Oakland University's Pawley Lean Institute is pleased announce that Amber Ellis (Human Resources Development/SEHS) and Amy Rowan (Human Resources Development/SEHS) have been awarded Pawley Lean Undergraduate Scholarships for 2025. In addition, Ashley Younis (Operations Management/SBA) and Katherine Bej (Operations Management/SBA) have been awarded Doman Family Lean Scholarships for 2025.
The Pawley Lean Institute is also pleased to announce that Omar Kale, Stephen Hannawi, and Ala Alshafeey (School of Engineering and Computer Science) have been awarded Pawley Lean Graduate Scholarships for 2025.
Dennis Wade, Director of the Pawley Lean Institute, notes that “All of these students demonstrated working knowledge of lean concepts as well as practical application of those concepts. We are very excited to use our funds to support the education of Oakland University students and know that the lean concepts these students have acquired will serve them well in the future.”
Dr. Vijitashwa Pandey, Chair of the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department, adds, “We are honored to have our undergraduate and graduate ISE students receive theses scholarships. Lean is an important component of an engineer's skillset, and the School of Engineering and Computer Science works closely with the Pawley Lean Institute to improve our students ability to apply lean concepts and tools to real-world projects."
Dr. William Solomonson (Chair of the Department of Organizational Leadership), stated, “We are so pleased to see our students embrace our lean curriculum and be rewarded within the School of Education and Human Services.”
Dr. Vijay Sugumaran (Chair of the Department of Decision and Information Sciences) said, “Lean is such a valuable tool for students seeking employment in today’s world, these scholarships reinforce the need for Lean education.”
Wade adds that these scholarship awards are interdisciplinary in nature and available to all students from Oakland University that have demonstrated lean learning, projects, or practice in the workplace. For more information on, including how to apply for the 2026 awards, visit the Pawley Lean Institute webpage.
Designed to benefit Oakland University students, schools, nonprofits, government and industry, the Pawley Lean Institute shares concepts and practices of Lean thinking to create leaders and learners in the University, public and private sectors, and the community. Dennis Pawley, Founder of the Pawley Lean Institute commented, “To see students grasp these concepts is extremely satisfying to me, I want to personally recognize the accomplishments of these student award recipients.”
Mark Doman, former Professor in the Human Relations Development (HRD) program that created the much of the Lean curriculum added, “Paula and myself are extremely pleased to be part of the Lean Scholarships. It is great to see students that excel using Lean tools to further their education and learning.”
April 23, 2025