The Multicampus System

In the face of increasing social demand and cutbacks in state budgetary support, universities in African countries are now turning towards a multicampus system strategy. As African governments have adopted neoliberal education policies that place premium on entrepreneurialism, profit making, privatization, and markets as drivers of university development, a reshaping of the academic work and organizational framework have taken place. However, little is known about the impact of this paradigm shift on access, quality and governance in higher education. This book fills the void in research and academic knowledge about the impact of the emerging university configurations in Africa. It analyzes the paradox surrounding the performance of multicampus university systems as avenues of broadening university access but whose structural success may be qualitatively contested. This book offers a refreshing examination of the African multicampus university system from both an African and global perspective. It makes use of empirical data from Kenya collected during extensive fieldwork along with substantive library and documentary resources on the rest of the continents to fortify arguments and demonstrate important conclusions. This allows for a comparative analysis of policies and strategies used in the establishment of campuses, both within and beyond national boundaries in the continent, and will be a welcome contribution to the existing repertoire on African universities.

During the last half-century, multicampus systems have become the dominant model of public higher education in the United States. Approximately 80% of the students currently enrolled in two- and four-year public colleges and universities attend institutions that are part of a multicampus system. Because of their dominance and public funding most receive, these systems, their Presidents and Chancellors are being subjected to intense and unprecedented scrutiny and to pressures for accountability and productivity. The distinguished contributors--nationally prominent leaders of four- and two-year multicampus institutions--consider such issues as: How can the leaders and managers of multicampus systems cope with the new operational challenges that confront them? How should, or have, leaders responded to dwindling or unpredictable resources; to new public expectations or formal mandates for accountability and productivity? What should their organizations' missions be? How can they build on organizational strengths and take advantage of opportunities while minimizing organizational weaknesses and overcoming threats to their existence? How can they formulate desirable strategies and implement them effectively? This is the first comprehensive examination of multicampus systems that has been conducted since Eugene Lee's and Frank Bowen's work in the early 1970's.The environment within which these institutions operate has since undergone seismic economic, demographic, political and technological shifts. This book fills an urgent need to provide university and community college leaders, trustees and policy makers with guidance and information for developing effective policies in an increasingly complex and uncertain world.

The report describes the functions of multicampus systems of higher education in the United States, considers their growing importance, identifies common concerns, and presents ideas for addressing those concerns. It is based on interviews conducted during 1991 and 1992 with administrators, faculty, trustees, and other experienced professionals, at four systems: the University of California, the University of North Carolina, Kansas Board of Regents institutions, and the Maricopa County Community College District (Arizona). Sixteen "good ideas" for governance, adaptable to other systems, are discussed: protecting education and research from undue outside pressure; leaving coordination and control of academic affairs in faculty hands; encouraging intercampus cooperation in program development and operation; assigning principal responsibility for certain programmatic or administrative tasks and activities to one lead campus; allocating programs systemwide among campuses; ensuring open communication at all levels; consulting with administrative councils on all campuses; communicating the benefits of higher education support directly to state legislators and citizens; centralizing relations with state and federal governments; preserving campus flexibility when centralizing; centralizing admissions; establishing campus boards of trustees; maximizing local budget control; decentralizing physical plant decisions; raising funds as a campus activity; and continually revitalizing leadership. A table of system data is appended. (MSE)

This thought-provoking volume brings together scholars and system leaders to analyze some of the most pressing and complex issues now facing higher education systems and society. Higher Education Systems 3.0 focuses on the remaking of higher education coordination in an era of increased accountability, greater calls for productivity, and intensifying fiscal austerity. System heads have been identifying ways to harness the collective contributions of their various institutions to benefit the students, communities, and other stakeholders that they serve. The contributors explore the recent dynamics of higher education systems, focusing particularly on how systems are now working to improve their effectiveness in educating students and improving our communities, while also identifying new means for operating more efficiently. This enhanced collaboration, or systemness, is the key aspect of version 3.0.