UNMC Interim Chancellor H. Dele Davies, MD, used his April forum to discuss his UNMC Better Processes Initiative and introduce the person who will be leading the initiative at UNMC. He also said that he expected university employees to see pay raises this year.
Dr. Davies’ guests included Susan Kraft Mann, associate vice chancellor for business and finance, and Matt Singh, who has joined UNMC as director of Lean and process improvement.
“Our processes are not ideal,” Dr. Davies said. “There is a lot of wasted time, a lot of wasted effort, that staff, faculty and students have to go through to get things done.”
The process improvement initiative, he said, was introduced to help faculty, staff and students.
Singh said he was glad to be at UNMC.
“I love the state, I love working with the people, Singh said. “I saw the opportunity to do process improvement here, and I said, ‘That’s a perfect fit.’”
Singh discussed “Lean Six Sigma,” which he said was good for improving operations for “frontline” efforts by UNMC faculty and staff, to benefit their colleagues and students. It is a combination of two methodologies, Lean, which focuses on waste reduction, and Six Sigma, which seeks to create processes that have reliable results.
“Matt’s creating a training program, and we will be rolling it out across campus,” Kraft Mann said. “There will be people in each of the colleges and major units who are familiar with this process, who know it inside out and will be able to implement the process improvement in their own areas.”
Training will be offered to all members of the UNMC community, Singh said. “The goal is to get everyone trained so we can get process improvement at all levels.”
Singh and Linda Cunningham, assistant vice chancellor and executive director of human resources, discussed how Lean Six Sigma principles are being used to revamp and streamline FMLA procedure in the human resources department.
Dr. Davies called this a classic example of using the process on an institutional level.
“The first goal is to improve employee satisfaction,” he said.
On other topics, Dr. Davies said there will be a pay raise for university employees this year, but he added that the timeline announcing raises may shift, as tuition is set in June and then the university’s budget comes together.
Dr. Davies also:
- Reminded people that For the Greater Good event will be held from noon April 22 to noon April 23, and that he will be hosting a “Chancellor’s Push-Up Challenge.”
- Noted that there were more than 250 registrants for UNMC’s AI in Health Conference 2026: Shaping the Future of Care, scheduled for today (April 21) in the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education, Truhlsen Events Center.
- Invited Chris Kratochvil, MD, vice chancellor for external relations, to discuss a recent visit by representatives from ASPR and select congressional committees and offices to tour UNMC to learn about its bio and medical preparedness work, a visit Dr. Kratochvil called “very successful.”
- Thanked colleagues for their hard work in bringing UNMC into Americans With Disabilities Act Title II compliance.
- Encouraged everyone to take part in this month’s Nebraska Science Festival.
- Spoke about his recent trip to Alliance, Scottsbluff, Sidney and Gering, which included signing a memorandum of understanding between Gering High School and the UNMC College of Nursing.
- Discussed this month’s North Omaha Leadership Breakfast.
- Noted the 50-year anniversary of the UNMC Board of Counselors, which was marked last Tuesday by hosting current and past board members from across the state who serve as advisers, advocates and ambassadors.
- Reminded colleagues that the UNMC Office of Community Engagement’s Individual Community Engagement Survey opened this week, and he encouraged faculty, staff, students and residents who engage with community partners to report their efforts.