Impact

Marion Student Leaves Center, Makes Impact

by

(Above) Sabrina Mazyck, right, gathers field data with fellow student intern with National Park Service.

Outstanding students at Ohio State Marion have unique stories. Sabrina Mazyck, born and raised in Ohio, already had a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science when she came to Ohio State Marion Campus. Now, she is pursuing a degree in Environmental Engineering and has completed as much of her coursework at the Marion campus before she transitions to the Columbus campus this summer.  We were fortunate to benefit from her skills as a dedicated student employee in the Alber Enterprise Center this past year, and pleased that Sabrina will remain a Buckeye.

“I was fortunate to be able to take courses at Ohio State Marion since the tuition is so affordable. Financial aid is not available to students working on a second bachelor’s degree – only student loans,” Sabrina said. Cost of higher education has been a challenge, but Sabrina is hard-working, creative and persistent.

This student is a real go-getter, with past experience working as an Intern for Senator Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, on issues related to environmental policy.  She wrote about environmental impacts, attended briefings and visited government agencies, and became enamored with everything related to studying and improving the environment. “I feel that I had a tiny hand in the decision-making process around environmental policies (with the Senator’s office),” she said, adding, “But environmental engineers are involved in both policy work and the science behind it all, which means I could make a bigger impact.”

Another interesting internship Sabrina completed was with the National Park Service, where she worked on the Cuyahoga River as a Bioscience Tech Intern. “The Cuyahoga River has caught fire a total of 13 times, dating back to the 1800’s,” she said. Sabrina was part of team who waded in the water looking for zebra mussels and other invasive species, along with conducting organism surveys and recording the data. The group removed invasive species and propagated native plants near the river. “I carried a 50-pound backpack of herbicide and sprayed certain kinds of plants (identified as invasive), adding: “People in environmental work are some of the most kind-hearted I’ve ever met.”

After graduation from Ohio State, Sabrina is considering a Master’s in Ecology or Environmental Engineering. While her diverse experiences and initiative could take her anywhere, she would like to return to Hawaii after graduation from Ohio State in May, 2019.  With a cousin there, Sabrina was able to visit each of the Hawaiian Islands while interning for the senator. She said that the natives’ love of the land (meaning of Hawaii) is real…they are very environmentally-conscious. “The sea turtles are sacred – it is illegal to touch them. The people are so welcoming…I just loved it there!” said Sabrina.

Suffice it to say, Sabrina Mazyck is one student whom we would love to follow along to see where life takes her next. The sky really is the limit.

AEC’s Partnership with MYCAA

by

MyCAAOur Center launched in February 2016 new online non-credit courses designed specifically for spouses of active military personnel to take advantage of the MyCAA scholarship workforce development program. The scholarships are funded by the Department of Defense and provide up to $4,000 of tuition assistance to eligible military spouses.  Scholarships can be used to register for dozens of the Center’s online courses that lead to certificates and certifications necessary to gain employment in high-demand, high-growth, portable career fields and occupations. A few examples are pharmacy technician, human resources specialist, childcare specialist, corrections specialist, legal writing specialist, and IT network specialist.

  • Spouses of active duty service members in pay grades E1-E5, W1-W2, and O1-O2 of any branch of the military are eligible, including activated Guard and Reserve (but excluding Coast Guard). 
  • So far, we have 32 participants and counting in the MyCAA program.
  • Go to go.osu.edu/mycaa for complete details and see the comprehensive list of courses.

FRANK DISCUSSION #1

by

“As a learning leader in your organization, which program outcome is more important to you: The learners remembering what they learned OR the learners applying what they learned?”

Gibson, Frank 2013 Staff page

Frank Gibson, AEC Program Manager

As you think about the question, take a few minutes to reflect on your career and the learning events you have led. What were your expectations of the learner and how did you assist them in applying what they learned? What kind of structure needed to be in place? What resources were needed (time, tools, etc.)? What worked? What didn’t work? What barriers interfered with the follow-up?

Reflecting on my career, I see my approach to learning has changed over time.  Early on, my approach was more informal, less-structured, and guided by very little in the way of lesson plans. It was a more intuitive and “Just-In-Time” approach to instruction. As I moved up the ladder, my approach evolved to that of a coach. I’d share a few of my experiences, question them, and then call them to action at the end….not telling them what to do per se, but rather aiming to trigger their thoughts about how they might do things differently. Now that I am in the business of education/training, everything about my approach is more formal, structured, planned, written and timed out, with reinforcement and coaching throughout and after the event.

When it comes to training others, first and foremost I focus on enabling the learner to apply what they learned as quickly as possible. With interpersonal skills, for example, I remember acting as a “champion” for 14 managers/ supervisors after the learning event to coach them on using the tools presented in the class to successfully apply what they learned.

