Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program Provides an Outstanding Alternative to Value-Add Approach to the Higher Education Accreditation Process

This project addresses the disconnect which often exists between the accreditation process and continuous quality improvement efforts in higher education. It will show connections that exist between an accreditation self-study required as part of the North Central Association (NCA) accreditation and a continuous quality improvement self-study process required as part of the application process for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The reader will see that both higher education accreditation and Baldrige are acknowledged to be significant accomplishments. By comparing the two processes, and relating them operationally through modeled examples, institutions of higher education can determine the value of using the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program as an alternative approach to the higher education accreditation process