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Managerial competencies of hospital managers in South Africa: a survey of managers in the public and private sectors
Rubin Pillay1
South Africa has large public and private sectors and there is a common perception that public sector hospitals are inefficient and ineffective while the privately owned and managed hospitals provide superior care and are more sustainable. The underlying assumption is that there is a potential gap in management capacity between the two sectors. This study aims to ascertain the skills and competency levels of hospital managers in South Africa and to determine whether there are any significant differences in competency levels between managers in the different sectors.
A survey using a self administered questionnaire was conducted among hospital managers in South Africa. Respondents were asked to rate their proficiency with seven key functions that they perform. These included delivery of health care, planning, organizing, leading, controlling, legal and ethical, and self-management. Ratings were based on a five point Likert scale ranging from very low skill level to very high skill level.
The results show that managers in the private sector perceived themselves to be significantly more competent than their public sector colleagues in most of the management facets. Public sector managers were also more likely than their private sector colleagues to report that they required further development and training.
The findings confirm our supposition that there is a lack of management capacity within the public sector in South Africa and that there is a significant gap between private and public sectors. It provides evidence that there is a great need for further development of managers, especially those in the public sector. The onus is therefore on administrators and those responsible for management education and training to identify managers in need of development and to make available training that is contextually relevant in terms of design and delivery.
South Africa has a dual health system characterized by large public and private sectors. The public sector serves the indigent population constituting more than 80% of the total and is funded predominantly by the government from general tax revenue, comprising 40% of total health spend. The private sector, which is highly developed, serves less than 20% of the population, comprising those who are insured or are high income earners, and is responsible for 60% of total health expenditure [1].
Hospitals in South Africa reflect the stark contrast between health service provision in the public and the private sectors. The government owned and managed public sector hospitals are often characterized as being inefficient and ineffective as evidenced by anecdotes of patient dissatisfaction and disaffections, and personal observation [2–4]. In contrast, the privately owned and managed hospitals are amongst the more profitable of enterprises and compare favourably with the best in the world, as evidenced by constantly rising share prices and the growth in medical tourism. In an attempt to improve public sentiment about the public sector, and in their quest to enhance efficiency and effectiveness within the sector, public sector agencies are aspiring to emulate the private sector philosophy and management approach. The underlying assumption is that there is a potential gap in management capacity between the two sectors. This study aims to ascertain the skills and competency levels of hospital managers in South Africa as determined by self assessment, and to find out whether there are any significant differences in proficiency levels between managers in the different sectors. The findings will therefore be useful in all countries where national health systems are making the transition to a more businesslike approach to service delivery.
All managers, irrespective of where or what they manage, perform four generic tasks. These include planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Planning involves defining goals and mapping out ways to reach them; organizing entails arranging and coordinating human, material and information resources aimed at achieving desired goals; leading involves motivating others to achieve organizational goals and controlling involves measuring performance and monitoring progress relative to objectives [5]. Managers need to possess several competencies that will enable them to perform these functions effectively and efficiently. Managerial competencies are 'sets of knowledge, skills, behaviours, and attitudes that a person needs to be effective in a wide range of managerial jobs and various types of organizations' [6]. Of particular importance are strategic skills which relate to setting of key objectives based on an understanding of what is happening inside and outside the organization; task related skills which encompass functional and operational competencies which enable one to define the best approach to achieving objectives, given the resources available; people related skills which enable one to achieve objectives through and with others; and self-management skills which enable one to take responsibility for one's life at work and beyond. The field of health care management, however, poses unique challenges as managers are expected to integrate modern business management practices with clinical and healthcare knowledge.
The American College of Preventive Medicine, after canvassing a broad audience of clinicians, educationists and health management experts, defined a list of health management competencies and performance indicators to assist in the development of training programs in medical management. These related to the delivery of health care, financial management, organizational management, and legal and ethical considerations [7]. In a survey of American medical directors, competencies related specifically to health care, including clinical preventive skills, were rated highly relative to generic management competencies, suggesting that a health background or specialized training in health care management may be essential for the effective management of health service organizations [8]. Similar studies in the UK, also identified financial, medical and people related skills as the most important for inclusion in management development programs for hospital managers [9, 10].
Although health managers are key to overcoming the challenges facing health delivery in South Africa, there has been very little formal evaluation of the capacity of hospital managers, as well as their needs for future training, in South Africa. Schaay [11] emphasised the importance of determining the level of current management capacity and training required as part of an overall management development process in our quest to improve policy implementation and health systems functioning. This paper aims to evaluate hospital managers' perceptions about their developed abilities for their current role as well as their needs for further training in health care management. In addition it compares and contrasts the perceptions of hospital managers in the public sector with those in the private sector regarding these competencies and needs. It is hoped that the information gleaned will help in conceptualization, design and delivery of appropriate and relevant programs aimed at enhancing management and leadership capacity in the health sector in South Africa.
Data for this study come from a survey of hospital managers in the public and private sectors in South Africa, using a self administered questionnaire. The survey was conducted among all managers of public hospitals in six of the nine provinces in South Africa (3 provinces did not respond to the call to participate) and all managers of private hospitals registered with the Hospital Association of South Africa, who represent 94% of private hospitals in the country. The final sample comprised 215 public sector managers and 189 private sector managers.
The survey instrument comprised a specially developed and pre-tested questionnaire that included biographic and institutional characteristics, professional background and exposure to health management training. Likert-type scales ranging from 1 (very poor) to 5 (excellent) and comprising multiple items, were used to rate their perceptions of their competency levels with seven key functions that they perform, as well as their needs for further training and development. These included specific health care competencies, planning, organizing, leading, controlling, legal and ethical, and self-management. These competencies were derived from the literature [[5–9], and [10]] thus ensuring content validity. They were found to exhibit high internal consistencies in their respective studies, thus ensuring the reliability of the instrument. Several other stakeholders with an interest in hospital management were asked to evaluate the relevance of the questionnaire to the proposed study objectives, thus establishing face validity.
Questionnaires were mailed in September 2006 and non-responders were sent questionnaires four weeks later. Data collection was terminated six weeks after the final mailing. The results of a sample of primary non-responders were compared to that of the primary responders to assess non-response bias. Data for individual variables were summarized using frequency distributions and focused on the central tendency (mean) and the dispersion (standard deviation). The ultimate score that each manager received for each of the seven factors was calculated from the mean of the summed items for that variable. This allows one to treat the data as interval data measuring a latent variable, to which parametric statistical tests can be applied. Reliability of scales was estimated by assessing the internal consistency of the scales using Cronbach's Alpha. Relationships between variables were analyzed using chi-squared tests for categorical variables. For quantifiable variables, the non-parametric Mann-Whitney was used for test for single item scales, and parametric analysis of variance (ANOVA) for responses that were summed to create a factor. All analyses were conducted at a 95% level of certainty and allowing for a margin of error of 5%.
Questionnaires were returned from 116 of 210 valid addresses of public sector managers and 87 of 179 valid addresses of private sector managers. This represents a total response rate of 51.91% and a response rate of 55.23% and 48.60% from the public and private sectors, respectively. There were no significant differences between primary respondents and the sample of primary non-respondents in terms of demographics, institutional characteristics and the self-evaluation of competency levels
As shown in Table 1, most public sector respondents were male (53.9%), between the ages of 35 to 50 (52.6%) and have been in their current positions for less than 5 years (50.4%). Private sector respondents were also predominantly male (62.1%) and between the ages of 35 and 50 (68.6%), but the majority (67.4%) have been in their positions for more than 5 years.
Table 1 Respondent Characteristic (Count and valid percentages)
Most public sector managers had a medical/health related background (55.3%) while the majority of managers in the private sector had a commerce/management or some other background (67.2%). Formal training in health management, in the form of a certificate, diploma or degree was higher among public sector managers (74.8%), relative to their private sector colleagues (41.9%). Both groups reported equally high levels of informal training in health management (around 90%). These included mentoring, in-service training and non-certified programs.
