Transforming Higher Education Through Six Sigma: Impact to University Could Be Vast

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Dr. Pradeep Deshpande

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The adoption of Six Sigma principles by the University of Arkansas could help streamline many processes, resulting in increased efficiency and quality and decreased costs, saving money for the state and students. Guest speaker Pradeep B. Deshpande will cover these concepts in a lecture titled ‘Six Sigma Could Transform Higher Education’ from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, in Bell Engineering Center, Room 2291.

Six Sigma is a management strategy that seeks to streamline operations to improve the efficiency and quality of business processes by finding and removing wasted steps and correcting steps that can introduce errors.  The goal is to develop and deliver nearly perfect products and services consistently. Originally developed for use by Motorola, the strategy is being used today in many different business sectors.

If Six Sigma principles are adopted on campus, Deshpande says, the University of Arkansas could be the first institute of higher education in the world to use the principles to improve the everyday operations on campus in areas such as admissions, student housing and course scheduling.

The university would also receive other benefits from the adoption of Six Sigma principles. Deshpande says Six Sigma-trained graduates entering the workforce would hold a distinct competitive advantage over their peers, allowing for better employment opportunities for graduates. Six Sigma training activities offered to Arkansas industries would improve the state’s ability to compete in the global marketplace.

Deshpande serves as president and chief executive officer of Six Sigma & Advanced Controls and is a professor emeritus of chemical engineering at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. He has supervised 20 doctoral graduates and more than 50 master’s graduates during his 30 years on the faculty at the University of Louisville. Partnering with a well-known business school in Pune, India, Deshpande recently established SCMHRD-SAC, USA Six Sigma Excellence Awards for corporate India. Deshpande is a recipient of numerous awards for teaching, research, and professional excellence and is listed in the Who’s Who in the World.