The Graduate School Recognizes Excellence in Government through Training

WASHINGTON, April 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Graduate School awarded its W. Edwards Deming Outstanding Training Award to the Directorate of Legal Information Services, United States Air Force (USAF), Maxwell Air Force Base at the Excellence in Government conference on April 20, 2009. USAF was recognized for implementing a program that directly led to improvements in administrative efficiencies and enabled more then 4,600 USAF legal professionals to use Information Technology to put valuable time back into their workdays.

"The Directorate of Legal Information Services clearly exemplified what this award stands for," said Dr. Jerry Ice, CEO and President, The Graduate School. "USAF's dedication to excellence was apparent in the attention they paid to finding the best way to identify and fill training needs among their workforce."

The Graduate School presents the W. Edwards Deming award annually to a federal government organization, civilian or uniformed branch of the military. It highlights an impressive workforce development and training initiative that has measurably improved the organization's performance and impacted its mission.

The award's namesake is Dr. W. Edwards Deming, a 20-year instructor at the School who is known as the father of Total Quality Management. His work has been described as the third stage of the Industrial Revolution and incorporated the idea that employees at all levels of private industry and government have a responsibility to cooperate to produce excellent products and services.

"We undertook this initiative with the understanding that knowledge workers need training to make the best use of the technology tools at their disposal," said Colonel Peter Marksteiner, Director, Legal Information Services. "We are very proud to be recognized with this prestigious award."

The Directorate of Legal Information Services first conducted an in-depth survey that determined the barriers that prevented legal professionals from keeping pace with technological advancements. As a result of the findings, the training was developed in specific mandated time slots and included short, practical and concise modules where results could immediately be seen.

To learn more about the Graduate School's W. Edwards Deming Training Award, visit www.grad.usda.gov.

About the Graduate School

The Graduate School is an independent institution that's enthusiastic about providing quality, accessible educational opportunities. A vibrant learning community, the Graduate School offers a range of services that includes individual assessments, career-related courses and continuing education, including distance learning. The School's experts provide training and education solutions, including conferences, workshops and symposia, for participants from U.S. federal, state and local government agencies as well as the private sector and international organizations. The Graduate School is both GSA 69 (Training) and Schedule 874 (MOBIS). The School is dedicated to academic excellence and lifelong learning.

SOURCE The Graduate School

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