navigate: home: magazine: winter 1999: article

Quality conference Quality is key to higher education's survival in 21st century By Deborah A. Benedetti
Dr. David Ward, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, gave the plenary address during the Penn State Quality Conference and Expo. Dr. Carolyn Woo, dean of the College of Business Administration, University of Notre Dame, said higher education institutions have been successful using total quality and strategic management. Penn State Management Development Programs and Services, a unit of Outreach and Cooperative Extension, was one of 65 University groups showcasing their continuous quality improvement efforts during the Quality Conference and Expo. Dr. Wesley E. Donahue (left), director of Management Development, and Dr. John E. Park, assistant director of Management Development, hosted the exhibit.	In the late 1980s, the University of Wisconsin–Madison had a weak executive structure, an independent faculty and a shared system of governance—like many other higher education institutions at that time. The institution was not easy to run, according to Chancellor David Ward, and it was in need of a new management philosophy to guide it in making changes.   “We had a system where the deans were the feudal barons, and there was no nation state to inhibit their rapacious conquests,” Ward said. “I thought the only management philosophy that had the possibility of succeeding in this climate was a quality one.”   Speaking during the Penn State Quality Conference and Expo, he outlined his institution’s progress in adopting a quality philosophy.   The focus of this year’s conference was “Integrating Quality: Building Blocks for Excellence.” The conference was held at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, and the sixth annual Quality Expo, showcasing displays by 65 of the 251 University academic and academic-support continuous quality improvement teams, was held at The Nittany Lion Inn.   Ward, appointed chancellor in 1993, said Wisconsin–Madison’s first step in adopting a quality approach was to define its mission. The university determined its mission was “to create, integrate, transfer and apply knowledge.”   The next challenge was to get faculty and staff members thinking about how they wanted their institution to look in 10 years. To achieve this goal, Wisconsin–Madison began its first strategic planning process. Some of the themes that emerged from these discussions included improving undergraduate education, maintaining a preeminence in research, adapting instructional technology, enhancing advising and internationalizing the curriculum.   “We realized that adaptability is important,” Ward said. “To thrive in a complex, changing, threatening environment, the most valuable asset any organization can have is adaptability.”   The University of Wisconsin–Madison also developed three themes to guide future planning: learning experience—enhancing education inside and outside the classroom; learning community—linking and aligning to meet new challenges; and learning environment—providing facilities and technology to enhance learning.   Ward believes his institution is making the changes that will prepare it for the 21st century. He has published a comprehensive strategic plan outlining priorities for the next decade. During his tenure, he also has expanded on The Wisconsin Idea, the philosophical framework guiding his institution’s public service role. The updated Wisconsin Idea is reflected in the wide array of partnerships Wisconsin– Madison has established with the public and private sectors.   Following Ward’s plenary address, Dr. David Wormley, dean of the College of Engineering at Penn State, moderated a panel discussion on quality in higher education institutions that included: Dr. Carolyn Woo, dean of the College of Business Administration, University of Notre Dame. Woo, who has been involved in business education for 20 years, said, “In the last 15 years, higher education has come a long way. We have been successful through total quality and strategic management. We’ve answered the question ‘Can higher education change and reform itself?’ Yes, we can change and reform ourselves. The new question is ‘Can we change quickly?’ The pace of change is increasing.” Woo also identified two areas in need of exploration for future success: developing the enterprise leadership of faculty and engaging faculty to come together as a community. Dr. Susan Hillenmeyer, vice president for administration and planning, Belmont University. She discussed her institution’s alternative self-study using the Malcolm Baldrige quality criteria for education. She said, “If you have an assessment framework that allows you to assess your entire institution, you will be able to define your gaps. You will find you have silos of excellence, and as you identify gaps, you will be able to define strategies to improve them.” To help make changes, Belmont University invited faculty members to roundtable discussions to talk about their changing roles from the perspective of the institution’s mission and vision. Dr. John A. Brighton, executive vice president and provost of Penn State. He discussed Penn State’s experiences since 1988 in adopting a quality approach. In 1991, he launched one of the first quality initiatives at a major public research university when he charged the University Council on Continuous Quality Improvement to study total quality concepts and their applications to colleges and universities and to develop strategies for implementing the practice of quality at Penn State. He said a key challenge for the University is following through on making needed changes. “To do that, we have to look at culture, which is defined as a set of beliefs, values and practices of an organization. We want to change to be more effective in getting things done. It’s important to reflect on our culture and where we need to be and what changes must be made to make us more adept. The most important issue is to first build leadership in our organization. At Penn State, we are building leadership at all levels through a variety of programs, including the Academic Leadership Forum and the Administrative Fellows Program.”   Other conference sessions featured Penn State faculty and staff members and speakers from several U.S. universities. Louise Sandmeyer, executive director of the Penn State Center for Quality and Planning, welcomed participants to the two-day program. For more information about Penn State’s quality initiatives, visit the center’s Web site at www.psu.edu/president/cqi.   The center sponsored the Quality Conference and Expo in collaboration with the University Council on Continuous Quality Improvement and the student chapter of the American Society for Quality. The Division of Continuing Education’s Conferences and Institutes assisted with planning the events.