siness
4e-
A program co-sponsored by Ford
and Wayne State trains engineers
to become better businessmen.
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR
enneth Chelst isn't a gam-
bling man, but he knows all the
odds.
The Wayne State University
professor is an applied mathe-
matician who believes in the
value of considering all the
possibilities before making a ma-
jor decision. He looks at the ad-
vantages, the disadvantages, the
probabilities, the repercussions,
the considerations, the long-term
and short-term effects before fi-
nally, and using an almost math-
ematical approach, coming to a
conclusion.
Now leaders at Ford Motor
Corp. are betting Professor
Chelst's knowledge will help their
company grow and improve. The
Southfield resident is teaching a
course on decision and risk analy-
sis as part of a joint WSU-Ford
program to help Ford engineers
develop their business acumen.
The three-year program is open
to a limited number of students, all
of whom must be nominated by
Ford division supervisors and who
have proven leadership skills.
Classes, taught at Ford headquar-
ters in Dearborn, focus on such top-
ics as project management,
technical systems design, and tech-
nology and innovation manage-
ment. Teamwork is stressed. Upon
completion of the courses, students
receive a master's degree in engi-
neering management.
The brainchild of Ford Vice
Chairman Lou Ross in conjunc-
tion with WSU President David
Adamany, the curriculum was ini-
tiated after Ford officials noticed
an increasing number of the com-
pany's engineers were pursuing
advanced degrees in business.
Richard Schneider, manager of
education, training and develop-
ment for Ford Product Develop-
ment, said that while an MBA
alone is helpful, its long-term ef-
fects remain to be seen.
"I don't believe an MBA per se
will be the ticket to the future," he
says.
The question instead was how
to help employees improve both
their business and professional
skills. Even an experienced engi-
neer can use an update on the
ever-changing opportunities af-
forded through computers, for ex-
ample. "What we wanted was a
customized educational program
to help improve technical, man-
agement and business skills," Mr.
Schneider says.
Initially, planners considered
an extensive dual-degree program.
But that didn't take into account
the fact that the Ford engineers
already had undergraduate de-
grees and experience — not to
mention the fact that they were
working full time.
So organizers decided to hold
classes in the afternoon, with stu-
dents who completed courses re-
ceiving a joint engineering-busi-
ness degree.
And that's how the new WSU-
Ford program rolled off the as-
sembly line.
In July, the pro-
gram will graduate
its first class. Mr.
Schneider, who co-
led the initial steer-
ing team that
helped develop the
curriculum, is
pleased with what
he has seen.
"Every signal in-
dicates that we're
getting what we
wanted," he says.
The WSU pro-
gram is the only
one of its kind in the United
States. The Massachusetts Insti-
tute of Technology offers some-
thing comparable, but with
students receiving two different
degrees in engineering and man-
agement. Both the WSU and MIT
programs were cited in a recent
study by the Congress' Office of
Technology Assessment, which
singles out academic efforts that
significantly contribute to in-
creasing and improving America's
productivity.
Professor Chelst, an ordained
rabbi who is active at Young Is-
rael of Southfield, didn't have
much time to consider all the odds
before joining up. He had just re-
turned from out of town when his
supervisor let him know he would
be teaching a course.
But he has no complaints. On
the contrary. "One of the rabbis
quoted in the Talmud said, have
learned a lot from my teachers,
Richard
Schneider:
Looking for
business and
management
skills.
Kenneth Chelst:
"It's almost like
another
language."
fie
more from my colleagues and
most from students,' " Professor
Chelst says. "I have learned more
from the students in this program
than I have ever learned before."
Professor Chelst's analytical ap-
proach to decision-making is
based on a concept developed 30
years ago in England and first
adopted by the British military.
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