Democracy And Governance In Higher Education

Since the early Eighties a number of themes have dominated the landscape of higher education, among them budget cuts, rationalisation in provision, accountability and quality control, closer links between higher education and the region, and a greater alertness to changes in economic and social policy. At the institutional level, the drive towards a greater degree of latitude and autonomy has found a ready echo among universities and other establishments of higher education. And this, in its turn, has posed major questions about the range of responsibilities central government and administration ought to retain or to delegate. Here is an in-depth treatment of the important legal issues emerging from these developments.

Since the early Eighties a number of themes have dominated the landscape of higher education, among them budget cuts, rationalisation in provision, accountability and quality control, closer links between higher education and the region, and a greater alertness to changes in economic and social policy. At the institutional level, the drive towards a greater degree of latitude and autonomy has found a ready echo among universities and other establishments of higher education. And this, in its turn, has posed major questions about the range of responsibilities central government and administration ought to retain or to delegate. Here is an in-depth treatment of the important legal issues emerging from these developments.

Introduction -- American dreams : access, mobility, fairness -- Free minds : educating democratic citizens -- Hard facts : knowledge creation and checking power -- Purposeful pluralism : dialogue across difference on campus -- Conclusion.

This book emphasizes the inherently democratic nature of education; from those who practice in higher education institutions and are involved in decision-making, to those questioning the methods of reform processes in those institutions. As they are faced with increasing pressures to restructure and change their organizations in line with global institutional demands the foundations upon which their leadership and governance are based are called into question. This book takes a critical approach to understanding higher education leadership and governance. The overarching questions asked in this book are: how has higher education come to be assembled in contemporary governance practices within the context of global demands for reform and how are issues of justice being taken up as part of and in resistance to this assemblage?

This publication is the result of a conference on higher education governance, held in Strasbourg in September 2005, and also the outcome of a project launched by the Council of Europe's Steering Committee for Higher Education and Research. It considers current challenges relating to governance issues the higher education sector in Europe, in the context of the Bologna Process which seeks to establish a European Higher Education Area, including governance in its wider societal context of change; a literature review; case studies from Georgia, Estonia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Turkey; suggestions for further development and the conference report.

"This book of contributed chapters is for educators who want to improve their understanding of the role higher education can play in developing students who are actively engaged in democratic processes and civic engagement opportunities"--