By Scott Hazen, Class of 1993, Creative Writing major
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| Scott Hazen enjoying the Firestone Golf Championship in Akron |
Since graduating I have worked in
Supply Chain for Sprint, Medcentral, Summa Health in Akron and OhioHealth in
Columbus. My specialty has been Enterprise Resource Planning systems and
integrating processes and third part systems. ERP systems are large
multi-functional software applications used in business to integrate processes,
such as Human Resources, Supply Chain, Finance, Accounting, Inventory,
Payables, etc. These business applications would normally operate
independently with interfaces trading data from application to application.
ERP systems put all those processes together and reduce or eliminate
interfacing.
Third party systems are called bolt
on systems for ERP, mainly for functions not fully developed in the ERP system.
I work primarily with PeopleSoft, an Oracle product, and while it is a
good system, there's not a robust application for things like receiving,
transportation, or inventory usage. So third party systems are brought in
to enhance that functionality. My role is to coordinate all the technical
and functional resources to make those third party systems work for Supply
Chain.
In 2004 I was appointed to Mansfield
City Council and won two elections, in 2005 and 2009. The tools and
experience I gained through Ashland have been invaluable in my professional and
community service. The ability to clearly communicate my positions, speak
publicly, and clearly articulate business requirements have given me an edge
with my goals and ability to complete intricate projects. In 2008 I
completed my M.A. In Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga.
So many of my professors at Ashland
made a great impact on my life and future that looking back it is amazing to me
how prescient and forward thinking they were. I spent so much time in Dr.
Stein's class, I think I read more than I wrote. I got a kick out of his
dry sense of humor and his quirky viewpoints. He was really a nice guy
and turned me on to a lot of authors I read to this day. Dr. McGovern was also
a tremendous influence. He was a gifted teacher, and could easily engage
his classes in conversation. Looking back we thought we spent more time
chatting than working, but it was by design. When the class was over we
dissected the subject matter and dove headlong into the thought processes of
the writer. He was both challenging and inspiring.
I remember my classmates and the cameraderie we had
together, along with the conversations, banter, and the excitement of new
classes, new books, and new challenges every semester. We had a fun
group—we worked hard, but we also enjoyed our time at Ashland.
I hope that current students will be shaped by the
department in the same way it has influenced me. The lifetime
love I have for literature has served me well, and has translated nicely into
critical thinking and research skills in a professional environment.
