Saint Vincent College and KCOE

Saint Vincent College has the only program in the country with an integrated division of its business school - the Kennametal Center for Operational Excellence (KCOE) - involved in training, coaching and mentoring regional industrial, service and healthcare enterprises in the implementation of Operational Excellence in real-time work.

The close working partnership among the McKenna School, KCOE and the area business community offers graduate students a unique opportunity to learn with hands-on coaches and in real world enterprises the culture and philosophy of Operational Excellence as it is applied in today's world-class enterprises. Saint Vincent College is one of only three colleges in the nation to offer a Master's Degree in Management that focuses on the concepts of Operational Excellence in the Toyota Production System (TPS).

For examples of how our students benefit from this special partnership, visit the resources portion of our Academic Program to view video clips featuring students and professors discussing the internships and available co-op positions.

This program is distinctive in that it features Rodger Lewis, an Executive-in-Residence who was trained by Toyota and became one of the 12 individuals who directed the opening and management of its American plan in Kentucky. Mr. Lewis worked in various capacities with Toyota for 12 years completing his service there as General Manager. He learned the intimate workigns and culture of TPS from Japanese sensei. Subsequently, Mr. Lewis successfully implemented OE systems at numerous organizations in seven countries with different cultures and in organizations of various sizes. He now functions as the sensei at KCOE and the McKenna School.