St. Luke’s 3East Conference Room with Dr. Kathleen Nelson, Lake Superior College president; St. Luke’s President and Chief Executive Officer John Strange; and Paul Moe, director of Minnesota Job Skills Partnership program, presiding.

“We are excited to partner with Lake Superior College through the MJSP grant to implement Lean Healthcare principles,” said Strange. “It gives us a common approach to improving processes for the care of our patients through the St. Luke’s system.”

Over the course of the three-year grant, 192 St. Luke’s employees will learn the Lean Healthcare principles and share them across the health system. “St. Luke’s is implementing Lean Healthcare in response to the increased industry pressure to serve their clients more efficiently, while improving quality and reducing costs,” said Nelson. By eliminating unnecessary steps and having the right resources at the right time, employees will be more satisfied with their work. Patients will ultimately benefit from a more effective and efficient health care provider.

Health care experts around the country are embracing the Lean Healthcare concept, which was originally based on the Toyota production system for improving manufacturing processes.

The Minnesota Job Skills Partnership acts as a catalyst between business and education in developing cooperative training projects that provide new job training or retraining of existing employees. MJSP grants are given to educational institutions with businesses as partners. The program is part of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the state’s principal economic development agency.

Teams of LSC volunteers spent Wednesday, May 7 sprucing up the Lake Superior Zoo as part of the college’s focus on community engagement. More than 140 LSC staff and faculty members gathered at the zoo to clean, paint, weed, clear brush and rake grounds, repair animal areas, build fences, and work on other projects.

“We had many sore but happy employees who felt good about helping out the zoo,” said event organizer and Human Resources Director Mary Nienaber. “It was a perfect spring day to be outside, working together to help our community.”

Above LSC faculty members Keith Brakke, left, and Matt Whitehill, right, plant a sign post.

The Duluth Heights Hockey Association (DHHA) has donated $3,000 to Lake Superior College Foundation’s scholarship fund. DHHA board member Dave Marciniak (R) recently presented a check to the LSC Foundation’s Executive Director Paul Damberg (L). The donation was in recognition of work done by Lake Superior College’s Building Construction students and instructor John Calcaterra who built a new hockey rink in Duluth Heights as a community service project. “It is a beautiful rink,” said Marciniak. “They did a great job.”

For more information on the Foundation, go to www.lsc.edu/foundation.

The May issue of The Review, the Office of the Chancellor’s newsletter is now available. www.chancellor.mnscu.edu/thereview/.

The Center for Lifelong Learning is now offering another nationally recognized program test, the Dantes Subject Specific Test (DSST).

The DSST includes more than 37 test titles in the areas of Social Science, Business, Mathematics, Applied Technology, Humanities, and Physical Science. For more information about the tests, go to: www.getcollegecredit.com

The test fee is $70 plus an administrative fee of $20. Each of these tests equates to a college course of three or more credits. A student needs to meet the American Council of Education recommended score to earn LSC credit.

For more information, contact Marie Carter Brooks, Director, Credit for Prior Learning in the Center for Lifelong Learning, E 1006, 733-5944 or m.brooks@lsc.edu

Congratulations to the Earth Week committee on a great event.

Lake Superior College will recognize this year’s graduating class at commencement exercises at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC) on May 16. The event is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. in the DECC Auditorium. A reception for students, friends, and families will be held at 5 p.m. in the Harbor Side Ballroom.

More than 1,000 degrees, diplomas, and certificates will be awarded to members of the class of 2008. Approximately 450 students are scheduled to participate in the LSC commencement exercises.

Dr. Steven D. Crow will serve as guest speaker at commencement. Crow is president of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. He provides leadership to assure the effectiveness of regional institutional accreditation. Before joining the commission in 1982, he served as an administrator and taught at Bowdoin College, Vanderbilt University, Bates College, and Kalamazoo College. Crow has spearheaded collaborative efforts with other organizations to address distance education, student learning assessments, quality assurance for trans-regional organizations, and the on-going relationship with the federal government created through the Higher Education Act. Crow earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in U.S. history at the University of Wisconsin.

Lake Superior College (LSC) faculty members Kent Voelkner and Dorothy Rico have been honored as recipients of the college’s Teaching Excellence Awards.They were also nominated for the Minnesota State and Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) Board of Trustees Excellence in Teaching Awards by LSC President Kathy Nelson and Vice President of Academic Affairs Candace Barnack. This statewide award recognizes outstanding faculty for their dedication to student learning throughout the 33 state colleges and universities in the MnSCU system. The awards are granted by the MnSCU Board of Trustees.

Voelkner teaches math and chemistry. He has been a faculty member at LSC for 20 years. “Kent creates a classroom climate where students are at ease and know they can ask questions because of his respect for the students,” noted Candace Barnack. “As a teacher, he believes that making mistakes is okay; it lets the student know you are human and they can concentrate on course content.” Voelkner has a B.S. and a M.S. in chemistry. He also completed 16 graduate credits in math to obtain an assigned field in math. Voelkner has been the Student Senate Advisor since 1990. He believes that advising students is a crucial role as an instructor. He has also served on the Student Life Committee for 13 years.

Rico teaches in the nursing program. She has been a teacher for more than 15 years. “Dorothy is an instructor who is always growing, always changing to ensure she is providing the highest quality of teaching and learning for her students,” said Barnack. “She continuously updates her computer skills and incorporates the latest technologies into the classroom.” Rico has been a leader within the LSC AD Nursing program, serving as a liaison to the Math and Science Departments as well as to local health organizations. She completed both undergraduate and graduate work in nursing; she received a M.S. in nursing 37 years ago. She has more than 20 years of experience working in an Intensive Care Unit and has maintained her Critical Care Nursing certification for more than 20 years.

Both nominees are considered campus leaders by their peers in providing student-centered, active learning environments and are considered invaluable resources for colleagues and co-workers.

LSC alum Angela Day has published “Once Upon a Family: An American Sign Language Book for PreSchoolers.”  She was inspired by her sister, Monica who is hearing impaired, to write the book. A book signing will be held in the Commons on May 8 from 11:30 a.m. to noon.

When:  Thursday, May 8 & Friday, May 9
Where:  East Concourse
Time:  9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Proceeds are for the LSC Diversity Scholarship

Find the perfect gift for special people in your life or for yourself and help raise money for LSC student scholarships. Plants will include vegetables, flowers, perennials, and herbs.  Featured auction items include pottery by Dorian Beaulieu, Sharon Rogers, Ray Naddy, the Art Department and Art Club, jewelry, peace crane mobiles, hedgehogs and other creatures, and silk yarn scarves with matching shirts.  White Elephant sale of fun, useful and  gently used and new items.  Donations are still welcome.
Sponsored by the Center for Student Development and the Biology Department

Please contact Nancy Schumacher for any additional information at 733-5985.