LATROBE, Pa – The Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government will open the Gary M. Quinlivan Operational Excellence Lab (OE Lab) in early spring 2023. Construction on the lab, which is located on the first floor of Aurelius Hall, began in September of 2022.
The OE Lab will blend simulation and classroom learning for a more hands-on experience for students. In-course and seminar simulations for manufacturing and assembling customized products will provide students with the understanding of operational processes including the assembly process, material storage, problem solving and cost analysis functions. In addition, there will be Systems, Applications and Products (SAP) in Data Processing involvement, allowing students in the SAP Business One program to be involved.
The opening of the lab provides students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience directly on campus rather than through external institutions, which were previously relied on. The OE Lab will be directed by Dr. Terrance Smith, Assistant Professor of Management in the McKenna school as well as director of the Master of Science in Management: Operational Excellence program and executive director of the Kennametal Center for Operational Excellence.
“The presence of the OE Lab on campus will contribute to the strength of the MSMOE program and the McKenna School,” said Dr. Smith. “It will provide another opportunity for us to engage with students from other institutions, industry professionals and the entire SVC community.”
Funded through the Philip M. McKenna Foundation, an essential partner to SVC in the establishment of the McKenna School, the lab has been constructed by Dobil Laboratories Inc. and Thomas Didiano & Sons Developers Inc. with assistance from both the Information Technology and Facilities Management offices at Saint Vincent.
The Operational Excellence lab has been named after Dr. Gary M. Quinlivan for his numerous years of dedicated service to the McKenna School.
About Gary M. Quinlivan
Dr. Quinlivan, a full professor of economics, joined Saint Vincent College in 1989, eventually becoming the dean of the McKenna School in 2001 and serving in that position until 2022. He has served as an adjunct faculty member in Carnegie Mellon University’s Economics Department, where he taught international trade, international monetary theory and monetary theory. Dr. Quinlivan was a Fulbright Scholar at Shandong University in the People’s Republic of China from 1988 to 1989 and went on to receive his Ph.D. in economics from the University at Albany with Ph.D. fields in international trade, international finance and monetary theory. His bachelor’s degree is in economics from the State University of New York at Geneseo.
Dr. Quinlivan has co-edited or authored seven books and six monographs in addition to having written numerous articles in the areas of international trade, public finance and international finance. His books include “Public Morality, Civic Virtue and the Problem of Modern Liberalism” (co-edited with T. William Boxx); “For Freedom and Prosperity: Philip M. McKenna and the Gold Standard League” (co-authored with Brian Surkan); and “Toward the Renewal of Civilization: The Political Order and Culture” (co-edited with T. William Boxx).