College of Business receives performance recognition award

Lipscomb University’s College of Business earned “Interest Level Recognition” in the annual Excellence in Tennessee program administered by the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE). The College of Business was recognized at the 17^th annual Excellence in Tennessee Awards Banquet Feb. 24 in Franklin, Tenn.

 

This represents a first step towards Baldrige Award recognition for the college.

 

“We work hard at process improvement within the College of Business, most importantly in how we achieve learning goals in the classroom. We are developing new ways to measure our learning success to ensure that what we promise to deliver to students and parents we actually deliver. Additionally, this activity is important because we teach our students about process improvement, therefore, we should also excel in it,” said Turney Stevens, dean of the College of Business.

 

Through an annual evaluation and assessment process, TNCPE recognizes organizations that achieve the highest standards of excellence in their operations and results. The program uses the Criteria for Performance Excellence established by the Baldrige National Quality Program as the evaluation tool.

 

Awards are presented in four categories: Interest Recognition (the beginning level), Commitment, Achievement, and the highest level – the Excellence Award.

 

“Organizations that pursue a TNCPE award know that success is achieved through the combined efforts of every employee and a shared commitment to quality and leadership,” said Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen commenting on the presentations. “This recognition validates these companies’ commitment to success through sustainable efforts that produce measurable results. TNCPE recognition is a dedicated means to accomplishing this.”

 

Recipients of Interest Level Recognition must complete a five-page organizational profile and host a half-day education and evaluation site visit from a team of TNCPE examiners. This level is the first step for organizations interested in adopting and applying Baldrige principles of performance improvement. Ray Eldridge, associate professor of management, and Mike Kendrick, associate professor of business administration, led Lipscomb’s process improvement team.

 

“Next year, we will compete for a Level II award. This is significantly harder to achieve but reflects the goal of the Baldrige Award creators to inspire organizations to get better and better each year in a continuous improvement process. This is a first step in our commitment to excellence,” said Stevens.

 

“The College of Business at Lipscomb University validates, through its Interest Recognition that it is one of Tennessee’s leading organizations,” said Bredesen. “Congratulations to all the people whose hard work made this recognition possible.”

 

In addition to the College of Business, Lipscomb University, 13 other organizations earned Interest Level Recognition, nine organizations were honored with a Commitment Award and one earned the Achievement Award. Only two higher education institutions in the state, including Lipscomb, received any level of recognition in this year’s awards, each receiving the Interest Level Award.

This year, Maury Regional Medical Center and Mountain States Health Alliance received the Excellence Award.

 

“In the most difficult economic environment in more than 75 years, it’s the organizations that build and maintain excellent systems and procedures that endure,” said TNCPE President and CEO Katie Rawls. “All winners of 2009 TNCPE Awards are putting those types of systems into place, and will thrive well into the future as a result.”

 

Since TNCPE’s creation in 1993, more than 1,050 organizations have progressed through one or more levels of achievement. A Board of Examiners made up of 145 experts in business, education, health care and government assessed this year’s applicants in seven categories: leadership; strategic planning; customer focus; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; workforce focus; process management; and results.