President
George W. Bush
and Commerce Secretary Don Evans today honored five organizations,
including the first in education, with the 2001 Malcolm
Baldrige National Quality Award in recognition of their
performance excellence and quality achievements.
The
2001 Baldrige Award recipients are: Clarke
American Checks, San Antonio, Texas;
Pal's Sudden Service, Kingsport, Tenn.; Chugach
School District, Anchorage, Alaska; Pearl
River School District, Pearl River, N.Y.; and University
of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, Wis.
"I
was privileged to know Malcolm Baldrige," said President
Bush. "He was one of America's most distinguished Secretaries
of Commerce, and a fine and honorable man. The award that
bears his name reflects the virtues he brought to public
and private life: a commitment to excellence, shrewd and
sound judgment, principled leadership, integrity and a sense
of responsibility. Today's winners have met a rigorous test
and set a worthy example for others."
"It
is my very special privilege today to recognize the first
Baldrige Award winners in education. President Bush has
made education reform a top priority. The quality of our
public schools directly affects us all--as parents, as students,
as business leaders, and as Americans. Our economic security
and well-being depend heavily upon how well we prepare our
young people for the future," said Commerce Secretary
Don Evans.
Nathaniel
Moore, a 17-year-old student from Whittier, Alaska, accepted
the award on behalf of Chugach School District.
The
Baldrige National Quality Program is a public-private partnership
managed by the Commerce Department's National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST). It was established in
1987 to improve performance in U.S. organizations. Awards
are made to organizations that have substantially benefited
the economic or social well-being of the United States through
improvements in performance excellence. Awards can be given
in five categories: manufacturing, service, small business,
education and health care.
The
application process is rigorous and thorough. Applicants
for the award submit up to 50 pages of details showing processes,
improvements and results in seven areas including leadership,
customers and markets, human resources and strategic planning.
Each applicant receives more than 400 hours of review by
an independent board of business, education and health care
experts and a detailed report citing strengths and opportunities
for improvement. Since 1988, 46 organizations have received
the Baldrige Award.
The
Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence are used worldwide
by thousands of organizations to assess and improve their
overall performance. Since 1988, almost two million copies
of the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence have
been distributed, and wide-scale reproduction by companies
and electronic access add to that number significantly.
Each
Baldrige Award winner receives a Steuben crystal stela encasing
a gold medallion engraved with the Presidential seal and
the words, "The Quest for Excellence." The award
is named after Malcolm Baldrige, Secretary of Commerce from
1981 until his death in a rodeo accident in July 1987. Baldrige
was a proponent of quality as a key to this country's prosperity
and long-term growth and helped draft the act establishing
the Award program. The act was signed into law by President
Reagan in August 1987.
NIST
manages the Baldrige National Quality Program in conjunction
with the private sector. As a non-regulatory agency of the
Department of Commerce's Technology Administration, NIST
develops and promotes measurements, standards, and technology
to enhance productivity, facilitate trade, and improve the
quality of life.
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Further
information on the Baldrige Award winners for 2001 and on
the Baldrige National Quality Program is available at www.quality.nist.gov.