The purpose of this study is to investigate the integration of strategic management and quality assurance in higher education. The study presents how the value chain can be described in the strategy and quality maps, which are, respectively graphical representations of the strategic plan and the quality assurance system. The quality map is a new…

The University of Michigan sponsored a 2-day, institution-wide exposition of quality management efforts, which included 64 exhibits staffed by university employees. The underlying principles, planning stages, evidence that the expo was successful, lessons learned, plans for similar future efforts, and ways to obtain further information about this…

After seven years of conducting the National Association of College and University Business Officers' benchmark program, designed to establish standards for institutional administration, the association reviews the lessons learned and the challenges ahead in higher education. Representatives of four participating universities offer their…

An experimental program at the University of Woollongong (Australia) identified a quality management framework, developed indicators of institutional performance, created a database for user-defined information needs, and provided access to information at all institutional levels. The project explored use of performance indicators and demonstrated…

The initial implementation of the Total Quality Management approach by 10 Boston-area (Massachusetts) institutions is summarized. The institutions include Babson College, Bentley College, Boston College, Boston University, Lesley College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University, University of Massachusetts at Boston, Wentworth…

The evolution of an award-winning Total Quality Management (TQM) program for administrative and academic staff development at Oregon State University is chronicled. Special attention is given to application of TQM for faculty and corporate interaction, instructional improvement, and curriculum development. Special challenges for implementation of…

Adaptation of the Total Quality Management approach to organizational improvement at Oregon State University involved creation of 10 pilot finance and administration teams and implementation of a 10-step problem-solving process. The approach has improved staff morale as well as client services. (MSE)

Describes Yoji Akao's concept of quality function development (QFD), a strategic tool that translates the customers' quality requirements into organizational language. Examines how El Camino College's (California) application of QFD matches constituent needs to college functions. Includes an 11-item bibliography and lists El Camino College's…

Three university programs of continuous quality improvement, based on the Total Quality Management approach, are described. The institutions are the Georgia Institute of Technology; Pennsylvania State University; and University of Maryland at College Park. The report attempts to look beyond the mechanics of the programs to discover what is being…

The Georgia Southern University admissions office implemented Total Quality Management (TQM) principles to control the quality of information management. It is suggested that, although TQM is used best on an institutionwide basis, it can also be useful in improving quality, reducing cost, increasing productivity, and achieving competitiveness on a…

Responding to a budget deficit, St. John Fisher College (New York) used quality-management tools to address critical budget issues and initiate a strategic program. Because the process used consensus-building tools, committee members felt they had been given equal input into resource allocation decisions and the process provided a sense of shared…

Outlines strategies used by one Australian university for systematic quality improvement, including development of a quality management plan, devolution of responsibility for quality advancement to faculties and schools, and improving documentation of quality-assurance procedures and outcomes. Topics discussed include leadership, committees,…

A University of Vienna (Austria) staff development program that emphasizes the professionalization of university teaching and management is described. The approach integrates personnel evaluation, quality assessment, and staff development, which is also linked to institutional mission and identity. A benefit of the staff development seminars has…

Total Quality Management (TQM), a technique traditionally reserved for the manufacturing sector, has recently spread to service companies, government agencies, and educational institutions. TQM places responsibility for quality problems with management rather than on the workers. A principal concept of TQM is the management of Process Variation,…

Syracuse University (New York) has found that the focused, collaborative approach to institutional administration embodied in Total Quality Management is beneficial. It requires allocation of adequate time and resources, observation of others, communication, addressing high-need areas first, and willingness to adapt, but it may bring resistance…