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…

A college's administrative services and support units must give attention to improving quality and service just as instructional units do. Greater efficiency and productivity among noninstructional units can have a significant impact on institutional feasibility. Cost reduction is most effective when there is a common understanding of core…

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…

A theory of program quality based on a new definition of quality is offered. Constructed on the basis of interviews with nearly 800 stakeholders in master's-level education, the engagement theory" advances a conceptual framework and a set of criteria, with indicators, for assessing graduate and professional program quality. (Author/MSE)

The British experience with nationwide research quality assessment exercises and newly-introduced measures to improve research program accountability is described. Consequences for institutions of higher education and for the system as a whole are examined, using the University of Glasgow (Scotland) as an example. Utility of performance indicators…

Three models for college and university decision-making about scarce resources are outlined: (1) shared governance, (2) corporate management, and (3) total quality management. Two underlying principles of all the models are, first, that faculty are the heart of the institution and, second, that successful institutions are governed through the…

Strategies for promoting efficient control of quality in colleges and universities are examined. It is proposed that integration of external review and institutional self-evaluation can be used to support the goals of accountability, efficiency, and institutional effectiveness. (MSE)

College administrators often overlook the valuable assistance than can be provided by the college internal audit unit as they implement principles of total quality management. This unit is in a good position to conduct performance audits of departments and programs, the results of which can provide meaningful information to assist in…

In the context of the discipline of quality control, this paper identifies many of the tools which may reinvigorate the statistical and graphical toolkits in higher education. Certain statistical and graphical issues are discussed by means of examples and hypothetical situations, and techniques are introduced that have application for the pursuit…

Selected data drawn from national sources are statistically refined to construct a microcomputer-based model for monitoring academic quality and simulating the effects of management decisions. The method, illustrated for doctoral institutions here, can be used for colleges at any level, across institutions, and over time. (MSE)

Describes two action research projects undertaken at an Australian university to improve quality of services to foreign students and improve the institution's image through word of mouth, or informal marketing. Each project, although small, facilitated changes or improvements to a targeted service. The role of management in empowering employees…

Responding to the call for higher education to adopt a new paradigm in managing its administrative processes, an Institutional Research Office at Delaware County Community College (DCCC) in Pennsylvania made a two-year effort to use a Total Quality approach in its management. Total Quality Management is a Japanese movement based on the teachings…

During the 1980s, a difficult period for many colleges and universities, the University of Michigan was able to respond successfully to changing circumstances. The university has conducted three analyses (costs, staffing, revenue) that have led to recommendations in the areas of organizational cultural change, a quality approach to strategic…

In college administration, a climate for adaptive change should be created using the philosophy, processes, and tools of Total Quality Management in combination with other management innovations. An enterprise-wide infrastructure for distributing information on demand for decision makers to monitor institutional performance should be built.…

The process of academic program evaluation in pharmacy in the United Kingdom is described, focusing on the accrediting role of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, other existing peer review mechanisms, national developments in program evaluation, and school-level components of program quality assessment. (MSE)