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SACS visits OC campus during meetingSep 28, 2011 (Odessa American - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- ODESSA, Texas -- The Odessa College Board of Trustees had a regular meeting Tuesday evening during a three-day on-site committee visit from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the entity that accredits the college. David Turner, vice president of the board of trustees, commended the staff in attendance during the meeting for their performance during the SACS visit, which he said could be nerve-wracking. "Every 10 years we are up for reaccreditation, and we are confident that we will be (accredited) again this time," Turner said. However, the pressure of the SACS on-site visit was outshined by the presentation of a new project paid for by a skills development grant, a fund distributed by the Texas Workforce Commission to provide job training dollars for Texas businesses. Ian Roark, dean of career, technical and workforce education at Odessa College, introduced a partnership with Odessa business Miether Bearing Products Inc. in which both entities will engage in what is known as Lean Enterprise Training. "Lean Enterprise Training focuses on waste in business," said Mike Smith, president of Miether Bearing Products, Inc. "If someone were to call me and ask for a product, it would take six weeks for me to order the raw materials, work on it then send it out. But of that six weeks, I actually only work on the product for one week. Lean eliminates dead time." Smith said that the Lean model caused a 40 percent increase in top line sales in his business over two years. Roark said one of his long-term goals will be to create an actual Lean Enterprise Training Center, the closest of which is in Lubbock. The board also took no action in a closed executive session in which the board consulted the school's attorney over settlement issues with an insurance company over property damages that occurred on the campus two years ago, Turner said. @OAcrime ___ (c)2011 the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) Visit the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) at www.oaoa.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |