Every college struggles to create processes of quality assurance and continuous improvement to demonstrate and ensure its service to students and community. Accreditation is one avenue that ensures some uniformity across many institutions in the eyes of the public. While this paper focuses on accreditation processes and meeting the needs of…

The president of Rio Salado Community College (Arizona) reports both quantitative and qualitative evidence that that institution's investment in Total Quality Management has yielded a variety of benefits including reduced printing costs, increased job satisfaction, and an altered campus culture. (DB)

This paper explores the emerging shift away from highly specialized, self-centered value systems to more collaborative and integrative approaches in the fields of art, business, and in primary and secondary education. How these new applications are expressed in each field is discussed in the following areas: the Art in Public Places Movement;…

This article presents a family of organizational performance measures that enable decision makers at institutions of higher education to weigh the returns on investment in Total Quality Management. The enrollment management process is used to illustrate the use of six performance measures. The importance of a thorough knowledge of organizational…

Increasingly, higher education institutions are using Total Quality Management (TQM) as a vehicle for delivering cost-effective programs and services. The TQM philosophy is that quality can be improved by ceaselessly improving the processes that support the institution's mission. TQM is applicable to institutional research and planning as well as…

Outdated and cumbersome administrative processes and technology at the University of Missouri prompted use of business process reengineering (BPR) techniques to bring about change. BPR helped quantify staff resources and costs associated with major administrative processes, know where those processes were occurring, and understand opportunities…

The Maryland Center for Quality and Productivity at the University of Maryland has developed a methodology that enables the management team of an organization to define its critical performance dimensions. A set of metrics is offered to help colleges and universities assess whether quality management is improving their performance. (DB)

This article describes the cost-of-quality model used at El Camino College (California), which formally measures the costs associated with process improvement activities. A case study illustrates use of the model in evaluating a new process for reimbursing faculty and staff attending conferences. (DB)

Presents a typology of quality-assurance systems for higher education and evaluates the alternatives. Argues that total quality management strategies are best suited to higher education's purpose because the model is internal to the delivery of the service, continuous, and process-oriented, but notes, however, that there are deep, often…

This book presents stories from teachers nationwide who tackled specific discipline challenges. Chapter 1, "Taking the Total Quality Road" (Judi Call, Beth Ziecheck, Janice Wright, and Kenneth Rigsby), discusses the use of Total Quality Management (TQM) in developing classroom management systems, explaining how Florida elementary…

A professor at the Air Force Academy (Colorado) recounts that institution's 3 years of experience with total quality concepts. The model that guided initial quality education and training activities is described and evidence of progress reported. He concludes that the right kind of investment in quality is well worth the cost. (DB)

This book presents college and university education as a quality-oriented service with students, parents, and legislators as customers demanding quality. It attempts to blend the concept of strategic management of quality in industry with the latest thinking on the administration of higher education. The first chapter discusses the importance of…

This article on the University of Michigan Information Technology (IT) Division's implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) principles describes TQM premises, the implementation process, and initial effects (e.g., increased use of concepts of customer needs and quality indicators). The particular relevance of the TQM approach for IT…

This article details the four-year implementation of Total Quality Management at Delaware County Community College (Pennsylvania) to conserve resources, improve effectiveness, assure quality, and increase participation in decision making. Reported are planning, execution, and monitoring activities of the Implementation Team; specific problems…

Oregon State University implemented Total Quality Management in nine phases: exploration; establishing a pilot study team; defining customer needs; adopting the breakthrough planning process; performing breakthrough planning in divisions; forming daily management teams; initiating cross-functional pilot projects; implementing cross-functional…