UA Walton College Receives Arkansas Institute For Performance Excellence Award

Fayetteville, Ark. - The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas has received the Commitment Award from the Arkansas Institute for Performance Excellence. The announcement was made at the 10th annual awards celebration on Oct. 14 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock with more than 300 business and civic leaders from throughout the state attending.

Fifteen other organizations were also honored with awards including the organization's highest honor, the Governor's Award for Performance Excellence. Other awards included the Achievement Award and the Challenge Award.

In addition to the recognition, each organization received written feedback citing strengths and areas that need improvement in its quality management program.

"We are very thrilled to receive this award as this is the second year we have entered the competition," said Walton College Dean Doyle Z. Williams. "The rigorous process of applying for the award was a learning experience for the college and helped us to pinpoint areas for even more improvement."

The Arkansas Institute for Performance Excellence program, formerly Arkansas Quality Award, was created in 1995 by the private business community. The program's goals are to encourage Arkansas organizations to engage in continuous quality improvement and to provide education and recognition to these organizations. The institute provides a framework for achieving quality excellence and was created as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating learning opportunities that foster the application of continuous quality improvement. For more information, visit its Web site at: arkansasexcellence.org.

In August 2004, the Walton College announced that it had jumped three places to a tie for 25^th place among the nation's top public undergraduate business schools, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2005 "America's Best Colleges."

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Bill Curington, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Sam M. Walton College of Business, (479) 575-5949, bcurington@walton.uark.edu