Enterprise Information Technology Services Press Release
The University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia

Thursday, November 2, 2006

WRITER: Bert DeSimone, 706/542-5110, bert@uga.edu
CONTACT: Kate Camfield, 706/425-3136, camfield@uga.edu

Quality Leadership Executive awards event a valuable learning experience for UGA nominee and attendees

ATHENS, Ga.— Dr. Barbara A. White, UGA Chief Information Officer and Associate Provost, was recently nominated for the Quality Leadership Executive of the Year Southeast Awards 2006. Dr. White was honored along with several other nominees drawn from top information technology and quality assurance executives from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia at an awards event and executive forum held in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. White was joined by several UGA colleagues for the event, who were given the opportunity to join discussions on key information technology and quality assurance issues.

"The overall experience was an outstanding opportunity to discuss pertinent issues, as well forge new relationships," said Kate Camfield, Administrative Specialist in the Office of the Chief Information Officer. "I was immediately impressed by the private sector attendees' interest in the higher education challenges and solutions. It was interesting to me to realize the challenges are not that dissimilar."

Nominees were selected from a group of chief information officers and executives who have made significant contributions to the successful convergence of technology and business. Among the Quality Assurance practices initiated and sponsored at UGA by Dr. White are the Compact Planning process and training in Six Sigma methodology. Compact Planning is a highly interactive, collegial, and participatory planning process involving clients, partners, and IT professionals throughout the University. Six Sigma, a quality management program designed to achieve high levels of quality through the application of statistical methods to improve operating efficiency, complements and supports the Compact Planning process.

"The nomination of Dr. Barbara White is a proud moment for all of us at UGA," said Sandra Glass, Executive Director, College of Education Office of Information Technology. "Her leadership has provided the opportunity to collaboratively plan for our future through the Compact Planning Process. Her commitment to excellence has been demonstrated through the professional development of technology leaders and managers in the Six Sigma process."

"The event was particularly enjoyable as it was designed to provide networking time," said Dr. White. "The opportunity to meet others from the Southeast Region was very beneficial and the new contacts will be valuable as we move forward at UGA."

For more information on the QLE Southeast Awards, please see:

About EITS
The Office of the Chief Information Officer and Enterprise Information Technology Services (EITS) are committed to the mission of UGA as a land-and-sea-grant institution where academics come first and the research extensive university community encourages research efforts at the undergraduate and graduate levels. To that end, under the direction of the University´s Chief Information Officer, EITS endeavors to provide a robust, reliable, and secure information technology infrastructure, maintain essential production services, and offer world-class support. For more information, please visit the EITS Web site: www.eits.uga.edu.