In September 2017, in a celebrated speech on the future of Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed the idea that Europe should have at least twenty "European universities" of sufficient scale that would allow students to move between different institutions, experience other cultures and take classes in at least two different languages. Speaking in the Sorbonne to an audience of university presidents, diplomats and parliamentarians as well as students, he argued that culture and knowledge is what binds the European Union together and that European universities could uniquely help to "create a sense of belonging" that will be the "strongest cement for Europe". Countering the apparent fragmentation of European, Macron's vision is of revival of the values of multiculturalism and multilingualism wherein every young person should "travel the continent to learn other languages" and "unlearn their natural boorish ways". This Europe, he claimed, "which has lived through so many wars and conflicts: what holds it together is its culture"
The financial sustainability of Europe's universities is of crucial importance to the future of the European knowledge-based society and, therefore, to the European University Association. With this project report EUA aims to stimulate the debate with analysis of funding and fi nancing from the institutional perspective. As an independent voice of Europe's universities in Brussels, EUA attaches highest priority to this issue as an essential requirement for Europe's universities to meet the challenge of the "Modernisation Agenda" for universities under discussion with governments at both the national and European level.
It is not necessary to assume what may be 'the myth of political neutrality' to defend the value of free inquiry or the need for objective research, that is, research as free as possible from propagandistic demands. Such inquiry and research are quite compatible with a self-consciously politicized university as long as this politicized university is also a university which is committed to the ideals of a critical university in which there is an attempt to discover the truth (or at least truth) about politics and society. What needs to be feared is not a political university but a political university which would deliberately accept propaganda and deny the ideals of open and fairrninded inquiry. The important thing is not to fight against the politicization of the university but to fight for a politicization of the university which takes a humane and rational direction- a direction in which, among other things, the ideals of free and rational inquiry are defended and 'cooking of the evidence' to fit ideological preconceptions is not tolerated.
The teaching of statistics in the U.S. and Japanese universities is briefly reviewed. It is found that H. Hotelling's articles and subsequent relevant publications on the teaching of statistics have contributed to a considerable extent to the establishment of excellent departments of statistics in U.S. universities and colleges. Today the U.S. may be proud of many well-staffed and well-organized departments of theoretical and applied statistics with excellent undergraduate and graduate programs. On the contrary, no Japanese universities have an independent department of statistics at present, and the teaching of statistics has been spread among a heterogeneous group of departments of application. This was mainly due to the Japanese government regulation concerning the establishment of a university. However, it has recently been revised so that an independent department of statistics may be started in a Japanese university with undergraduate and graduate programs. It is hoped that discussions will be started among those concerned on the question of organization of the teaching of statistics in Japanese universities as soon as possible.
Significant resistance to private universities in Argentina has resulted in a small, but strong participation of this sector in higher education. Core debates about private actors in education have evolved from vigorous opposition to more nuanced discussion about their fundamental role. However, the more prestigious and larger public sector still enjoys much governmental support in terms of finance and regulations, which has led the private sector to rely mostly on tuition revenue.
This article reports a survey of academic vice-presidents and deans of Canadian universities which was undertaken in 1991. The focal topic was reform (defined as significant change), and perceptions of reform occurring over the past three years were derived by means of a questionnaire. Many changes were reported, giving the impression of highly responsive institutions, but these reforms were seen to be modest rather than bold in nature and reactive rather than pro-active. The major environmental influence impelling change was the level of funding. The reforms perceived to be most frequent and significant were mandate changes arising from strategic planning, responses to funding constraints, curriculum expansion, coping with increased student numbers, changes in administrative structure especially at the vice-presidency, and more democratic decision-making. Respondents were generally supportive of the goals which were perceived to lie behind the reforms but were not convinced that significant progress towards goals was actually being achieved. A comparison with reform in other parts of the world revealed that Canadian universities follow the decentralized ad hoc pattern found in federal nations, but there is reason to hope that strategic planning will produce a clearer sense of direction than has been typical elsewhere. The report concludes that the claim that universities are not responsive to changing societal needs is unwarranted, but that more significant lasting reforms are needed. ; Cet article rapporte les résultats d'une enquête effectuée en 1991 auprès de vice-recteurs et de doyens d'universités canadiennes. Le but de cette enquête était d'évaluer les changements importants s'étant opérés dans les établissements durant les trois dernières années ainsi que les perceptions qu 'en avaient les répondant(e)s à l'enquête. Les personnes interrogées ont fait part d'un grand nombre de cas donnant l'impression que les établissements s'adaptaient résolument au changement. Mais après analyse, il appert que les changements identifiés sont plus modestes que décisifs et de nature davantage réactive que