Office of the Chancellor

V. Components of the Multi-Year Plan
     B. Expenditures
          (11) Restructuring $ 2.8M
                  (b) Continuous Quality Improvement

This activity is closely related to Administrative Redesign. CQI is an ongoing process that builds upon and refines the overall redesign of the administrative processes. Quality improvement must be integrally built into the planning process in the future so that desired outcomes and assessment of outcomes are fed back into the revision of unit plans. At present, major CQI initiatives are underway in the areas of the Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance, Student Affairs, Research, Graduate Education and Economic Development, and in support functions of Academic Affairs. Although it is more difficult to apply CQI directly to the activities of the classroom, this too is underway. As revisions of the curriculum are implemented, for example, the desired outcomes should be specified and then assessed to provide feedback and modification. Suppose, for example, that a desired outcome of the curriculum is the integration of different areas of knowledge. Capstone courses could be designed in each major with the specific goal of assessing the students achievement on this measure. As a Land-Grant University, we believe in the integration of liberal and professional learning, but we need to acquire greater understanding of methods by which to evaluate the degree of success in instances where such integration is undertaken.

CQI and its predecessor Total Quality Management have been derived from new approaches to effectiveness and efficiency in Business and Industry. Some of these methods are less applicable in academe. In Strategic Thinking it was noted that a philosophy of Total Quantity Caring might encompass all that we might wish and hope for in our institution.

David K. Scott was Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1993-2001. This is an archive of the Chancellor's Web site during his tenure.
V. Components of the Multi-Year Plan B. Expenditures (11) Restructuring $ 2.8M (b) Continuous Quality Improvement This activity is closely related to Administrative Redesign. CQI is an ongoing process that builds upon and refines the overall redesign of the administrative processes. Quality improvement must be integrally built into the planning process in the future so that desired outcomes and assessment of outcomes are fed back into the revision of unit plans. At present, major CQI initiatives are underway in the areas of the Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance, Student Affairs, Research, Graduate Education and Economic Development, and in support functions of Academic Affairs. Although it is more difficult to apply CQI directly to the activities of the classroom, this too is underway. As revisions of the curriculum are implemented, for example, the desired outcomes should be specified and then assessed to provide feedback and modification. Suppose, for example, that a desired outcome of the curriculum is the integration of different areas of knowledge. Capstone courses could be designed in each major with the specific goal of assessing the students achievement on this measure. As a Land-Grant University, we believe in the integration of liberal and professional learning, but we need to acquire greater understanding of methods by which to evaluate the degree of success in instances where such integration is undertaken. CQI and its predecessor Total Quality Management have been derived from new approaches to effectiveness and efficiency in Business and Industry. Some of these methods are less applicable in academe. In Strategic Thinking it was noted that a philosophy of Total Quantity Caring might encompass all that we might wish and hope for in our institution. Table of Contents Next \| The Early Retirement Program