Mounting pressure for transformational change in higher education driven by technology, globalization, competition, funding shortages, and increased emphasis on accountability necessitates that universities implement reforms to demonstrate responsiveness to all stakeholders and to provide evidence of student achievement. In the face of the demand for assessment of student learning, there exists a pervasive resistance to change on university campuses often due to the perceived threat to academic freedom and faculty autonomy. Recommendations have been made that universities develop a culture that focuses on performance measurement and continuous improvement. The purpose of the research was to measure the relationship between quality improvement practices, employed institution-wide, and practices that lead to successful student learning assessment in higher education and to answer the question, "Do universities that employ quality improvement practices also employ practices that support successful student learning assessment?" To answer this research question, a survey was developed asking respondents to indicate the degree to which their institutions practice quality improvement based upon practices identified by the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. The survey also asked respondents to indicate the degree to which their institutions employ student learning assessment best practices based upon those identified by Trudy W. Banta (2002). The survey was sent to 840 university faculty and staff involved in student learning assessment and resulted in a final response rate of 40% (N = 340). Through correlation and multiple regression analyses, it was concluded that when quality improvement is practiced, institution-wide, successful student learning assessment is also practiced. Furthermore, when multiple regression analysis was applied to evaluate whether quality improvement is a significant predictor of student learning assessment success, the prediction was positive with four variables indicating stronger prediction than other variables. Institutions, therefore, may wish to focus their efforts on establishing the following practices that have a stronger effect on student learning assessment success: (1) alignment of strategy with institutional mission, (2) alignment of departmental performance measures with institutional mission, (3) provision of mutually-established measures that fairly evaluate the quality of individual performance, and (4) provision of opportunities for key stakeholders to indicate their satisfaction with the work the institution is doing. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]