Bivariate analyses between the sectors and other categorical variables show significant associations between the sectors and age, experience, professional background, formal training in health management and the intention of respondents to attend future training programs in health care management (Table 2).
Table 2 Bivariate Relationship between Sectors and Respondent Biographic and Training Characteristics (Chi-square)
Public sector managers were more likely to be older than 50 years than their colleagues in the private sector
(p 0.008). Managers in the public sector were also significantly more likely to have less than five years experience while their private sector colleagues were more likely to have over five years experience
(p 0.017). Private sector managers were also more likely to have a commerce or management background while those in the public sector were more likely to have a health or medical background (p 0.000). Private sector managers were also significantly less likely to have had any formal training in health care management than their public sector colleagues (p 0.000) and were also less likely to be seeking any training in health management within the next five years (p 0.001).
The Cronbach's alpha and the mean total scores for the management competency subscales are presented in Table 3 below. The Cronbach's alphas for all the scales are at an acceptable level of reliability, averaging 0.845.
Table 3 Reliability of Management Competency and Need for Further Training Sub-Scales
As a group, hospital managers in South Africa perceive themselves as at least reasonably competent in all facets of their management functions (means > 3). They did however feel relatively more competent in their ability to plan (4.14), manage themselves (4.04) and lead (4.02) whilst feeling least competent in the specific health care skills (3.44).
Public sector managers reported that they felt most competent in planning (3.96), self management (3.95) and leading(3.91) and least competent in terms of legal/ethical competencies (3.59) and their specific health care skills (3.59). Private sector managers rated themselves highest in planning(4.30), followed by organizing(4.18), leading (4.16), self management (4.16) and controlling (4.14). They rated themselves as being least competent in legal/ethical skills (3.77) and their specific health care skills (3.21).
In total, 94.9% of public sector managers and 80.5% of private sector managers agreed with the statement that they "need further management development", suggesting that, on average, hospital managers felt that they could benefit from further training. The Mann-Whitney test revealed that public sector managers were also significantly more likely to report that they required further development and training than their private sector colleagues (Z = -6.441; p 0.00)
Parametric ANOVA revealed significant differences between the sectors and all of the management competency variables as well as the 'need for management development' (See Table 4).
Table 4 Bivariate Relationship between Sectors and Management Competency and Need for Further Training Variables (ANOVA)
Managers in the private sector perceived themselves to be significantly more competent than their public sector colleagues in all of the factors except for the "delivery of health care" where public sector managers felt more competent (p 0.009).
Our response rate, though modest, is good given that response rates in studies of professionals using self-administered questionnaires are generally poor [12, 13]. This may indicate that managers attach a high degree of importance to medical management and the need for management development. The similarity in responses between respondents and a sample of primary non-responders suggests that non response bias was minimal and the sample was therefore representative of all hospital managers in South Africa.
The professional background of the respondents suggests that there is a perceptible shift in the leadership of hospitals in South Africa towards general managers with a background in commerce or management. Historically, all hospitals, especially in the public sector, were managed by medical superintendents and this shift is in keeping with a strategy aimed at improvement of sustainable and effective delivery of health services by strengthening management capacity [14]. However, although it is understandable in terms of the government's transformation policy, it is of concern that the majority of public sector managers are vastly inexperienced, having been in management positions for less than five years. In addition, the fact that public sector managers were significantly more likely to be over 50 years of age has implications in terms of the natural attrition and the replacement of these managers and on the return on investment from the development of these managers. The future sustainability and stability of public sector institutions will therefore depend not only on enhancing current management capacity, but also on the development of individuals with management potential as part of a broader career management and succession planning initiative.
The fact that public sector managers have rated themselves as at least "reasonably competent but not good" in all of the competencies suggests that they lack confidence in their ability either because they don't possess the requisite management skills or because they more generally lack self-belief. Either way, this is a potential hindrance to the reconceptualisation of the public sector into a more customer-oriented service and suggests that public sector managers need more training in management skills. In contrast their private sector colleagues have rated themselves as being "good to very good" in most of the competencies – especially those that relate to the core management functions of planning, organizing, leading, controlling and self-management. This suggests greater self confidence and perceived ability, which augurs well for the effective and efficient management of institutions in this sector.
The fact that there is a significant gap in competency levels of managers between the different sectors, with private sector managers rating themselves significantly higher on all of the competencies except for health services delivery, may partly explain the differences in performance between the sectors. This may be partly attributed to the predominance of managers with a management background in the private sector. Hospital managers are of the opinion that a management background is more appropriate for hospital management and those with a background in management tended to rate themselves as being more competent than their colleagues who had a clinical background [15]. The fact that private sector managers tended to be more experienced may also contribute to their perceived greater competency.
It is however of concern that despite public sector managers reporting that they were significantly more likely to have attended formal training in health management, they rated themselves significantly lower than private sector managers, and generally as being only "reasonably competent but not good" in all of the competencies. It is therefore reasonable to infer that formal programs currently in existence are either inappropriate or do not fully meet the needs of hospital managers in the public sector. This may also partly explain why they were significantly more likely to report that they were unprepared for their current responsibilities and were more likely to want to seek further training in management. This supports the finding of Pillay [15], that formal management development programs did not significantly enhance competency levels of health managers. Instead they appeared to derive greater benefit from more informal approaches which include mentoring, coaching and in-house approaches.
It is important to note that ranking of these competencies by managers was purely subjective and based on a self-assessment, which was not externally validated. It may have been influenced by the respondents lack of knowledge with the topic and therefore a lack of confidence in being able to rate the items, or it may have been based on a self-evident knowledge gap. The competencies listed may also not have fully reflected the scope of hospital management. However, despite these limitations, the study has important theoretical and practical relevance for the improvement of health management capacity in South Africa.
In conclusion, the findings confirm our supposition that there is a lack of management capacity within the public sector in South Africa and that there is a significant gap between private and public sectors. It provides the evidence that there is a great need for the further development of managers, especially those in the public sector. The onus is therefore on administrators and those responsible for management education and training to identify managers in need of development and to make available training that is contextually relevant in terms of program design and delivery.
Health Systems Trust: South African Health Review. 2000
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Lehmannn U: Investigating the roles and functions of clinic supervisors in the Eastern Cape Province. HST Technical Report. 2002, Health Systems Trust. Durban
Leon N, Bhunu F, Kenyon C, 'Voices of facility managers', Msailelka T, Molefakgotla P, Visser R: 'Voices of district managers'. South African Health Review. Edited by: Ntuli A, Suleiman F, Barron P, McCoy D. 2001, Health Systems Trust. Durban
Lussier RN: Management fundamentals: Concepts, Applications, Skills Development. 2006, Thomson South-Western: United States of America, 3
Hellriegel D, Jackson ES, Slocum J, Staude G, Amos T, Klopper HB, Louw L, Oosthuizen T: Management. 2004, Oxford University Press: South Africa, 2
Lane D, Ross V: 'Declining competencies and performance indicators for physician in medical management'. American journal of preventive medicine. 1998, 3 (14):
Halbert RJ, Bokor A, Parkinson MD, Lewis CE: 'Competencies for Population-Based Clinical Managers: A survey of Managed Health Care Medical Directors'. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 1998, 1 (15):
Mahmood R, Chisnell C: 'Do doctors want to become involved in management?'. Clinicians in Management. 1993, 4 (2): 12-3.
Walker R, Morgan P: 'Involving doctors in Management – a survey of Management Development Career Needs of selected doctors in NHS Wales'. Journal of Management in Medicine. 1996, 1 (10): 31-52. 10.1108/02689239610113513.
Schaay N, Heywood A, Lehmann U: 'A Review of Health Management Training in the Public Health Sector in South Africa'. Technical Report to Chapter 9 of the 1998 SA Health Review. 1998, Health Systems Trust
Hill CA, Winfery KL: 'Incentives and Response Rates: A Classic experience with physicians'. 1996, American Association for Public Opinion Research. Salt Lake City
Sorbal J, De Forge BR, Ferentz HL: Physicians responses to fee-for-service and capitation payment. Inquiry. 1990, 29: 416-425.
Department of Health: Human Resources for Health: A National Human Resources Plan for Health to provide skilled human resources for healthcare adequate to take care of all South Africans. 2006, (Accessed 4/2/2007), [http://www.doh.gov.za/docs/discuss-f.html]
Pillay R: Does the professional background and management training of hospital managers' really matter?. 2007,
Francella Benyah (For assisting with the logistics of the survey).
Li Yang (For assisting with the statistical analysis).
School of Business and Finance, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7535, South Africa
Rubin Pillay
Correspondence to Rubin Pillay.
Pillay, R. Managerial competencies of hospital managers in South Africa: a survey of managers in the public and private sectors. Hum Resour Health 6, 4 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1186/1478-4491-6-4


