News from:
Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence
www.TNCPE.org
RE:START-The Center for Adult Education of Chattanooga, Tenn., has earned 2008 Interest Recognition in the annual Excellence in Tennessee program administered by the nonprofit Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE). The award will be presented at the 16th annual Excellence in Tennessee Awards Banquet on February 18, 2009, at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs in Franklin, Tenn.
RE: START – The Center for Adult Education is Tennessee's oldest adult education program whose mission is to improve quality of life through adult education.
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 focus their resources on improving systems and results are often successful ones,” said Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen. “The companies that receive these awards acknowledge this, and have proven their commitment by making their business – and in turn, our state – economically stronger.”
Organizations that earn Interest Recognition must complete a 5-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.
“I congratulate RE:START-The Center for Adult Education on this award, which represents countless hours of hard work by this organization,” said Bredesen.
In addition to RE:START-The Center for Adult Education, six other organizations will be honored with Interest Recognition, four have earned the Commitment Award and three have earned the Achievement Award.
This year, Caris Healthcare, headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., will receive the Excellence Award, TNCPE’s highest honor.
Achieving any level of recognition is significant. “The businesses, schools, hospitals and nonprofits that use the Criteria for Performance Excellence are setting themselves up for success, period,” said TNCPE President Katie Rawls. “With the TNCPE program as their guide, these winners are developing the infrastructure they need to weather any storm. I am delighted with what they’ve accomplished, and I encourage them to keep going.”
There is no limit to the number of TNCPE Awards presented annually. To date, only 19 regional organizations have attained TNCPE’s “world class” Excellence designation. Of those, four – Eastman Chemical Company, Federal Express, Pal’s Sudden Service and Caterpillar Financial Services Inc. – have also achieved the Baldrige National Quality Award.
Since TNCPE was created in 1993, about 1,080 organizations have progressed through one or more levels of achievement. A Board of Examiners made up of approximately 200 experts in business, education, health care and government assessed this year’s applicants in seven categories: leadership; strategic planning; customer and market 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 nonprofit entities. Melanie Hendricks, Vice President, Global Quality of Cummins Filtration serves as chair of the 2008 Board of Directors.
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For more information on RE:START-The Center for Adult Education, contact Lori Hairrell, Executive Director, at (423) 855-4443.
For more information on the nonprofit Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence, contact Katie Rawls, president, at the organization’s Nashville office: (800) 453-6474 or katie.rawls@tncpe.org.