In summary, both remembering and applying are important:  remembering the material is required to repeatedly apply what has been learned, and this enables mastery of the new skill or knowledge on the job.

You may want to do a self-assessment as a learning leader. In thinking about your most recent programming efforts, to what degree have you engaged participants in a timely follow-up/support/evaluation? Do you follow a Standard Operating Procedure to assess the degree to which your learners are remembering… and applying?

What are your thoughts?

Frank Gibson is a Program Manager with OSU’s Alber Enterprise Center.

Related Articles:

Alber Enterprise Center honors organizations for outstanding leadership

by

(from left) Anne Johnson, Program Manager, Kathryn Brod, President & CEO of LeadingAge Ohio (award recipient), Myra Wilson, Program Director of Alber Enterprise Center (AEC) presented Brod with the Outstanding Achievement and Excellence Award for Collaboration in Framing the Future of Long-Term Care Services. Brod accepted the award for her leadership and continued efforts in assisting AEC and the LTSS consortium with an in-depth look in implementing solutions for the long-term care industry.

Four Ohio organizations and a Michigan consultant were recently honored for their outstanding impact in leadership by The Ohio State University’s Alber Enterprise Center.

The honorees were:  LeadingAge Ohio of Columbus, National Church Residences of Columbus, Uni-Grip, Inc, of Upper Sandusky, Cowen Truck Line, Inc. of Perrysville, and Performance Innovation, LLC of Novi, MI.

Each organization has partnered with the Alber Enterprise Center (AEC) to examine organizational challenges in their respective industries, streamline processes to enhance work flow, and/or receive executive training customized to suit their company needs.

LeadingAge Ohio, Columbus, received the Outstanding Achievement and Excellence Award for Collaboration in Framing the Future of Long-Term Care Services.  LeadingAge Ohio’s outstanding leadership over the course of the past year helped AEC make significant in-roads in identifying organizational challenges in long term services and support.  President & CEO of LeadingAge Ohio, Columbus, Kathryn Brod accepted the award.  Kathryn actively participated in AEC’s Long-Term Services & Supports (LTSS) Consortium and subsequently brought the activities of the consortium under the wing of the HR committee of the LeadingAge Ohio Board of Directors.  These continued efforts will assist AEC and the consortium to take an in-depth look in developing solutions that will make an impact for years to come.  In addition, Brod is a champion in maintaining the partnership between both organizations in moving forward and making an impact on front-line supervisors through their Leadership Challenge® workshops.

National Church Residences, Columbus, received Outstanding Achievement and Excellence Award for Collaboration in Framing the Future of Long-Term Care Services.  National Church Residences’ participation in AEC’s LTSS consortium and their efforts in implementing solutions to revitalize the long-term services and supports for elder care will impact this industry over the course of time.  Moreover, some of the staff’s involvement in AEC’s The BRIDGE facilitator training refined their facilitation process.

Uni-Grip, Inc., Upper Sandusky, received the Investment in Quality Management Systems award.  Uni-Grip’s financial investment in their quality systems and action steps to track measurements of key performance indicators led to their growth.  Within eight months of intense focus on change, a few of Uni-Grip’s impacts were:  reduction in weekly scrap, increase in yearly sales, reduction of past due orders and improvements in staff’s knowledge and awareness in all of these areas.

Cowen Truck Line, Inc., Perrysville, received Outstanding Achievement and Excellence Award for Positive Impact on Business from The BRIDGE: Issue Management Process.  Cowen’s successful utilization of AEC’s BRIDGE Process created the foundation that resulted in crafting a plan to take their organization into the next 40 years to serve their customers. A few areas that have been impacted include: hired new drivers, increased sales in 2015, and enhanced communication with drivers.

Performance Innovation, LLC, Novi, MI received the Outstanding Educational Partner Award for Excellence in Service to the Voice of the Customer.  The outstanding leadership and customer service Performance Innovation, LLC displayed over time helped AEC make an impact with their clientele.  President of Performance Innovation, LLC, Norma Simons accepted the award.  As one of AEC’s most valued educational partners, Simons exhibits great comprehension of Lean Six Sigma and skillfully communicates its complexity in a manner that is clearly understood by her class participants. In addition, Simons’ responsiveness to clients’ needs and flexibility in how her services are delivered whether it is online, face-to-face or a blended approach has shown proven results.

AEC’s Client Advisory Council half-day meeting concluded with the Awards Luncheon. The meeting objectives for council members were to provide feedback on AEC’s past services, input on how the Center can support the business priorities of clients, offer suggestions about new services AEC could provide and ideas for strategic direction.

The Alber Enterprise Center applies the resources of The Ohio State University, OSU Extension, along with a team of organization development consultants to enable Ohio businesses to positively impact economic growth.  For more information, call 740-725-6325 or visit alber.osu.edu.