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Hospital honored for biofuel initiative
Memorial Hospital in North Conway has been named the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce's Sustainable Business of the Year, in recognition of its switch to a new form of renewable biofuel.
Memorial uses an advanced cellulosic biofuel known as RFO, which is produced by Ensyn Fuels Inc. The fuel is produced from forest residues and is used by the hospital for heating purposes, replacing petroleum-based fuel. Memorial was the first hospital to convert to its fuel, the company said.
Memorial says it has reduced its greenhouse gases from heating fuels by 85 percent and total emissions by approximately 75 percent, while at the same time reducing operating costs.
In its first heating season, the fuel saved the organization over $150,000 over the use of petroleum-based fuel, according to the hospital.
The chamber also singled out two other Memorial initiatives. One was completion of the first phase of converting all lighting to LED, which has reduced energy use by 62,000 kilowatt-hours and produced a savings of $8,000. Also cited were the hospital's recycling programs, which have continued with placement of bins throughout the facility collecting paper, bottles and cardboard.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
In sad TV news in, Network 10's breakfast show 'Wake Up' has been axed.
Network 10 announced that the show - as well as its early morning and late news bulletins - will finish up on Friday May 23.
It's a shame - I think Natarsha Belling and James Mathison were doing a stellar job. I (Foxtel) IQed this show daily and loved the banter, the style of stories, and the fdun chemistry between the duo.
When the show first started, Natasha Exelby rounded out the team. Within weeks, she was removed from the show's line-up, and executive producer Adam Boland collapsed, suffering mental health issues, during the show's first week in November last year.
Adam then resigned due to ill-health on 23 January 2014, less than three months later.
The show carried on with fab guests and stories, and the camaraderie between Natarsha and James was evident.
It's always very sad when people lose their jobs - it has been reported that up to 150 people have lost theirs today - and it's worth remembering that before we all become experts on 'what works' and 'what doesn't' on TV… these people put their heart and soul into the show, and it showed.
Here are some of the most-watched segments online from the show:
Labels: Australiana, Celebrities, Channel Ten, News, Sad, This Just In, TV