pro-active. L'élément déterminant ayant déclenché la plupart des actions entreprises se rapportait au financement des établissements. Les changements les plus fréquents et importants observés touchaient les mandats découlant de la planification stratégique, des coupures budgétaires, des croissances de clientèle étudiantes, des changements dans les structures administratives, particulièrement au niveau de la vice-présidence, ou des processus plus démocratiques de prise de décision. Les personnes interrogées appuyaient, de façon générale, les objectifs poursuivis mais ne croyaient pas que des changements en profondeur s'étaient opérés par rapport à ces objectifs. Une comparaison avec d'autres systèmes d'éducation ailleurs dans le monde révèle que les universités canadiennes présentent des modes de gestion décentralisée et ad hoc semblables à ceux observés ailleurs dans les nations constituées en fédération, mais qu'il y a lieu d'espérer que la planification stratégique amènera les établissements à mieux clarifier leurs orientations. Cette étude conclut que les universités tentent réellement de répondre aux attentes de leur milieux, mais que des changements plus substantiels sont nécessaires.
University autonomy represented an additional argument against government interference in university education. From academic perspective, the diversification of funding sources and the introduction of changes in the funding mechanism represented positive factors in the evolution of higher education. It is obvious that most of the problems associated with underfunding of higher education are relevant because it affects the quality of education and overall performance of universities. Since the training costs per capita in the higher education system were the lowest compared with the same indicator in relation to vocational schools and colleges in the period of 2005 – 2009, it is clear that underfunding is real and requires necessary measures to be taken to remedy the situation
Purpose: This paper aims to research how technology transfer occurs, based on the Schumpeterian approach to innovation trilogy focusing on the interaction between the university and the company. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology used for this study was the analysis of two cases with an exploratory and qualitative approach. The case study subjects were two Brazilian universities: University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS). Semi-structured interviews were used as the data collection technique, whereas content analysis was used as the analysis technique. Findings: The main results showed the need of companies and universities to understand that working in collaborative technology research contributes to the transformation of applied research into technological innovations that can transform society. Research limitations/implications: The research's limitations were the unfeasibility of studying the government helix, the lack of clear and established processes within universities so that a comparison between the cases would be possible and the lack of access to technology contracts, as they are considered confidential. In addition, the use of two cases is considered a limitation, as it is not possible to generalize the conclusions pointed out by the study. Originality/value: With this research, the authors were able to conclude that the university-industry interaction process has been improving, but it still needs to advance in organizational aspects. Some of the aspects to be considered are the adjustments for the institutions' internal policies, the existing negotiations, the researchers' behavior regarding the dissemination of the innovation culture and the performance of the technological innovation centers, which gradually are being trained to work in the market as well as in the university. It is necessary that primarily companies and universities understand that they must join efforts in collaborative technological research, so that the financial resources invested are not only accepted as published articles in qualified journals but also turn into technological innovations accepted by the market. All this investment must return as new products, services and technologies that generate local, regional, national and even international impact, implementing new types of businesses and new markets and yielding an economic impact in the country, thus generating innovation and social well-being.
[EN] Based on fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), this paper examines the interactions between the presence or absence of regional and national top-ranked research universities and other innovation-related conditions that foster regional competitiveness in the European Union context. We evaluated the effect of a region's membership in different regional clusters as characterized by the following conditions: inter-firm collaboration in innovation activities, public R&D expenditure, private R&D expenditure as well as ranking in the list of the world's top 300 (or top 100) universities. As one region might benefit from the presence of a local top-ranked university and/or from spillover effects from other national universities, we distinguish between the presence of universities within the region or elsewhere in the same country. Our results suggest that some conditions are necessary to achieve the outcome of being a "competitive region," including having at least one top-300-ranked university in the same country (EU member state). Nevertheless, this attribute is not individually sufficient to incur the outcome of regional competitiveness. Our findings support the idea that the closeness of top-ranked universities does not itself guarantee regional competitiveness; instead, having an excellent research university within the same member state is only one of numerous configurations which may lead to a region's success. These results support evidence in recent literature that leading research universities may be geographically connected to a wide network of actors with external knowledge interactions. ; This research was supported by: (i) grants RTI2018-093791-B-C21 and RTI2018-093791-B-C22 funded by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades and FEDER. (ii) GV063/19 by Generalitat Valenciana. ; Mas Verdú, F.; Roig-Tierno, N.; Nieto-Alemán, PA.; García Alvarez-Coque, JM. (2020). Competitiveness in European Regions and Top-Ranked Universities: Do Local Universities Matter?. Journal of ...
