The College of Business Administration (COBA) at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., has earned Interest Level Recognition in the annual Excellence in Tennessee program administered by the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE). A certificate will be presented to Belmont COBA representatives at the 17th annual Excellence in Tennessee Awards Banquet on February 24 at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs in Franklin, Tenn.
Belmont University’s College of Business Administration is an AACSB International-accredited private business school that offers graduate and undergraduate degrees, as well as non-degree programming in areas such as accounting, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, general business, information systems, leadership, management and marketing.
Dr. Patrick Raines, dean of the Belmont College of Business Administration, said “ The process of applying for recognition by the TNCPE encourages organizations to pursue standards for excellence in their operations. It is indeed meaningful to us in our quest for excellence in the College of Business to receive Interest Level Recognition and to be among Tennessee’s leading organizations.”
Through an annual evaluation and assessment process, TNCPE recognizes organizations that have achieved 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. “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.
“The College of Business Administration at Belmont University validates, through its Interest Recognition that it is one of Tennessee’s leading organizations,” said Bredesen. “Congratulations to the College of Business Administration, Belmont University and all the people whose hard work made this recognition possible.”
For 2009, in addition to Belmont’s COBA, nine other Tennessee organizations have earned Interest Level Recognition, and nine others will be honored with a Commitment Award. Maury Regional Medical Center and Mountain States Health Alliance will receive an 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.
The Tennessee program, which is itself a national and international role model, is available to all businesses, educational institutions, health care organizations, government agencies and other non-profit entities.
For more information on the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence, contact Katie Rawls, President, at the organization’s Nashville office: (800) 453-6474 or katie.rawls@tncpe.org.