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Макклі́нток або Мак-Клі́нток () — прізвище шотландського походження а також, топонім.

Прізвище
Відомі носії:
 Барбара Мак-Клінток (; 1902–1992) — американський вчений-цитогенетик, лауреат Нобелівської премії з фізіології й медицині.
 Елізабет Мей МакКлінток (; 1912–2004) — американський ботанік.
 Том Макклінток (; 1956) — американський політик.
 Френсіс Леопольд Мак-Клінток — (; 1819–1907) — полярний дослідник, адмірал.

Топонім
 Мак-Клінток (протока) () — протока, що відокремлює острів Вікторія від острова Принца Уельського в Канадському Арктичному архіпелазі.
 Острів Мак-Клінтока — острів архіпелагу Земля Франца-Йосифа.
 Мак-Клінток — гора (3490 м) у хребті Британія, в Австралійській антарктичній території (Східна Антарктида)

Інше
 20440 Макклінток (20440 McClintock) — астероїд головного поясу, відкритий 10 травня 1999 року.

Див. також
 МакЛінток! () — кінофільм режисера Ендрю В. Маклаглена, що вийшов на екрани в 1963 році.

Шотландські прізвища

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


green, tall, yet simply displayed within any environment. this stunning window into a cross-styled design delights the senses with no fragrance! featuring cymbidium orchids, fresh bamboo, and beautiful lilies.


Everyone has a different eye when it comes to the beauty of the landscape.
I have friends who regularly post photos on Facebook of open prairies which they see as beauty. Others share the beauty they see in the mountains, while others only see beauty standing on the beach looking over the ocean. Some see beauty in forests and others find beauty sitting on the side of a lake. I know many who find beauty in a city landscape with buildings towering toward the sky.
All of these and more have beauty in their own way, but each of us has a preference.
Hubby and I have often talked about the perfect place for us. A place where we see beauty in our surroundings. The place that gives us a deep feeling of peace. A feeling a tranquility.
Having grown up in Central IL, I have seen beauty in a sunrise or a sunset over the golden fields in the fall. I've been taken aback by the beauty of a freshly fallen snow, especially when the snow begins to sparkle on a bright sunny day.
My eye sees that beauty, but never in a way that gives me that deep feeling of peace as I gaze over the landscape.
We've lived in the Dallas area for almost two years now and have visited many times previous to our move. I can honestly say that I see no beauty in the massive sea of cars on the toll ways, but I do see beauty coming over a hill and seeing the Dallas skyline shining brightly in the sun.
Yet, there is no deep feeling of peace in that view for me.
I've seen beauty sitting by a lake and there is a little sense of peace, but not the deep feeling of peace I desire.
I definitely feel a deeper sense of peace when driving toward the mountains. My eyes drawn toward their majesty as they reach high into the clouds. Snow covered mountains are even better.
The best for me though are the Buttes as I've driven thru New Mexico.
Although I think amazement instead of peace is a much better description of how I feel when I see them. I feel joy when I see them and disappointment when the disappear in my rearview mirror.
For me though, the deepest sense of peace and calm I feel has and will always be the ocean. The sound, the smells and feel of the ocean breeze takes me to a place of calm that I don't feel otherwise. It seems to do that for Lili as well.
To be even more specific, the Caribbean puts me the most at peace.
It doesn't matter if I'm sitting on the beach, sitting on the balcony of a cruise ship, or snorkeling, the blue water of the Caribbean puts me in a state of peacefulness that I can't explain.
There are many places that I haven't visited in the world, so it's possible that there is another landscape that would bring me the same or better sense of peace, but right now, the Caribbean is the place for me.
Hubby and I have been discussing cancelling our next cruise and vacationing elsewhere. I must admit, it's a little difficult for me to imagine giving up my yearly trip to the Caribbean though.
Maybe one day I'll find myself living in a place where a daily visit to those aqua blue waters is possible. Although unlikely, a girl can dream of that place of peace in her life.
What about you? What landscape pulls you into that deep sense of peace and calm?
Mine is most definitely the Mountains. We have been going to the Blue Ridge Mountains for 3 years now as a annual friend adult only get-away and as soon as we get into those mountain ranges I feel a since of Peace automatically that I have never felt before. We have even decided to start looking at the different towns that are around where we stay to eventually buy our retirement home at. I read that the city of Blue Ridge, GA was once the home of the Cherokee Indians before they forced out, the Trail of Tears starts there as well; my great-grandmother walked that trail as a young girl and I'm certain that it is my destiny to live in that area to honor my ancestors and all that they loved and lost.
There is something very special about knowing where your peaceful plays lies. That is the place you belong.


text:
December 10Mustang Wrestling
November 26NHS Sponsors Veteran's Breakfast
November 19Best-Selling Author Jodee Blanco Visits EPCHS
Mustang Monitor
A Paperless EPCHS
Are you missing paper?
Ra'ell Moore-Wilson and Jose Arteaga use both the computer and their IPAD's in Computer Graphics class.
Libby McArthur
Meche Watson, Staff Writer
Are you missing paper? Love books and pages? Well it seems like the student body is more about saving the world than savoring the feeling of opening a new book. A year ago, EPCHS decided to change the school by not using scantrons anymore. Since then teachers have been using apps such as"Exam Login" to take test and quizzes.
When asked about the switch from scantrons to electronic test taking apps, 60.7% of students say they do not miss the scantrons while, 23% said they did prefer scantrons. Although students say they don't miss scantrons, most of the student body likes their class work and homework to be on paper.
In fact, 54.1% feel that homework and class work should be on paper or at least have a balance between the two considering the internet is not always reliable. When asked why the students feel this way, they brought up very good arguments like, "It's easier to focus on paper", "Keeps me more organized", "Easier to read", and "Easier to remember." The other 26.2% that said they didn't like paper copies felt that paper is easier to lose, "isn't good for the environment", "it's hard to search for each paper." I feel that while paper is not good for the environment, it is easier to work on, and it seems as though my fellow students feel the same way.
What are some facts about yourself?
I enjoy cooking, writing, shopping and reading so anything that involves creativity . I'm in almost...
How do you feel about clubs starting at 3:20?
It is the worst idea. (47%, 46 Votes)
Don't like it, but it is what it is. (19%, 18 Votes)
Great Idea! (14%, 14 Votes)
It doesn't matter to me. (12%, 12 Votes)
It's ok, but I have some concerns. (7%, 7 Votes)
Evergreen Park Community High School 1744 - Oak Forest 1617
Evergreen Park Community High School 1557 - T.F. South 1590
Evergreen Park Community High School 39 - Oak Lawn 51
Evergreen Park Community High School 84 - Stagg 81
Evergreen Park Community High School 1864 - Eisenhower 1650
Evergreen Park Community High School 57 - Reavis 14
Evergreen Park Community High School 36 - Shepard 41
The Mustangs Celebrate Valentine's Day
Cheesy Pick up Lines
I Am A Proud Muslim
Loving The Wrath and the Dawn
Cold Go Away!
Two Cents- First Impressions
EPCHS Celebrates the Season with Gratitude
Reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone
The Student News Site of Evergreen Park Community High School


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Nissan and Stallion Group Signs Deal to Launch Auto Assembly Plant in Nigeria
October 16, 2013 • by Staff
Nissan and West African conglomerate Stallion Group announced their intention to jointly launch vehicle assembly in Nigeria.
The announcement is in expectation of final approval by the Federal Government of the new Automobile Industrial Policy, designed to encourage development of the auto industry in Nigeria, and would see Nissan become the first major international manufacturer to launch vehicle assembly in the country following the new legislation, according to the automaker.
The parties have signed a memorandum of understanding, which will result in Stallion – already Nissan's exclusive distributor in Nigeria – increasing capacity at its existing plant, VON Automobile Ltd. in Lagos.
Stallion currently produces commercial vehicles at the facility. The plant's annual capacity will be expanded to 45,000 units to assemble a range of cars, light-duty trucks, pickups, and vans, according to Nissan. Full details of the product lineup will be confirmed at a later date, however it is anticipated the first product to be introduced will be the iconic Nissan Patrol SUV in spring 2014.
Capacity at the plant will also be opened to Nissan's Alliance partner Renault, to be utilized according to future business needs, according to the automaker.
Read more about Nissan Nigeria


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Q: Should I have flagged a question for moderator attention if it covered a "dodgy" topic? I recently flagged a StackOverflow question for moderator attention because related to the decompilation of third-party software, which smelt a little dodgy.
The response I got for the flag was:

declined - flags should only be used to make moderators aware of content that requires their intervention

This leaves me a little confused. Was I correct to flag this for moderator attention, even if my fears were misplaced? I can see several possible reasons for this flag response:

*

*The number of auto flag responses are small and this is the nearest fit. Perhaps the real response is "Thanks, a valid use of the flag system but I'm not too worried about this myself."