Due to increasing internationalization, management control systems (MCS) are becoming more and more important - companies are demanding more flexibility and, rapid changes, as well as adaptation processes, already belong to the daily task spectrum of enterprises. However, these changes due to advancing technology and globalization are not only facing companies but also universities. This diploma thesis deals with the internal and external influences on the introduction and execution of (MCS) in universities and is based on four theories: Principal-Agency-Theory, Self-Determination-Theory, Contingency Theory, and Stakeholder Theory. The method of meta-analysis was used to collect data, analyzing 57 articles identified by a search string in three databases and by pre-established inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results of the meta-analysis show that the complex relationships between university policy, administration and management, the environment of universities, a lack of public interest perspective, leadership style, culture, management consistency and fairness play an essential role. The incentive systems are not adapted to individual academics, and difficulties in developing common goals between government and university are encountered the Principal-Agency-Theory provides a theoretical background for a better understanding of this relationship. The Self-Determination-Theory in the context of university culture provides suggestions as to how intrinsic motivation can be maintained among researchers. In summary, it was clear that the identification of all relationships with internal and external stakeholders is necessary, as well as the consideration of the environment, the specific conditions of a university and the highly motivational culture for a development of a best possible MCS. ; Durch die zunehmende Internationalisierung werden Management Control Systems (MCS) immer wichtiger - Unternehmen fordern mehr Flexibilität, und schnelle Veränderungen sowie Anpassungsprozesse gehören bereits zum täglichen Aufgabenspektrum von Unternehmen. Diese Veränderungen treffen jedoch nicht nur auf Unternehmen, sondern stellen auch eine Herausforderung für Universitäten dar. Diese Diplomarbeit beschäftigt sich mit den inneren und äußeren Einflüssen bei der Einführung und Durchführung von MCS an Universitäten und basiert auf vier Theorien: der Prinzipal-Agenten-Theorie, der Selbstbestimmungstheorie, der Contingency Theorie und der Stakeholder-Theorie. Die Methode der Meta-Analyse wurde zum Sammeln von Daten verwendet. Dabei wurden 57 Artikel analysiert, die anhand eines Searchstrings in drei Datenbanken und anhand von vordefinierten Einschluss- und Ausschlusskriterien identifiziert wurden. Die Ergebnisse der Metaanalyse zeigen, dass die komplexen Zusammenhänge zwischen Hochschulpolitik, Verwaltung und Management, dem Umfeld der Hochschulen, mangelnder Perspektive des öffentlichen Interesses, Führungsstil, Kultur, Konsistenz des Managements und Fairness eine wesentliche Rolle spielen. Die Anreizsysteme sind nicht auf einzelne Wissenschaftler abgestimmt und es gibt Schwierigkeiten bei der Entwicklung gemeinsamer Ziele zwischen Regierung und Universität - die Prinzipal-Agenten-Theorie bietet einen theoretischen Hintergrund für ein besseres Verständnis dieser Beziehung. Die Selbstbestimmungstheorie im Kontext der Universitätskultur gibt Anregungen, wie die intrinsische Motivation unter Forschern aufrechterhalten werden kann. Zusammenfassend lässt sich erkennen, dass die Identifikation aller Beziehungen zu Stakeholdern sowie die Berücksichtigung der Umwelt, der spezifischen Bedingungen einer Universität und der von Motivation geprägten Kultur für die Entwicklung eines bestmöglichen MCS erforderlich sind. ; submitted by Daniela Zweimüller ; Universität Linz, Diplomarbeit, 2018 ; (VLID)3401103
The European Universities initiative, launched by the European Commission in 2018, has its origin in the concept of Civic Universities (CivUs) and consists of transnational higher education alliances throughout the European Union that share long-term strategies. They are expected to become universities of the future, to promote European ideals and character, and to revolutionize the competitiveness and excellence of European higher education. European universities add 41 alliances, involving 31 different countries. This article presents an early quantitative evaluation of this initiative. This paper addresses the coverage of the 41 alliances and selects five of the most advanced for a deeper evaluation of their best practices and their contribution to the realization of CivUs. This paper also outlines the criteria for evaluating the extent to which good practices implemented by these alliances are aligned and can contribute to the attributes of CivUs, based upon state-of-the-art educational standards. A quantitative framework, based on application of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), is also provided to rank the good practices developed by these alliances against the previous evaluation criteria. Furthermore, by applying a sensitivity analysis, this paper also addresses the robustness of this approach.
