Dave Hardt accepted the Dean of Engineering's appointment as official LFM Co-director, Engineering (effective July 1, 1995).
Nils Muench stepped down from the directorship of the LFM Research Program.
Hilary Sheldon, Manager of Partner Relations, succeeded Rosalie Allen.
Mathilde Wood assumed responsibilities as Assistant to the Co-director (Engineering), succeeding Hilary Sheldon.
Nancy Upper succeeded Katherine Miller as Communications Assistant.
Government funding through the Technology Reinvestment Program (TRP) enables LFM to place two or three interns per year for three years in small and medium-sized enterprises. LFM students are now interning at Bay Networks, Inc.; Instron Corporation; MPM Corporation; PictureTel; Quantum Corporation; Reading Tube Corporation; and Teradyne, Inc.
A progress report for the year on the eight LFM "products" follows. The program this year focused on partner outreach and sustainability as LFM enters "Phase III."
The LFM Governing Board format as revised last year has been very well received, so continues to emphasize ample opportunity for the governors to provide program direction, interact with one another, and exchange ideas on major manufacturing issues. Meetings are being hosted by LFM governors themselves in a "round robin" of select partner facilities.
This past June, 40 LFM fellows graduated. Of 39 fellows who had confirmed their plans in early June, 95 percent assumed positions in US manufacturing companies, choosing from an average of 2.5 job offers each. Most-cited reasons for job decisions had to do with growth potential, respect and recognition of recruits as individuals, and "good people fit."
Leaders graduates (now 221, including those research assistants who conducted internships) organized and hosted in Albuquerque this spring workshops for LFM alumni/ae, including an LFM Program update, on-line and other LFM networking, career management and development, personality testing, and product development; attendees numbered 50. In addition, a series of workshops attended by LFM students as well as partner companies developed from a Boeing-led study of how better to utilize LFM-calibre graduates.
From 310 applications received this past spring, 52 were accepted into the LFM Fellows Program; 45 students (all with work experience) enrolled. The new fellows average 27 years in age with 4.8 years of work experience. Included are 15 women, one member of a minority group underrepresented within MIT, and 13 partner-sponsored students. Women in the program thus increased sharply this year, and four African Americans are currently offered deferred admission. The program's recruiting strategy is being further developed to better reach these individuals nationwide. The LFM Program this year instituted a Diversity Committee with a mission to raise within the LFM Program diversity awareness relevant to business/management issues. The scope of the work is initially within the program at MIT, with plans to possibly expand later into Sloan and other MIT departments as well. During IAP, the Diversity Committee hosted a well-attended workshop for LFM faculty, students, and staff; Pope & Associates of Cincinnati, OH, who have worked with three LFM partners, facilitated. A committee-sponsored Proseminar in May `95, "Diversity in the Workplace," included discussion of a student-written case study on the topic of sexual orientation in the workplace, facilitated by Professor Thomas Kochan, and brought Digital Equipment Corporation vice presidents Herb Shumway and Hope Greenfield to share experiences about workplace diversity issues. The committee continues to explore avenues for incorporating diversity issues into the LFM leadership curriculum and providing interactive learning experiences for all LFM stakeholders.
Faculty this year participated in an industry-led Extended Education Committee, from which stemmed a pilot minicourse compressing highlights of the two-year LFM Fellows Program into one week. The course will be offered in November 1995 to LFM partner company executives who report to vice presidents of manufacturing, head manufacturing education, or otherwise lead manufacturing-related efforts.
The Leaders Program supported 36 research projects this year, and its Working Papers exceed 450 titles.
The program also updated its compendia of LFM Research Program Contacts and Manufacturing Science and Technology Research, to facilitate networking.
The Leaders Program is also working with Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) under a TRP grant to impact undergraduate education with LFM learnings.
Stephen C. Graves
William C. Hanson
David E. Hardt
MIT Reports to the President 1994-95