*The moderator incorrectly thinks it's not his/her job to care about such issues.

*I incorrectly think the moderator should care about these things, but actually there's another way to handle this
Can anyone advise on what my correct action should have been? (Focussing on how I should have used the tools, rather than concerning whether I was right or not).

A: Only flag for moderator attention if you believe a post is an exceptional case.  In this case, this question has no exceptional quality.
Exceptional cases include (not exhaustive):

*

*violating our Terms of Service

*copyright infringement

*aspects of the post that present the need to short-circuit the community moderation

*riots breaking out over the question (yo-yoing between open and closed, and cauing a ruckus

*plagiarism

*authentication/authorization/connection strings/tokens visible in post

*suspected sock puppet activity

*serial downvoting that isn't resolved by the automated serial vote removal system

*Very low quality post -- in essence a post that should be immediately deleted because it is unsalvagable through editing and actively makes the site a worse place by its presence.

Relevant reasons not to step in:

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*Third-party NDA agreements.

*We do not enforce contracts between two other entities.

Essentially, if a post is going to cause serious issues that can't be handled through the community, flag it for us.  Otherwise, let the community do its thing.  Vote to close, downvote, whatever.
There's a very high bar for a moderator to step in -- mostly because we're meant to be exception handlers.  It hasn't always been this way (in practice), but we've seen that the more we handle outside the community moderation system, the more often people flag items for us to handle, as opposed to handling it within the community moderation system.  Thousands of 3K users can handle thousands of questions. 12 moderators cannot scale that well.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


It is official, Bricks and Beyond will be holding a 1.2.+ class. This class is for anyone who has completed 1.1. If you think your child is interested please double check they are wanting to do the following builds. My plan is to do the soccer kicker, the soccer fan, and goalie, the rocket and my favorite the chocolate factory. Classes will be on Fridays 2/7, 2/14, 2/21, 2/28 and 3/7. from 3 to 4:30. Cost is $75. I am sorry, I will have to ask you all to register online, it helps keep everything organized. Please go to the following link. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1kqvuRzPJQKX6vWa7AacPRVQIbSqjprc9aG-3f2sqCpQ/viewform If this link does not work you can go to BricksandBeyond.com. Go to Winter Registration page. User name = Bricks Password = lego. Go to Wade King Page and register.


This is the 3rdtime this year we have used your company at 3 different locations and I have to say we have been really impressed with the consistently high standard of staff and quality of rentals you provide. It was interesting to add that while we were waiting for our pick up Roger ambled over to a competitor counter to see what a little run about would cost for the day, try $120!!
I just thought I'd send you a quick note to say how much I loved the new pickup system - it's so much easier than the old one. From landing to being on the road took about ten minutes - brilliant!
Practice the Driving Range at Sherwood Park Golf Club Millington Road, Whangarei.


My name is Tony and I study economics. The last time I studied economics was yesterday. I started studying economics in 2002 and I haven't stopped since. Oh, wait, this is the wrong forum for that speech. My fault.
MikeTBD, way back in May 2010, wrote a pretty devastating and hilarious retort to a certain USNA English Professor. For the record, it was a very witty put down and it was a needed comeuppance for this particular professor. I am not going to rehash any of that here, but what caught my eye was when MikeTBD mentioned the so-called "Flutie Effect". For those that don't know, the Flutie Effect refers to the phenomenon of having a successful college sports team increase the exposure and prominence of a university. It is named after Boston College's QB Doug Flutie whose game winning Hail Mary pass in the 1984 game against the University of Miami allegedly played a large role in the school's increased applications the following year.
The results indicate that sports success increases application rates for all three SAT subgroups. However, the lower SAT scoring students (less than 900) respond to sports success by about twice as much as the higher SAT scoring students. These results suggest that schools that have athletic success are not receiving extra applications solely from low performing students and greatly strengthen the SAT results derived from the Peterson's data [emphasis added]. It appears that athletic success does indeed present an opportunity to schools to be either more selective in their admission standards or enroll more students while keeping a fixed level of student quality.
Using two unique and comprehensive datasets in conjunction with an econometric design that controls for the unobservable features of schools, we find that football and basketball success increase the quantity of applications to a school, with estimates ranging from 2-8% for the top 20 football schools and the top 16 basketball schools each year. We also provide evidence that the extra applications are composed of students with both low and high SAT scores. Additional evidence that we present suggests that schools use these extra applications to both increase student quality and increase enrollment size. There is no evidence that schools adjust tuition levels in response to receiving these extra applications.
Why is this important Salty? Hey, thanks for asking. It's important because the admissions offices are getting more qualified applicants. Even if just 10% of the excess (read: Flutie effect) applicants are from super smart kids, then that is a win for the university. Sure, the admissions staff is going to have to spend time on lesser quality kids too. But those applicants are normally screened out pretty quickly. A kid with a 700 SAT (math+verbal) who applies to Stanford because of Andrew Luck isn't going to garner much attention from the admissions committee (unless he kills or captures Joseph Kony). So, the admissions office might have a problem on its hands with more applications, but it's a good problem to have based on the data.
Major sports programs like football and basketball create a positive externality (in economic jargon) for most schools. I'm sure that goes for nearly all schools. I doubt that USNA is an exception.
There you go, confusing the situation with facts!
Interesting you should post this a few weeks after Bissinger and Gladwell "won" the debate on banning football. I think what you wrote is a cool aside, Tony, but it got me to thinking about something else. Is there any way to measure, in quantatative terms, the effect of a winning revenue sports program on a university populace? Are students more at ease? Do they attend other university functions more? Boost spending on campus in the community? What's more, does attendence increase is classes? Grades go up? Holy crap, I think I just found something to go back to grad school to study.
God am I glad I never had that bozo's class!
Adam, good questions. The problem with trying to answer them is trying to find proxies for variables that would answer the questions. For example, increased enrollment wouldn't be difficult to model but "more at ease" would be very difficult because you'd have to make up some type of metric to gauge this and that is always controversial and often wrong. Re:"boost spending as a whole on the campus" would be VERY difficult too because isolating the effects of the athletic department on campus spending is hard as well. Unless you were talking about jerseys, pennants, etc. it would be very difficult. Strangely enough, the Orszags dove into this a little in 2003. At it's core, economics is a squishy social science that is not nearly as empirical as some would have you believe. It ain't physics that's for sure.
Ohio State, where I attended from 2002-07, is an interesting study in academic profile. When I enrolled in 2002, Ohio State did not have the greatest academic reputation among Ohio high school students, and the Admissions department began a significant effort to increase our academic profile. In 2002, we also won the national championship in football. If I recall correctly, my freshman class was the beginning of a trend that every (or at least most) freshman classes since have been the "best" Ohio State has ever had. And our academic reputation has grown to the point that we now have higher academic standards than schools we were known to be "lower than" in 2002.
The question, as you posed in this blog, is can this be more attributed to our success in the sports arena (three football national championship appearances and two basketball Final Four appearances since 2002), or did the efforts of our Admissions department bear fruit? Is there any way to separate the two? I would imagine the answers are "Both" and "No". But regardless of the "answer", it's an interesting line of thought.
Jeff H, that's the tough part. You'd probably have to commission a survey of students in the cohorts we think were affected (see how this is already getting a tad nutty?). When econometricians build models to explain these phenomena they try to account for everything that is relevant and has an affect on the Y or X in the proposed equation. Sometimes you have problems where you're not sure which part of the equation is driving which. For example, crime and police force #s are always hotly contested. Which is driving which? Is crime driving the # of police or is the # of police driving the amount of crime? Most likely, Ohio State's national championship had a significant affect and a larger affect than the admissions committee's efforts. Why? Because the football team's presence is just enormous compared to the admissions dept. Most ppl in Ohio know who Jim Tressel was. Did anyone know who the President of OSU was at the time, much less the admissions director? That's not to say that the admissions dept's efforts were insignicant, but I doubt it could ever come close to the externality produced by incredibly successful national sports programs.