This paper aims to use and expand on the important work of the Healthy Universities' approach within higher education and the role the University can have in promoting health and well-being among staff, students and the local community. It focuses upon what we perceive to be important policy and practice developments to take forward the University of Greenwich Healthy Universities' pilot initiative (part of the national strategy). It sets out the background to the national Healthy Universities' strategy within the settings-based approach and briefly outlines the University of Greenwich Healthy Universities' pilot initiative; it then proceeds to outline three distinct but connected social and policy contexts that can be argued for to take forward and embed the initiative within the University. First, we focus on developments in current government policy, which emphasise the need to include concepts of health and wellbeing throughout policy and practice as a strategic and outcome tool. Second, we locate the initiative within ideas around community action and engagement, emphasising the need for it to be embedded locally; and third, we locate the local initiative within the wider setting of global and technological changes to strengthen the case for continued development.
Universities have a special role, some would say a unique role, in their cities and regions in meeting a diverse set of needs, and, in doing so, contributing to the economic and social development of those cities and regions. No other organisation in the region has quite such a scale and diversity of engagements and impacts. This book examines the nature of some of these impacts for a set of European universities in their regional contexts. The book is the result of a European Union funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Innovative Training Network on the Role of Universities in Innovation and Regional Development (RUNIN). The network ran from 2016 to 2020 and supported 14 early-career researchers who undertook their doctoral training in the network. It builds on collaboration with the European Consortium for Innovative Universities (ECIU). The case studies show the wide array of roles which universities can take in their regions. Even though the universities share the same ambition and, as members of the ECIU, have similar profiles, the regional and national contexts in which they find themselves have implications for the types of activities which they do, the effects of these activities, and the way in which they are received both at the university and in the surrounding region.
This paper explores universities as political institutions in the first place. Some principles related to interest groups, power, competition for scarce resources and negotiation in search of compromise are found to be common to businesses and the academic environment as well. We then reviewed the main characteristics of political systems which we also found to be present in universities. We argue that politics in universities is not necessarily a bad thing since using it in an appropriate, rational way is proven to have more advantages than disadvantages. Next, we analyzed universities as coalitions, looked into their sources of power and decision making processes and discussed the relationship between authorities and partisans. Finally, we discussed some leadership issues in political systems using examples from our own experience as employees in different Romanian universities*. Our concluding remarks support the idea that political action in universities may be used as an instrument for reaching goals if it is backed by leadership skills as drivers for promoting collaborative and interdependent relationships between internal and external audiences. DOI:10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n2s2p9
Fifty years after 1968, reaching consensus as to what a university should be, and how it should position itself towards the construction of democratic, liberal societies is still a difficult task. Trapped between praise for its potential of nurturing a knowledge-based economy, and accusations of complicity with the logics of commodification that have turned also education into a monetised service, already in the mid-1990s the university was declared an institution in ruins. Yet this does not necessarily implies catastrophe, as higher education remains a crucial moment in the formation of individuals at a time when the latter – the students, but also the academic community at large - are increasingly diversified than in the past in terms of age, class and gender. Universities should thus be hailed as important places where to live collectively, with the production of new projects for higher education spaces providing opportunities to test variations on such collectiveness. This is not an easy and a-critical task, especially at a moment in history when dissociating higher education from a pervasive market mentality is becoming increasingly difficult, and when clichés might too easily reproduced as unquestioned trends in the design of universities - with social learning being the leitmotif celebrated in the vast 'learning landscapes' of recent architectural production. A warning must be sent to avoid that these trends be treated, paradoxically, as the neutralised and normalised version of ideas originally elaborated to disrupt of the status quo of authoritarian, paternalistic education fifty years ago.
