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CUE 2006

“We provide a unique service to the business community, enabling students to earn (Six Sigma) certification as a distance student and at a fraction of the cost typically charged by private firms.” -Jeff Luftig

Engineering Management Program (EMP): New Professor Brings Expertise in Statistical, Quality Sciences

The Engineering Management Program welcomed Jeffrey Luftig as its new Deming Professor of Management this year. Luftig is a statistician who worked under the tutelage of W. Edwards Deming at Ford Motor Co. in the 1980s. His current area of interest, business performance excellence, is rooted in Deming's original work and represents an evolution in methodology to encompass executive-level business management, as described in recent books such as Good to Great by Jim Collins.

Like all EMP's core faculty, Luftig brings a rich combination of real-world experience and academic credentials. Most recently, he has been a senior instructor in the Leeds School of Business and in the Department of Applied Mathematics, where he received numerous awards for his teaching excellence. 

Luftig also has done extensive consulting work for businesses such as Sun Microsystems, StorageTek, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, GE/Ionics-Sievers, Ball Aerospace, ALCOA, Anheuser-Busch, Inland Steel, Weyerhauser, Ford Motor Co., and the Earthgrains Co. He continues to be highly involved with the business community, matching in-class student projects with the analytical needs of partner companies through the Center for Statistical Solutions, where he serves as the primary faculty advisor.    

With his arrival, EMP is now able to offer a comprehensive Six Sigma training program. Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects in any process—from manufacturing to transactional, and from product to service. Students can earn a Green Belt, Black Belt, or Master Black Belt either as part of a master's degree or as a non-degree student.

With the specialized and in-depth knowledge Luftig brings in the quality and statistical sciences, EMP also has created several new courses and expanded the portfolio of professional certifications offered to include Managing Applied Research in Technology, Performance Excellence in Technology Management, and Quality Systems for Product and Process Engineering.