Mayberry Chair of Excellence

1997-1998

The W. E. Mayberry Chair of Excellence was conceived in 1989 and created at the College of Business, Tennessee Technological University in the 1993-1994 academic year to increase awareness and enhance development of quality and quality-related practices in business and education on a local, state, and national level. This is achieved by conducting and disseminating research, implementing quality-related projects and activities, conducting workshops for practitioners, and instructing students in undergraduate and graduate classes. The Mayberry team of Curt W. Reimann, Dr. Nat Natarajan, Robert R. Bell, graduate students and other faculty have been working hard toward this mission. In pursuit of this mission, we have completed the following activities in 1997:

• Created new international criteria to promote international market development and competitiveness in the state of Tennessee. The criteria are in their pilot year being tested as Category 8 of the Tennessee Quality Award (see other article).
  Our staff worked as part of a team which produced an interactive multimedia CD-ROM for the 1996 Tennessee State Quality Award winners.
• Organized and promoted several seminars on issues relating to quality, assessment, and education presented by the Mayberry Chairholder, Dr. Curt Reimann.
• Developed a brochure for Tennessee Quality Award examiner recruitment.
• Dr. Reimann and Mayberry graduate student assistants have taught the Tennessee Quality Award process to MBA and undergraduate classes.
• Members of the Mayberry team have contributed articles on Quality and International Initiatives; "Planning for Quality Education", an International Quality Congress Proceedings article presented in Mauritus (1998), and "Creating Global Competitiveness Initiatives using the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award—the Tennessee Experience" for a Society Advancement of Management International Conference, presented April 3, 1998.
• Members of the Mayberry team have attended the Quest for Excellence-the official Conference of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
• Dr. Nat Natarajan, the Mayberry Faculty Associate contributed an invited article on Total Quality Management to the Encyclopedia of Manufacturing and Production.
• Mayberry graduate assistants Cass Larson and Brian Bowman have served as members of the 1997 Tennessee Quality Award Board of Examiners.
• Developed and maintain websites for the Mayberry Chair and The Tennessee Quality Award.
• The Mayberry Board conducted meetings on October 28, 1998. On that occasion, Board members participated in a panel discussion on best practices and contemporary issues in business with Dr. Reimann serving as the moderator. A large number of graduate and undergraduate students and local business leaders attended this event and benefited from the discussion and experience-sharing by the Board.
• Several Board members have lectured in classes at Tennessee Technological University.
• Board Member Ken Best chaired the 1998 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Regional Conference in Chicago.
• Published the Mayberry Chair Newsletter.