Reshaping The University

In the past few decades, the narrow intellectual foundations of the university have come under serious scrutiny. Previously marginalized groups have called for improved access to the institution and full inclusion in the curriculum. Reshaping the University is a timely, thorough, and original interrogation of academic practices. It moves beyond current analyses of cultural conflicts and discrimination in academic institutions to provide an indigenous postcolonial critique of the modern university. Rauna Kuokkanen argues that attempts by universities to be inclusive are unsuccessful because they do not embrace indigenous worldviews. Programs established to act as bridges between mainstream and indigenous cultures ignore their ontological and epistemic differences and, while offering support and assistance, place the responsibility of adapting wholly on the student. Indigenous students and staff are expected to leave behind their cultural perspectives and epistemes in order to adopt Western values. Reshaping the University advocates a radical shift in the approach to cultural conflicts within the academy and proposes a new logic, grounded in principles central to indigenous philosophies.

What is the emerging shape of the University? Are there spaces for present activities to be practised anew or even for new activities? If these questions have force, they show that the metaphors of shapes and spaces can be helpful in understanding the contemporary university.Research, teaching and scholarship remain the dominant activities in universities and so it is their relationships that form the main concerns of this volume. Are these activities pulling apart from each other? Or might these activities be brought more together in illuminating ways? Is there space to redesign these activities so that they shed light on each other? Is there room for yet other purposes? In this volume, a distinguished set of scholars engage with these pertinent but challenging issues. Ideas are offered, and evidence is marshalled, of practices that suggest a re-shaping of the University may be possible. Reshaping the University appeals to those who are interested in the future of universities, including students, researchers, managers and policy makers. It also addresses global issues and it will, therefore, interest the higher education community worldwide. Contributors: Ronald Barnett, David Dill, Carol Bond, Lewis Elton, Mick Healey, Mark Hughes, Rajani Naidoo, Mark Olssen, Bruce Macfarlane, Kathleen Nolan, Jan Parker, Michael Peters, Alison Phipps, Jane Robertson, Peter Scott, Stephen Rowland.

The large scale publicly funded system of postsecondary education in Ontario developed in the 1960s has been largely successful in fulfilling important societal needs in the areas of education, human resource development, and research. Existing approaches, however, are unlikely to be sufficient to address the challenges of the coming decade. Academic Transformation: The Forces Reshaping Higher Education in Ontario examines the developments that are re-shaping the province's post-secondary system, including higher enrollment, further development of a knowledge-based economy, increased demands for research focused on competitiveness and productivity, and Ontario's transition to a multicultural, internationally connected, urban, and aged society. Universities and colleges are also adjusting to internal changes in the composition of the student body and staff, faculty work profiles, and funding arrangements. The authors consider possible changes in the system's structure, policy, and governance that may be helpful in dealing with the anticipated changes in societal needs, and expectations related to post-secondary education.

The global economic crisis has required governments across the globe to reconsider their spending priorities. It is within this demanding economic context that higher education systems have been steadily restructured with in many ways the English model in the vanguard of change. This book focuses in particular upon the policy of removing almost entirely public support for the payment of student fees. This has emerged from a steady process of change, which has broad political support and is underwritten by the idea that higher education is now seen more as a private than a public, good. As this shift has occurred (not a new innovation but rather a return to what once prevailed as more of a market in English higher education) so the relationship between government and the higher education has evolved with the latter now attempting to steer the development of the system through a state-regulated market. The book has a strong comparative dimension that draws upon US higher education to illustrate both the possible advantages and potential hazards to the marketization strategy. It concludes that any such strategy needs to be accompanied by state regulation if it is to function effectively, particularly to stimulate price competition, encourage innovation from new entrants, and provide consumer protection for students paying high fees.

This volume provides a broad examination of how technology and globalisation have influenced contemporary higher education institutions and how moves towards internationalisation within and between educational providers continue to be a force for change in this context. Showcasing the varied responses to and utilisation of new technologies to support international teaching and learning endeavours at a range of higher education institutions, this book introduces content from around the world, emphasising the global importance of the internationalisation of education. Featuring contributions from some fresh young voices alongside the work of experienced and internationally renowned scholars this collection critically scrutinises the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on the capacities and patterns of university education; assesses and refines the contention that ICTs are facilitating the (re-)shaping of university practices as well as challenging traditional educational models and learning strategies; provides a comprehensive portrait of the ways in which ICT use engages higher education providers, society, and individuals to facilitate potentially more democratic, globally focussed access to knowledge generation, creation, investigation, and consumption processes through internationally focussed education; and examines the differing pace and scope of change in international educational practice and context between and within countries and disciplines. With an international range of carefully chosen contributors, this book is a must-read text for practitioners, academics, researchers, administrators, policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of the university in an information age.

University rankings have gained popularity around the world and are now a significant factor shaping reputation. This second edition updates Ellen Hazelkorn's first comprehensive study of rankings from a global perspective, drawing in new original research and extensive analysis. It is essential reading for policymakers, managers and scholars.

'Reshaping The University' provides an exploration of the links between research, scholarship and teaching in modern universities.

Fragments of culture often become commodities when the tourism and heritage business showcases local artistic and cultural practice. But what happens when local communities become more involved in this cultural marketplace? Incorporating Culture examines how Indigenous artists and entrepreneurs are cultivating more equitable relationships with the companies that reproduce their designs on everyday objects. Moving beyond the assumption that cultural commodification is necessarily exploitative, Solen Roth illustrates the processes by which Indigenous people have been asserting control over the Northwest Coast art industry, reshaping it to reflect Indigenous models of property, relationships, and economics.