Case Study Shows How Education Organization Adapted Using the Baldrige Criteria

Case Study Shows How Education Organization Adapted Using the Baldrige Criteria



The last year brought unique challenges for higher education. Considering issues of equity and inclusion, resilience, and innovation, the fictitious 2021 Baldrige Case Study: Community College of the Northwest (CCNW) brought to life these challenges and key aspects of the Baldrige Excellence Framework: Proven leadership and management practices for high performance during a year when colleges around the country were dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.


CCNW shows how one organization applied the Baldrige Education Criteria across seven key areas of its performance. The case study, which was used to virtually train the 2021 Baldrige Examiners, can be used as an example for other organizations in every sector on how they might use the Criteria questions to assess and improve their performance, even if they are not interested in applying for a Baldrige Award.


Baldrige master examiners Meridith Wentz and Tom Field led a team of other master examiners—Deborah Ameen, Carlos Ayala, Michael Belter, Stephen Bonk, Catherine Craver, and Dawn Garcia—to research and write the CCNW case study. With a vision to be the best in the nation in providing students with accessibility, affordability, career-readiness, and social responsibility, CCNW was created to be challenged, as many community colleges are, with decreased state funding, increased competition for students, and demands to close the achievement gap. The writing team created processes for succession planning and development, best-practice sharing, representation of diversity, complaint management, feedback loops, dashboards, intelligent risks, and innovation. Reviewers Kristin Stehouwer, Fonda Vera, Debi Gaitan, Jan Garfield, Kathie Gilbert, and Liz Menzer provided guidance to the team.


Baldrige case studies have at least three purposes.


First ..

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