Grant creates Win-Win-Win Partnership
“Fourteen years ago, I picked up a book in the Philadelphia airport on my way to a job interview in Pittsburgh for the position I now hold. Little did I know that more than a decade later, the book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey, coupled with an emphasis on “Think Win-Win Habit,” would serve as a catalyst for changing thousands of people’s lives in the Mon Valley and beyond.”
- Angelo Armenti, Jr.
Since 1997, the office of lifelong learning at Cal U has trained more than 1,000 students, faculty and staff free of charge in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. During the summer of 2006, more than 60 employees from Monongahela Valley Hospital attended a reception at the Kara Alumni House at California University of Pennsylvania to celebrate the completion of their Covey training. At President Armenti’s urging, the international FranklinCovey Company agreed to allow Cal U’s certified trainers to provide the training to other large employers in the region.
Monongahela Valley Hospital was the first such employer invited to participate in the training. At the reception, Louis J. Panza, Jr., president and CEO on Mon-Vale Health Resources, Inc., presented Dr. Armenti with a check for $60,000. Half of that amount covered the cost of the training, and the other half was used to create an endowment that will fund scholarships for nursing students at Cal U. Upon graduation, those nurses will be encouraged to work at Monongahela Valley Hospital.
The partnership is an example of a win-win-win relationship. The hospital staff and all of its patients benefit from the 7 Habits training. The university and its students benefit from the endowed scholarship. FranklinCovey benefits by being introduced to another world-class client, Monongahela Valley Hospital.
Panza said that one of his goals is to have the best-educated and best-trained staff in western Pennsylvania, so it only made sense to partner with the best of the best. “The two biggest employers in the Mon Valley got together to make something happen,” he said. “Two nonprofits figured out how to work together for the good of the Valley.” Panza said that the first check for $60,000 is only a down payment, and they are committed to additional training. “There is much talk about buildings and technology, but these leaders understand that 65 percent of budgets are people costs, human capital,” he said. Both organizations plan to continue to invest in their people and continue to propel themselves forward.
To obtain additional information about the Cal U corporate training programs, please contact:
Ron Paul - Executive Director, Character Education Institute
California University of PA
250 University Avenue
California, PA 15419-1394
Telephone: 724-938-5491
Fax: 724-938-5963
E-mail: paul@cup.edu
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