The Continuous Improvement unit within the Office of Student Access, Success, & Diversity Initiatives (SASDI) hosted its third seminar on Tuesday, December 5, 2017, at the Illinois Tech Downtown Campus, using space at the Institute of Design. We ran this seminar in October and November 2017, with the same attendee goals for each session. (See detailed information on the seminar content in the blog posts for the previous introduction to continuous improvement sessions: October Seminar | November Seminar.) We were happy to welcome colleagues from:
- Access, Card, and Parking Services
- Campus Life
- Chicago-Kent Admissions
- Community Standards
- Facilities
- Global Leaders Program
- Industrial Technology & Management department
- International Affairs
- Residence & Greek Life
- Stuart School of Business
The original impetus for the seminar was to serve some staff members at the downtown campus who were interested in attending. While we were thrilled to have downtown campus staff join us, we were surprised at the number of staff from the Mies campus who attended. Hosting it at the downtown campus also helped us realize the powerful impact a different location can have on participants.
The seminar is/was focused on process improvement, change management, and information sharing, requiring participants to open their minds and reflect, to be creative and thoughtful. A change of space – the actual physical removal of oneself to a new location – has the ability to inspire a change of mind. Sometimes prior associations that one can have with a space can limit the facility with which they can open their minds and reflect. Sometimes the looming knowledge of that “to do” list taunting them from their office down the hall can mute creativity and through. We are going to carry forward this awareness of the power of space as we plan our continuous improvement seminars for the spring semester.
Participant testimonials:
“It was very good and objective in presentation. The flow through of information and exercises was very good and well managed by [the facilitators]. Length and timing very good; kept everyone engaged. Empowering and inspiring to pursue positive change.” -Pamela Houser; Program Manager; Industrial Technology & Management
“Great workshop. Condensed and scratched the surface. Would love an in-depth follow-up. Very informative and beneficial support.” -Mairtin Mersch; Support Specialist; Access, Card, & Parking Services
Participant outcomes:
| Oct 2017 Seminar | Nov 2017 Seminar | Dec 2017 Seminar | |
| Percentage of participants who felt the seminar was interactive | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Percentage of participants who agree that they can apply what they learned to their work | 94% | 100% | 100% |
| Percent increase in the participants’ awareness of some basic continuous improvement methodologies | 129% | 274% | 300% |
If you are interested in participating in future seminars or learning more about our work, please contact Megan Mozina (mmozina@iit.edu) and/or Molly McCaughey (mmccaugh@iit.edu).
About the authors
Megan E. Mozina is the Director of Strategic Alignment in the Office of Student Access, Success, & Diversity Initiatives at Illinois Tech. Within SASDI, she is responsible for strategic planning, targeted projects, and integration of continuous improvement methodologies. Her change management certification, interest in Lean, Masters in international higher education, and background in intercultural training, combined with over a decade of experience in international/higher education, inform her work.
Molly McCaughey is a project manager and communications specialist in the Office of Student Access, Success, & Diversity Initiatives at Illinois Tech. She oversees a student team that implements marketing and communications strategies for the SASDI division, and also works on development and integration of continuous improvement methodologies. She has a background in English and ESL teaching and training, and is a Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner.