HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas has received the Achievement Award from the Arkansas Institute for Performance Excellence.

The 12th annual Arkansas Institute for Performance Excellence (AIPE) awards celebration was held Sept. 25 at the Hot Springs Convention Center. Approximately 250 business and civic leaders from throughout the State of Arkansas attended the event.

The Walton College received the Achievement Award for its commitment and practice of quality principles and processes.

Fifteen other organizations were honored in levels of (in descending order of qualifications) the Governor's Award for Performance Excellence, the Achievement Award, the Commitment Award and the Challenge Award.

“We are very excited to receive the Achievement award as this is only the third year we’ve entered the competition,”said Walton College Dean Dan Worrell. “The rigorous process of applying for AIPE award was a learning experience for our faculty and staff and helped us pinpoint even more areas for improvement.” The Walton College won the AIPE Commitment Award in 2004. In addition to the recognition, each organization received written feedback citing strengths and areas to focus on in its quality management program.

The Walton College, founded in 1926 at the University of Arkansas, is the state’s premier business school. Approximately 87 faculty and 90 staff members serve more than 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students. U.S. News & World Report “America’s Best Colleges 2007” ranked the Walton College among the top 25 public undergraduate business schools. In the summer of 2007, the college will open a new Graduate School of Business building, Willard J. Walker Hall, and will share space in the new Hunt Center for Academic Excellence building. Coupled with the two existing business building these two additions will result in a nationally competitive four-building mini campus for business education.

The Arkansas Institute for Performance Excellence was developed in 1995 by a team of volunteers with a variety of backgrounds and employers. The team chose to use the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award as a basis for the Arkansas process. This process combines the advantages of using the most current, comprehensive, and widely accepted criteria available to assess progress toward long-term improvement of organizations in a process that uses a four-step award program.

The program's goals have been to encourage Arkansas organizations to engage in continuous quality improvement and to provide education and recognition to these organizations. Based on the broad representation attending the September 25^th celebration, the program has met with statewide acceptance by organizations that understand the value of quality in today's workplace.

The chairman of the board of the Arkansas Institute for Performance Excellence program is W. Steven Carter, CEO of Elder Stay At Home, located in Rogers, Arkansas. Organizations and companies interested in participating in the program should contact AIPE Executive Director Barbara Harvel at the AIPE office by calling 501-373-1300 or 1-800-447-9330.  The AIPE office is located at 410 S Cross Street in Little Rock or visit their web page at www.arkansasexcellence.org.