Conversations:
The Malcolm Baldrige Award
Q&A with UW-Stout Chancellor Charles W. Sorensen

The University of Wisconsin-Stout, located in the western Wisconsin city of Menomonie, is the first institution of higher education to win the U.S. Department of Commerce's Malcolm Baldrige Award. UW-Stout Chancellor Charles W. Sorensen explains what it took to be recognized as America's premier university for performance excellence and quality achievement.

WI: Why did UW-Stout apply for the Baldrige Award?
CS: Very simply, we felt that we fit the criteria rather well. For at least three decades, UW-Stout has focused sharply on databased decision making-something reinforced by the UW System. Since the Board of Regents officially adopted the Baldrige criteria in 1990, we took the next logical step and applied. We believed we were always strong in the area of performance, and this provided an opportunity to go through a rigorous application process, have the application reviewed by examiners for approximately 1,000 hours, and then undergo four days of intensive on-campus interviews by seven site visitors. Winning proves what we always knew-that we practice performance excellence here and our processes demand continuous improvement.

WI: What type of effort went into preparing for the competition?
CS: We worked with a consultant to review our practices against the Baldrige criteria, and once we decided that they did, we moved forward. We first adopted the Baldrige criteria for the campus. The Faculty Senate did voice some concern, but we guaranteed that we would not change what we do to apply for the award, nor would we create a new office of quality for UW-Stout. We first applied in 1999 and achieved consensus status, meaning that we made the first cut but did not receive a site visit. In 2000, we received a site visit, the first university to do so. Then in 2001, we received the award. In each year, we used a similar process. We assigned a team to each of the criteria made up principally of members of the Chancellor's Advisory Council. While each team member had a role to play, each team had a primary contact and a primary writer. We worked closely with a consultant familiar with the process. In 1999 and 2000, we used the extensive feedback reports to analyze where our application needed to be strengthened. More importantly, we analyzed where we could improve our processes or where new processes were necessary to support our data. In each of our two site visits, seven examiners spent four days on campus in a very intensive discussion on the application to clarify what we stated and to verify that what we put in the document was accurate.

WI: How can other institutions of higher education benefit from your experience in preparing for and winning this award?
CS: There are some very straightforward ways other institutions can benefit. First and foremost, we are now a benchmark university so others have a model to follow. During our application process, we realized that there were not such universities in that category since no awards had yet been given. So, we first relied heavily on comparing UW-Stout to other UW schools. When that was not acceptable to the examiners, we searched for national schools with similar missions or similar programs. For the most part, we had to compare ourselves to major research schools, not state universities. Now, we do provide benchmarking data, which should assist others as they apply for the award. Second, we have demonstrated that the Baldrige criteria do apply to higher education and can be used effectively to demonstrate performance excellence. At a time when states are demanding more accountability, this is clearly a way to demonstrate that we are accountable. Third, we have shown that it is possible to win the award and not make fundamental changes in the way we behave as an educational institution.

WI: Overall, what does this award mean for UW-Stout?
CS: The award will have a significant impact on UW-Stout. We have already received a great deal of national attention from professional educational organizations, local and state news media, national media, such as USA Today, and state quality councils. As the first university to receive either a site visit or the award, we are in a unique position to serve as a role model in how we apply quality performance standards to public higher education. We have always had strong partnerships with business and industry, and this will clearly strengthen those ties. More companies will seek our students. We expect corporate giving to increase; we expect that we will have an easier time in recruiting in key areas; and we expect we will receive more applications to attend UW-Stout. Perhaps the greatest benefit will be the recognition that faculty, staff and students will receive. In my opinion, the Baldrige criteria will change in a fundamental way how colleges and universities are accredited. We are in the vanguard of that movement.

WI: What does this award mean for UW System?
CS: While this is an institutional award to UW-Stout, it reflects the strength of the UW System. As part of the application process and the on-site review process, we discussed real advantages of being part of a nationally recognized system. Support from the System and from the Board of Regents is fundamental to our overall success and critical to permit each campus to fulfill its primary mission. Clearly, the UW System played an important role in this award process, and the entire System benefits from it.