Meet Us
With four weeks under his belt at Ross Medical Education Center, Shibu Thomas has made visits to 14 of Ross’s 19 campuses covering a three-state area. “I want to meet as many Ross employees and students as possible and won’t stop traveling until I do!” Thomas, Executive Vice President, says.
Thomas may be new to Ross but he is no stranger to the education sector. He brings over sixteen years of experience in both public and private post-secondary education. Thomas will be the first to tell you that his industry experience is not what will make changes happen at Ross...it’s the people that make the difference. “The first thing I did when I came to Ross was meet with the Campus Directors to find out what the needs are at the campuses,” says Thomas. “The opportunities all lie within our people, we just have to talk to them and find out what they are.”
Thomas is also quick to point out that the people at Ross are truly what make the difference. From an executive standpoint, it starts with finding the right people. “It’s our people that touch the students everyday and make a difference in their lives,” says Thomas. “It’s critical we have the right people with the right attitude doing that. Skill sets can be taught; attitude can’t.”
With a focus clearly on the people, Thomas describes Ross as an “upside-down organization.” Where the CEO ranks at the top of the pyramid at most organizations, this is not the case at Ross. “Our students are the most important people, then it’s the people who directly serve our students, and so forth,” says Thomas.
This upside down culture certainly seems to be working at Ross. As Thomas will explain, the unique relationships at Ross allow learning to be done in a variety of directions. “The most valuable learning experiences come directly from our students,” says Thomas. “Many of our students have gone through serious life struggles and have overcome them. It’s incredibly inspiring.”
It’s this inspiration that keeps the wheels turning at Ross. Up next, Thomas will be strategizing ways to make Ross’s customer service the best it can be and how they can reach even more students in their communities. “We’re changing lives and generations of families,” says Thomas. “You can’t put a price tag on that.”
Ross Medical Education Center isn’t just looking for leaders…they’re creating them. The Ross Management Institute (RMI) is a program that started last year to help cultivate leaders within the Ross organization. It’s a nine-month program available for any Ross employee to apply to. Applicants require two letters of recommendation and are personally selected by Ross’s executive management team. With all the classes and projects done after business hours, it’s a commitment RMI students have to take seriously.
“I had just started at Ross and was initially resistant to take on more,” recalls Corrina Freeman, Campus Director at the New Baltimore Campus. “The first night of class I immediately realized the value in it. Looking back I would not have survived if I hadn’t taken RMI right out of the gates.”
“RMI is unique in that it allows people to see our business as a whole and understand the traits it takes to advance within the organization,” says Kristine Furtaw, Regional Vice President. “There is a difference between managing people and leading people.” In order to understand this, students take a total of eight courses covering topics such as concepts of leadership, strategic planning, human resource fundamentals and Excel use.
“I really felt like I was back in school,” recalls Betty Williams, Campus Director at the Granger campus. “Every time I went to RMI I found myself bringing something useful back to my campus the next day.”
In addition to the coursework, there is also an applied study where students spend time at a campus other than their own and live the day in the life of the Admissions Representative, Career Development Coordinator and Financial Aid Representative.
“Before RMI, I really didn’t understand what other people within the organization did on a day to day basis or what life was like on the campus,” says Jeff Pemberton, Social Media Director. “Now I can better communicate with the campus directors because I understand what their everyday life is like.”
The courses are set up so that students can walk away with tactical ideas that they can apply to their everyday jobs. For example, the strategic planning course requires students to write a strategic plan for their specific work area. “We actually wrote a strategic plan for a new campus and had to include every detail from class offerings to customer service,” says Williams.
When asked why other Ross employees should consider the nine-month journey of RMI, Freeman doesn’t miss a beat. “If you want to grow as leader within Ross, then RMI is not negotiable. Ross is moving forward and this is your opportunity to help make it happen.”
It’s clear that Ross is moving forward and the RMI is just one way they are doing it. “Ross invests in their people,” says Williams. “Leaders produce leaders and that is what we are doing here at Ross.”
Michigan Locations
© 2011 Ross Medical Education Center - Employee Login