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Project Coordinator I
Senior Analyst, Health Equity and Diversity Initiatives
Director, Overdose Preparedness and Response
Senior Analyst, Health Equity in the Territories
Cures Start Here. At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home to three Nobel laureates, interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists seek new and innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Fred Hutchs pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation led to the development of immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to treat cancer. An independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, Fred Hutch houses the nations first cancer prevention research program, as well as the clinical coordinating center of the Womens Health Initiative and the international headquarters of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Careers Start Here.
At Fred Hutch, we believe that the innovation, collaboration, and rigor that result from diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission of eliminating cancer and related diseases. We seek employeeswho bringdifferent and innovativeways of seeing the world and solving problems.Fred Hutch is in pursuit of becoming an antiracist organization.Weare committed to ensuring that all candidates hired share our commitment to diversity,antiracism, and inclusion.
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has a 100% FTE Project Coordinator I position available through the Cancer Prevention Department. Specifically, this position is under the direction of Dr. Katrina Ortblad within the Division of Public Health Sciences at Fred Hutch. Dr. Ortblads research aims to improve equity in health access with differentiated models of HIV service delivery in high prevalence settings. Most of her work focuses on designing innovative models for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) delivery with African research colleagues, refining these models using findings from qualitative research and stakeholder engagement, and then testing these models in pilot studies and later hybrid implementation-effectiveness trials. Dr. Ortblads research uses diverse methods across the fields of epidemiology, economics, public policy, psychology, and implementation science.
The Project Coordinator I will work under the direction of the Project Manager and Principal Investigator. They are responsible for helping with the maintenance, organization, and collection of scientific data related to HIV prevention, as well as assisting with various administrative tasks as needed. These duties allow participation along the entire research continuum, from proposal submission to dissemination of results.
Perform library research, literature reviews, and literature summaries as directed.
Draft PowerPoint slides or other presentations.
Assist in the preparation, editing, formatting, and submission of manuscripts, correspondence, and grant applications.
Draft biosketches, letters of support, and letters of reference.
Review research materials (such as study protocols, consent forms, questionnaires, interview scripts, data collection instruments, and educational materials)
Help manage IRB files as needed.
Maintain and edit study database (CommCare).
Support collection of quantitative and qualitative data collection and quality.
Protect participant confidentiality by following all relevant federal, institutional, and study guidelines and research protocols.
Help the PI maintain myNCBI and CV.
Help schedule team meetings and PI meeting (as needed),
Maintain PIs academic Twitter account.
Schedule travel (both national and international)
Help order supplies and track receipts
Organize and maintain paper and electronic files.
Attend weekly meetings with the research team.
Complete other administrative duties, like printing, copying, mailing, faxing, taking meeting minutes, updating study websites, etc.
BA/BS with minimum of two years post-bachelor's relevant project coordination experience.
High level of attention to detail, excellent organizational skills.
Excellent written skills. Outstanding interpersonal, customer service, and verbal communication skills.
Must have demonstrated cultural humility.
Demonstrated excellent human relations, facilitation, and influencing skills to deal effectively with a broad range of people.
Demonstrated ability to form respectful, productive working relationships with people from diverse backgrounds.
Ability to collaborate effectively across multiple organizations.
Experience managing multiple projects from inception to completion.
Ability to think critically and synthesize complex issues to move project forward.
Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, specifically Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook required.
Experience working with quantitative data collection and quality assessment a plus.
Flexibility in work hours.
A cover letter and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) personal statement are required with this application.
REQUIRED CHARACTERISTICS:
Team-oriented
Comfortable working in a fast-paced and complex environment
Flexibility and adaptability
Highest standards of professionalism
Passion for the mission of the organization
Please submit a cover letter if interest and your DEI statement per the instrcutions below to be considered for the role!
Fred Hutch has a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine requirement, with exceptions only for approved medical or religious accommodations.
As a condition of employment, newly hired employees must provide proof of vaccination or initiate the accommodations process before their first day of employment.
A statement describing your commitment and contributions toward greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism in your career or that will be made through your work at Fred Hutch is requested of all finalists.
We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) Employer. We are committed to cultivating a workplace in which diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, age, disability (physical or mental), marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, political ideology, or membership in any other legally protected class. We are an Affirmative Action employer. We encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds to apply and desire priority referrals of protected veterans. If due to a disability you need assistance/and or a reasonable accommodation during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to our Employee Services Center at hrops@fredhutch.org or by calling 206-667-4700.
Not ready to apply? Connect with us for general consideration.
About Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, teams of world-renowned scientists and humanitarians work together to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Researchers are discovering new ways to detect cancers earlier, improve treatments, and learn how to prevent cancers from growing. Although Fred Hutchinson opened its doors in 1975, its history began about 20 years before that. In 1962 Fred Hutchinson envisioned a center devoted to studying cancer, a disease that took his brother's life. Today Fred Hutchinson is contributing to the next waves of breakthrough treatments and prevention strategies. Fred Hutchinson collaborates with the Seattle Cancer Alliance, the National Cancer Institute, and the University of Washington.
Connections working at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
https://govphcareers.astho.org/jobs/16058830/project-coordinator-i


