Posted by Pamela Wong
You’ve probably heard someone somewhere describe Baldrige as a “flavor of the month.” Our award winners, however, quickly dispel that judgment.
Take, for example, the University of Wisconsin–Stout, which in 2001 became the first university to receive the Baldrige Award. Since 2001, here are some examples of the university’s achievements:
· It’s enrollment grew from about 8,000 students to a record 9,339 in 2010.
· Despite our nation’s economic woes, 98 percent of its first-year graduates report that they are employed this year.
· Through its two-year-old Discovery Center, UW-Stout collaborates with businesses, industries, and communities in dealing with their challenges. Discovery Center clients report increased sales, cost savings, investments, and jobs.
UW–Stout remains a strong supporter of the Baldrige Program and the Criteria for Performance Excellence. At the 23rd Quest for Excellence last April, their representatives presented a session on the use of social media in higher education. Social media is part of the 2011–2012 Criteria (item 3.1) as an important method for listening to customers.
Far from being a passing fad, maintaining its “quest for excellence” is a theme at Stout. The university’s provost, Dr. Julie Furst-Bowe, is traveling three times this year through the Fulbright Specialists Program to the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy in Baku, Azerbaijan.
“This project will help the academy build and develop its internal quality assurance processes,” Furst-Bowe said. “I will assist the faculty and administrators in developing policies and procedures and work with them to create new academic programs to meet the needs of a growing student population.”
Furst-Bowe will be speaking on September 27 at the Baldrige Regional Conference in Birmingham, AL. Join us and hear more of UW–Stout’s story!
No comments:
Post a Comment