Under a theme of “Creating the Future: Sharing What We Are Learning,” the University will hold its first M-Quality Exposition in late October.

The expo has been planned to coincide with National Quality Month. It will be held 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Oct. 20 and 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Oct. 21 in the Pendleton Room and Ballroom of the Michigan Union.

Exhibits and presentations at the expo will highlight the accomplishments of teams and of individuals from across the University who, over the past three years, have helped make M-Quality a success.

Exhibits will include displays of team activities and accomplishments, illustrations of new organizational structures developed to better serve customers and to empower staff; innovations such as business process re-engineering; lessons learned; and the application of M-Quality tools and principles.

Emphasis will be placed on showcasing activities that illustrate the four principles of M-Quality—Pursuing Continuous Improvement, Respecting People and Ideas, Satisfying Those We Serve and Managing by Fact—and the activities of M-Quality: Planning for Excellence, Quality Improvement Teams and Quality in Daily Activities.

There will be displays of books, videos and other information on total quality management (TQM), TQM tools and business process re-engineering.

There also will be short presentations by faculty and staff members, including:

Quality Guruism Made Simple, by Richard Andrews, associate professor of statistics, School of Business Administration and LS&A. In this brief and humorous talk, Andrews will state and half-heartedly support his 15 half-baked ideas for quality management to convince participants to become gurus by developing a set of personal quality principles or, at least, half-baked ideas. Quality can be fun and eduational! 2 p.m. Oct. 20.

Sense Perception and Sense Deception, Edward D. Rothman, professor of statistics. Rothman will use basic mathematics to show that “things aren’t always what they seem,” by way of encouraging participants to look more thoroughly at their perceptions and how they development them, as well as how perceptions can sometimes lead us astray. 11 a.m. Oct. 21.

Staff Perceptions of the Work Environment: “Hearing Our Own Voices,” Marvin W. Peterson, professor of education and director, Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, and Kim S. Cameron, professor of business administration and of higher education. Peterson and Cameron will discuss the results of a survey done last year to define and assess the elements of a quality-oriented work environment. They also will be available to answer questions.

The expo is being supported through donations of more than 200 door prizes, including a grand prize, by area businesses and other organizations.

Members of the expo planning team are J.B. Bardouille and Joan Curran, Human Resource Development; Kathryn DeWitt, College of Engineering; Brenda Herman, Housing Division; Robert Holmes, Academic Affairs; Lisa Jones, College of Engineering; Armando Lopez, Plant Operations; Bernadette Malinoski, Human Resources-Affirmative Action; Anne Marx, Housing Division; Bill Vlisides, Housing Division; and Lisa Weiss, Michigan Union.

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