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2016 Monster Energy Supercross Season Kicks Off This Saturday Night at Angel Stadium
Live Television Broadcast on FS1
ELLENTON, Fla. (January 4, 2016) - This Saturday night from Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, the 2016 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship will kick off with one of the deepest field in more than a decade.
Saturday night's race will air live on FS1 at 10:00 p.m. EST/ 7:00 p.m. PST, including a 30 minute preshow starting at 9:30 p.m. EST / 6:30 p.m PST
Media Day will take place Thursday, January 7, at Noon PST inside the Diamond Club at Angel Stadium. Fans can listen to the live stream at www.SupercrossLive.com starting at 3:00 p.m EST/ Noon PST.
On Saturday, January 9, fans can log on to www.SupercrossLive.com to watch Race Day Live Presented by AMSOIL with Jim Holley and Andy Bowyer from 3:50 p.m. EST/ 12:50 p.m. PST to 7:30 p.m. EST/ 4:30 p.m. PST.
Follow @SupercrossLIVE on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook for exclusive content all season long and join the conversation via #SXonFOX, #SupercrossLive.
Following the U.S. departure of reigning four-time Monster Energy AMA Supercross titleholder Ryan Villopoto, the 2015 season became a wide open battle to fill the vacancy left atop the 450SX Class. What last year's championship battle ultimately became was the rise of another Ryan, Red Bull KTM's Ryan Dungey, who amassed one of the most statistically dominant seasons in history to wrap up the championship three races early.
As a whole, 2015 was one to remember for Dungey. The Minnesota native captured his second 450SX Class title on the heels of 16 podium finishes in 17 races and a career-high eight victories. It had been five years since he won his first World Championship as a rookie back in 2010, setting a record gap between titles, but Dungey had already established himself as arguably the most consistent rider of the sport's new era. In five seasons of 450SX Class competition prior to 2015, he finished no worse than third in the final standings. Another championship was seemingly inevitable for the sport's most reliable athlete.
Dungey continued his impressive 2015 run into the summer Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, earning seven overall wins and 22 podium results in 24 motos to become a 450 Class National Champion for the third time. In doing so, he swept each of the sport's respective major championships for the second time in his career.
In more than 40 years of the sport only 11 riders have ever won both the supercross and motocross titles, and Dungey is now one of just five riders to do so on multiple occasions. This small and coveted group is comprised of the most successful riders in history - Bob Hannah, Jeff Stanton, Ricky Carmichael, Ryan Villopoto and now Dungey.
Now officially one of the sport's most decorated athletes, Dungey is in pursuit of another coveted distinction for the 2016 season. With a potential third Monster Energy Supercross championship on the line, he will not only look to successfully defend a title for the first time in his career, but also become just the sixth rider to win three 450SX Class crowns.
As the most dependable competitor in all of off-road motorcycle racing, unseating Dungey will prove to be a difficult task. However, a very talented group of challengers, all of who are younger than Dungey, enter the 2016 season with aspirations of capturing their first Monster Energy Supercross championship and becoming the 21st different titleholder in the sport's 42-year history.
Eli Tomac, last year's championship runner-up, along with Ken Roczen, Trey Canard and Justin Barcia, all of whom are multi-time Main Event winners, are in the prime of their budding careers. They are each familiar with success, having all won a 250SX Class Regional Championship, and have the ability to put together a championship-caliber campaign over the course of the 17-race season.
Tomac is the new face at Monster Energy Kawasaki, filling the void left by Villopoto's retirement. His breakout 2015 season saw him win three Main Events and emerge as Dungey's primary rival in the late stages of the championship. He's been seen as one of the sport's most promising young riders, thanks to the Villopoto-esque aggression he displays on the track, and appears to be in a situation where he can thrive with his new team, perhaps taking the next step in his career. The Factory Kawasaki effort was held winless last season for the first time since 2004, and Tomac is determined to put the team back in the forefront of the title fight.
Roczen, who hails from Germany, is Monster Energy Supercross' rising international star. Entering his second season with the Ricky Carmichael and Carey Hart owned RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki Factory Racing team, Roczen is poised to learn from an up and down 2015 season and give his squad its first championship of any kind. Roczen is arguably the most well-rounded and naturally gifted rider in the field and is known for getting off to a fast start in the early stages of the season, which could be critical in his efforts to become supercross' first ever German-born champion.
Canard has gradually inched closer and closer to ending Team Honda HRC's championship drought that now enters its 13th season. He can easily be considered the most accomplished rider in the field to never win a 450SX Class title, but heartbreak has unfortunately played a significant role to this point in his career. In five seasons of premier class competition, Canard has never completed a full 17-race slate, but he's a fixture at the front of the field. If he can stay healthy, Canard is a virtual lock to be in the title hunt and could bring Honda back to the dominance it once enjoyed.
There were growing pains for Barcia in his first season with the Joe Gibbs Racing Autotrader.com/Toyota/Yamaha effort, but as time wore on the partnership began to show its potential. Still titleless in eight seasons, the JGRMX squad finally has its perfect rider, while Barcia is finally entrenched in the environment he needs to chase a championship. Arguably the dark horse of this year's title hopefuls, Barcia and JGRMX appear ready to make a run.
While the youth movement of Monster Energy Supercross appears to be reaching its pinnacle, two of the sport's most iconic figures aren't ready to relinquish their positions at the top just yet, creating an incredibly intriguing dynamic of experienced veterans and youthful exuberance.
Today's era of supercross cannot be discussed without mentioning James Stewart and Chad Reed, who accompany Dungey as former champions in the 2016 field. These surefire Hall of Famers are entering the late stages of their illustrious careers, but despite giving up some years on their fellow competitors, they are both still more than capable of winning and enter this season with something to prove.
