Category: OE Updates
OE Update — 1/17/2025
Good afternoon, As we welcome students back to campus, I am delighted to announce OE’s support for the recent release of the *NEW* Student Center in ConnectCarolina. This project, led by the Division of Enrollment, the College of Arts and Sciences and Information Technology Services Enterprise Applications, aims to bring … Read more
OE Update — 12/13/2024
Good afternoon, The holiday season is officially here and as we prepare to begin a new year, it is great to look back and celebrate our success. I am excited to share our annual report for 2024, acknowledging the noteworthy successes and partnerships that have played a pivotal role in … Read more
OE Update — 12/6/2024
Good afternoon, In October, we announced the launch of the Operational Excellence Space Optimization project. Over the past few months, Senior Transformation Manager Georgia McRae collaborated with campus leaders and the design team to address the question of defining optimal space use on campus. The design team aimed to gain a clearer … Read more
OE Update — 11/22/2024
Good afternoon, This month, OE is highlighting Jeff Post in our campus partner spotlight. Jeff manages the building operations for Kenan-Flagler Business School and recently partnered with OE as a design team member, playing an integral role in the space optimization project. Here, Jeff shares a little about his background … Read more
OE Update — 11/8/2024
Good afternoon, In May, Operational Excellence provided an update on the New Student Registration Experience project, a joint effort with the Division of Enrollment, the College of Arts and Sciences and Student Affairs. This project aimed to equip incoming first-year students with the knowledge and resources needed to confidently navigate … Read more
OE Update — 11/1/2024
Good afternoon, I am excited to highlight the story featured in this Wednesday’s The Well newsletter: “Operational Excellence Runs on Research.” The story shares how OE employs the Action Research model as a fundamental framework for continuous improvement. Through a cycle of planning, acting, observing and reflecting, OE works with … Read more
OE Update — 10/25/2024
Good afternoon, This month, OE is highlighting Nikkia Sheppard Lynch in our campus partner spotlight. Nikkia is the executive director of academic finance in the University’s Budget and Data Analysis office, serving as the liaison between Finance and Operations, central administrative units and schools. Nikkia most recently partnered with OE … Read more
OE Update — 10/18/2024
Good afternoon, I am pleased to announce the launch of the OE team’s newest project: Space Optimization. The space optimization project is the second phase of our space management initiative and will focus on continuous improvement of space usage at Carolina. With the introduction of hybrid work, space usage has … Read more
OE Update — 10/4/2024
Good afternoon, In the world of higher education, collaboration and thought partnership often serve as the cornerstone of success. This spirit inspired the OE team’s recent visit to two highly regarded institutions: Georgia Institute of Technology and Clemson University. Led by Sonia Alvarez-Robinson, Ph.D., the team at Georgia Tech welcomed … Read more
OE Update — 9/27/2024
Good afternoon, This month, OE is highlighting Cliff Jones ‘11 in our campus partner spotlight. Cliff serves as senior assistant dean with UNC Advising, guiding students in discovering connections between their interests and their educational or professional journeys. He recently partnered with OE as a design team member, playing an … Read more
OE Update — 9/20/2024
Good afternoon, I am delighted to announce the launch of OE’s newest project: Credit Bearing Certificates – Campus Services. Building on the work completed during our Credit Bearing Certificates project, we’re focusing our efforts on clarifying campus services for non-degree students in graduate credit-bearing certificates to support growth, ensure student … Read more
OE Update — 9/6/24
Good afternoon, Yesterday, two dozen of your colleagues headed to the Quad. Not to sunbathe, but to attend an Operational Excellence training. Senior Transformation Manager Georgia McRae and Transformation Manager Nick Sengstaken delivered our Lean Foundations training. Lean Foundations is the first training in our three-part training series, the others … Read more
OE Update — 8/30/2024
Good afternoon, I am delighted to announce one of the OE Team’s newest projects: The College of Arts and Sciences HR Navigator Project. This initiative, led by our embedded transformation manager, Evan Widney, aims to enhance HR process clarity, expediency, and accessibility within the College by developing meaningful resources and … Read more
OE Update — 8/23/2024
Good afternoon, How do you manage failure or the challenges that you face in your work? The image below metaphorically aligns with Operational Excellence’s mission to act as a catalyst for change and a champion of transformation. The left square reflects a common perception of failure as a negative endpoint. … Read more
OE Update — 8/9/2024
Good afternoon, Last week, the OE team took part in a successful workshop entitled “Learning Your Lessons: From Discovery to Closeout,” led by Embedded Transformation Manager Carson Flynn. This interactive session brought our team together to reflect on the processes our office has developed over the past six years and … Read more
OE Update — 8/2/2024
Good afternoon, Last week, members of the Operational Excellence team attended the Network for Change and Continuous Innovation (NCCI) Annual Conference. Candace and I presented the “Carolina Embedded Transformation Model,” Georgia and Nick presented “Setting Your Project Team up for Success,” and Candace also presented “How to Leverage AI in … Read more
OE Update — 7/26/2024
Good afternoon, In this month’s campus partner spotlight, OE is highlighting Matt O’Neal who serves as the associate dean for finance and administration at the Adams School of Dentistry. In his current role, he oversees financial affairs, human resources, the office of computing and information systems, facilities, and clinic operations. … Read more
OE Update — 7/19/2024
Good afternoon, This May, we announced the launch of the Operational Excellence Faculty Hiring project. Over the past six weeks, the design team led by Transformation Manager David Hare, has taken a solution design approach to uncover the root cause of the faculty hiring pain points. The team is working towards identifying solutions for each identified challenge. This … Read more
OE Update — 7/12/2024
Good afternoon, If you have recently visited the Operational Excellence office, you have seen the Vince Lombardi quote on our wall, “The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.” Since 2018, OE has interacted with over 1,200 individuals from every major campus unit, … Read more
OE Update — 6/28/2024
Good afternoon, Operational Excellence is happy to provide advising to campus partners, and I’m excited to announce that we are piloting Operational Excellence Office Hours. On Thursdays from 3:00-4:00pm starting July 11, you can meet with a member of our team to: Discuss how to overcome a roadblock in an … Read more