An Integrated Conceptual Framework for Driving Higher Education Institutions toward Excellence Based on the EdPEx Criteria: The UJSARA Model

Abstract

           Higher education institutions need an integrated management logic that connects organizational context, stakeholder engagement, strategy, execution, performance review, and organizational learning. This article has three objectives: to synthesize concepts underpinning higher education excellence; to develop and explain the UJSARA Model; and to examine its alignment with the Organizational Profile and Categories 1–7 of EdPEx. A conceptual synthesis of official Baldrige/EdPEx documents and selected higher education and organizational-management literature identified a practical gap: existing concepts are often applied separately and do not provide a concise implementation logic for EdPEx. The proposed dynamic cycle comprises Understand, Join, Strategize, Act, Review, and Advance (U→J→S→A→R→A↺U), with feedback possible between any stages when evidence or context changes. UJSARA serves as an implementation logic rather than a new set of criteria or a substitute for EdPEx. It helps institutions connect processes assessed through ADLI with results examined through LeTCI. As a literature-based conceptual proposition, the model still requires expert validation and empirical testing.