Dr. Shalhevet Zur – Head of Department, Quality and Reliability Engineering in the Electronics Industry

On the 4th of February 2021 Kinneret College announced that it had begun the process of establishing the first student quality branch in Israel. The project’s goal is to unite students interested in quality or students with an affinity for quality from all departments at Kinneret College. Two departments at the college initiated this process – The Diploma Studies Head of Department, Ms. Deganit Laish and Mr. Gideon Roth, Coordinator for Quality Studies in the Diploma Studies Department, and Dr. Shalhevet Zur – Head of Department, Quality and Reliability Engineering in the Electronics Industry. The student union, headed by its chairman Mr. Horesh Ken, has been a full partner throughout the process. This festive announcement was attended by over 60 students, faculty members from the college, as well as other guests. The event hosted a representative from the board of the American Association for Quality, who serves as Head of the European Region, the Middle East and Africa, to which we also belong. She spoke about quality and welcomed the process. Guest lecture, Mr. Shlomo Lichtenstein spoke about the international competition for innovation and quality.

The initiative to establish the branch is a natural extension of the wide-ranging activities on quality taking place on our college campus, including various quality courses provided by the Diploma Studies Department, as well as various activities on and off campus that collaborate with industry and various other quality activities in Israel.

Branch Description.   The purpose for the student branch is to promote the theory and practice in the field of quality, professions associated with this field, and to maintain a high level of professionalism among its branch members. Activities for similar branches around the globe include collaborations between other student branches from around the world, supporting local community through volunteer work, and holding seminars and conferences with other academic institutions.

Branch Support and Activity Structure. The Branch is supported by the American Quality Association – American Society for Quality (ASQ), which serves as the largest professional association in the world for quality practitioners. The association has approximately 65,000 members and several hundred of the largest institutional companies in the world. It aims to empower individuals, communities and organizations around the world to achieve excellence through quality. The ASQ currently connects individual members and their subsidiary ASQE with organizations, and is responsible for the certification of organizations and individuals. Individual membership in ASQ can be in the geographic branch section, or in the professional sector, or both.

The ASQ is divided into geographic regions around the world. Each region has its members, most from the branch of quality practitioners, and some are students studying quality or quality-related professions. The purpose of the branch is to take part in local activities, mutual support, lectures and conferences, and community support.

Membership for students in the branch provides benefits and activity opportunities. Membership entails an annual fee.

Why our students should become members of the branch:

  • Empowerment in the field of quality through networking, and access to a large quality database as well as relevant fields (the ASQ database has approximately 23,500 articles, 1,650 Case Studies, 370 dedicated studies, and over 100 areas of interest and tools).
  • A discount on professional books, standards, tutorials and certifications,
  • Participation in seminars, conferences and virtual trainings in the ASQ or similar sectors.
  • Opportunity to organize in-branch lectures by professionals in the field of quality.
  • Participation in professional tours of organizations and enterprises initiated by the branch.
  • Publication of articles in one of the ASQ publications.
  • Regional student competitions (the college will belong to the region of Europe, Middle East and Africa).
  • Recognition as a member of the branch management and learning about teamwork, strategic and budgetary planning.
  • Network with quality professionals from around the world through the MyASQ forum of branch members.

Branch Structure. Each branch has three elected members who serve in the following positions: 1. Branch Chairman 2. Branch Vice Chairman 3. Branch Secretary. The branch will have an advisor and supervisor from the academic staff, and, when possible, also a full member of the ASQ who serves as an advisor. Advisors at the college will be Mr. Gideon Roth and Dr. Shalhevet Zur. The term of office of the branch management is equivalent to the academic year, and each year members of the branch elect new management, with the advisors overseeing the elections and the day-to-day running of the branch.

The branch has an annual budget, business and strategic plans. The responsibility is given to the individual who manages the branch in the same geographic area for approval and determination of the allowance that the branch receives from the ASQ. The branch itself can also have different committees in which other branch members can take part.

Process of official branch recognition by the American Quality Association. Currently, in order for the American Quality Association to officially recognize our branch, positions must be filled and a number of documents must be provided, including a formal work plan. The student branch belongs to Region 12 which includes Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). After performing these tasks and submitting the required documents, the application for the establishment of the branch will need to be discussed and then approved by the management of the American Quality Association.

Soon, students studying at the college will receive information about the various roles in the student branch, and each student will be able to apply to these positions.  Student are welcome to ask questions or offer to serve in positions in the student branch. Upon its declaration, after approval by the American Quality Association, all students will also be invited to become members of the branch.

See you at the branch!

Dr. Shalhevet Zur – Head of the Department of Quality and Reliability Engineering Tel. 052-6369005

Gideon Roth – Academic Coordinator of Quality Studies, Diploma Studies Department Tel. 052-8011816

Deganit Laish – Head of Department, Diploma Studies Department Tel. 050-7601816

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