Leading quality improvement in higher education

The American higher education system needs to improve its quality and increase the percentage of students it graduates. Both government policymakers and employers question the value of a higher education in relation to its cost. The purpose of this study was to describe established quality improvement initiatives in higher education institutions (HEIs) and determine the best practices in HEI system operations using a "House of Quality" (HQ) model which adapted Kaplan and Norton's Balanced Scorecard (BSC) to examine how operational quality in an HEI contributes to success in graduating students.;This study goes beyond applying Balance Score Card (BSC) to HEIs. After conceptualizing an HEI HQ, this two-phase study used mixed-model methodology to assess the impact of quality on graduation rates and leadership. Factors that influence graduation rates were quantitatively analyzed with regression analysis for a sample group of 129 Middle States Accredited institutions. Then a qualitative assessment was performed, using the BSC, Resource Dependency Theory and best practice HEI leadership concepts in a pragmatic worldview.;This study makes two contributions to the literature on quality in higher education. The HEI HQ provides a framework that can be used to model how operational quality improvements lead to better outcomes. The study found that HEIs with lower student-to-faculty ratios have higher graduation rates, as do institutions that have a lower percentage of students enrolled part-time. HEIs with higher tuition tend to graduate a higher percentage of students, and to have a lower percentage of students default on student loans. Further, the study found that graduation rates are significantly higher at institutions which offer baccalaureate and graduate degrees than at institutions that only offer associate degrees. HEI organizations with a culture committed to leadership development, leaders who are effective at driving change to improve operations, and executives with a collegial leadership style will be more successful at adopting operational processes and practices that improve quality. The study's findings provide new information that HEI leaders and higher education policymakers can use in improving operational processes and leadership practices to increase graduation rates and student success.