Stewart was forced to sit out the entirety of 2015 following a 16-month suspension stemming from a failed PED test in 2014. Although he was unable to compete, Stewart refused to sit idle and has prepared relentlessly aboard his Team Yoshimura Suzuki for his highly anticipated and impending return. Undoubtedly more motivated than ever before, the 30-year-old looks poised to make a serious run at a third Monster Energy Supercross crown, which he last won in 2009.
As for Reed, the 2016 season presents yet another year in which he will play the role of underdog, perhaps more so than ever before. True to his legacy, Reed overcame all obstacles last season to win his 44th career Main Event and remain relevant in the championship battle, ultimately finishing fourth despite scoring no points at two races. However, the Australian rider's hopes for the future suffered a major blow after he was forced to shutter his self-owned TwoTwo Motorsports operation after five seasons. Now Reed is back aboard a factory bike and feeling rejuvenated about his chances of battling for a third Monster Energy Supercross championship in his 14th season of 450SX Class competition at the age of 33.
Not to be outdone, a stout collection of sophomore riders and 450SX Class rookies will also fill the gate for 2016, hoping to turn some heads and ascend to the sport's upper echelon.
Team Honda HRC's Cole Seely enjoyed a convincing rookie campaign in 2015 that not only saw him dominate en route to his inaugural 450SX Class victory, but also amass five podium finishes while placing third in the championship. With a year under his belt, Seely is a wild card that could shake things up on any given weekend.
Team Yoshimura Suzuki's Blake Baggett did well to fill Stewart's absence last season, exceeding expectations to finish fifth in the final standings with one podium finish. A similar effort came from Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Jason Anderson, who helped make the legendary Swedish brand's return to the sport seamless thanks to a pair of podiums of his own.
Team Red Bull KTM's Dean Wilson will enjoy another rookie season of sorts in 2016 after a torn ACL took him out of contention a year ago after just three races. While his raw speed is elite, Wilson will focus on developing race craft in his comeback, leaning on the experience of Dungey and tutelage of team manager Roger DeCoster.
A trio of former Eastern Regional 250SX Class Champions will lead the rookie effort in the 450SX Class as Marvin Musquin, Justin Bogle and Christophe Pourcel all prepare to take on the world's best aboard factory rides. Frenchman Musquin capped off his 250SX Class career last season with his first career title on U.S. soil, and his technical skillset should prove beneficial as he acclimates to the premier division. Bogle will take the place of Tomac at GEICO Honda, the team he has raced for his entire pro career, giving him a comfortable and familiar setting to develop from in his rookie season. Although Pourcel last competed in supercross during a championship-winning 2010 season, the Frenchman is full of talent and has many people curious as to what he can accomplish with the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team.
With a trio of former champions and 10 past Main Event winners, Monster Energy Supercross will have its deepest field of 450SX Class competitors on the gate for the 2016 season. While Dungey looks to chase history, his primary challengers will all eagerly look to unseat him as champion over the course of 17 races in 18 weeks.
Past Winners in Anaheim
450SX Class
January 31, 2015 Ryan Dungey
January 17, 2015 Ken Roczen
January 3, 2015 Ken Roczen
February 1, 2014 Chad Reed
January 18, 2014 Chad Reed
February 2, 2013 Ryan Dungey
January 19, 2013 Ryan Villopoto
January 5, 2013 Davi Millsaps
January 7, 2012 Ryan Villopoto
February 5, 2011 James Stewart
February 13, 2010 Ryan Villopoto
January 9, 2010 James Stewart
January 17, 2009 James Stewart
January 3, 2009 Josh Grant
January 5, 2008 Chad Reed
January 21, 2006 Ricky Carmichael
February 4, 2006 Ricky Carmichael
January 8, 2005 Kevin Windham
January 31, 2004 Kevin Windham
January 5, 2002 David Vuillemin
January 19, 2002 Mike LaRocco
January 6, 2001 Jeremy McGrath
January 20, 2001 Jeremy McGrath
January 9, 1999 Ezra Lusk
February 6, 1999 Ezra Lusk
January 25, 1992 Damon Bradshaw
January 26, 1991 Jeff Stanton
January 28, 1989 Rick Johnson
January 31, 1987 Jeff Ward
January 18, 1986 David Bailey
February 2, 1985 Broc Glover
January 28, 1984 Johnny O'Mara
January 30, 1982 Donnie Hansen
January 31, 1981 Kent Howerton
November 17, 1979 Kent Howerton
November 11, 1978 Gaylon Mosier
November 12, 1977 Bob Hannah
December 4, 1976 Marty Smith
January 31, 2015 Cooper Webb
January 3, 2015 Jessy Nelson
February 1, 2014 Dean Wilson
January 18, 2014 Cole Seely
January 4, 2014 Jason Anderson
February 2, 2013 Ken Roczen
January 19, 2013 Eli Tomac
January 5, 2013 Eli Tomac
January 7, 2012 Cole Seely
February 5, 2011 Joshua Hansen
January 8, 2011 Joshua Hansen
February 13, 2010 Trey Canard
January 23, 2010 Jake Weimer
January 9, 2010 Jake Weimer
February 7, 2009 Jake Weimer
January 5, 2008 Ryan Dungey
February 2, 2008 Jason Lawrence
February 3, 2007 Ryan Villopoto
January 7, 2006 Andrew Short
January 21, 2006 Grant Langston
February 4, 2006 Grant Langston
January 8, 2005 Nathan Ramsey
January 22, 2005 Ivan Tedesco
February 5, 2005 Ivan Tedesco
January 3, 2004 Ivan Tedesco
January 4, 2003 Travis Preston
January 19, 2002 David Pingree
February 2, 2002 Brock Sellards
January 6, 2001 Ernesto Fonseca
January 20, 2001 Ernesto Fonseca
February 3, 2001 Ernesto Fonseca
January 8, 2000 David Pingree
January 15, 2000 Tallon Vohland
January 9, 1999 Casey Johnson
February 6, 1999 Nathan Ramsey
January 28, 1995 Damon Huffman
January 9, 1993 Damon Huffman
January 27, 1990 Michael Craig
January 28, 1989 Jeff Matiasevich
January 18, 1986 Tyson Vohland
February 2, 1985 Mike Healy
Tickets are available at the Angel Stadium of Anaheim Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, charge by phone (800) 745-3000, or online at www.SupercrossLive.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Practice and qualifying begin at 12:00 p.m. and the Main Event starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets starting at $20. Fans can also get in to the Pits for FREE from 12:00-6 p.m. Race Day when they recycle a MONSTER Energy Can at the stadium's pit entrance (valid only with event ticket).
As a precursor to the live television, don't forget to catch all of the pre-race coverage with Supercross Race Day Live presented by AMSOIL, which will stream on SupercrossLive.com from 12:50 p.m.- 4:30 p.m. local race time each Saturday during the season. Practice, qualifying, behind the scenes features, and key rider interviews will all be highlighted on the Supercross Race Day Live presented by AMSOIL webcast.