Higher Education: A Worldwide Inventory of Centers and Programs (original) (raw)

2007, Higher Education: A Worldwide Inventory of Centers and Programs

We are especially indebted to our colleagues in the field of higher education who responded to our requests for information. Without the assistance of colleagues around the world, we would not have been able to compile this inventory. Several organizations were especially helpful to us in identifying potential respondents. The Center for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS) at the University of Twente was especially generous in providing us with their list of organizations. We are indebted to Peter A. M. Maassen and the CHEPS staff. The International Association of Universities in Paris assisted us with our journals list. Toru Umakoshi of the Center for Higher Education at Nagoya University in Japan and Ulrich Teichler and Jürgen Enders of the Gesamthochschule Universität Kassel in Germany also assisted us. Dr. Xiangming Chen of the Institute of Higher Education at Peking University, Beijing, China, helped us with our coverage of China. Jan Sadlak of the UNESCO European Center for Higher Education in Romania assisted us in checking some entries. At Boston College, Yoshikazu Ogawa and Kevin Sayers were involved with the project, as was Salina Kopellas. This project is part of the research program of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College. Our work is funded in part by the Ford Foundation, and we are indebted to Jorge Balán for his continuing support. The International Education Research Foundation of Los Angeles also assisted in the funding of the inventory. vi The Essay Only in the past half century did higher education become an area of research and scholarly attention, although the roots of the field extend further back. Training programs for higher education administration are also of recent origin. The essay attempts to provide a brief summary of the development of the field and a discussion of current trends in research and training. It is intended as a kind of "road map" for a field of research and training that is rapidly expanding and maturing. vii viii The Inventory The main contribution of this book is the higher education inventory. Data for the inventory were collected over a period of two years, from 1998 to 2000. To facilitate the response process, respondents were able to reply through an on-line survey form, e-mail, or regular post. Approximately 265 requests for information were initially distributed to universities, research centers, and regional and international organizations. Persistent efforts were made to contact the relevant agencies, and to be as comprehensive as possible in coverage. All told, the inventory contains 187 centers, institutes, and programs. The response data were then edited for clarity and to conform to our specific categories. In some cases, incomplete information was received. Using available resources we have tried to complete all listings as much as possible. Nevertheless, some listings remain less complete than others. The inventory is alphabetically organized by country. Criteria We used the following categories to identify the programs and centers to be listed: • academic programs-degree-granting programs located in universities that offer postgraduate degrees in the field of higher and postsecondary education; • institutes and centers-such places may be located in universities, government ministries or departments, or they may be freestanding. Some may be focused on research, while others may be engaged mainly in data collection. Definitions Defining our target institutions was not an easy task. We used the following categories as a guide to including centers, programs, and institutes: Academic programs a. At least one FTE (full-time equivalent) faculty member who concentrates on higher education-this might mean two or more faculty who have only a partial commitment. b. At least four graduate courses (postbaccalaureate) or the availability of the most-advanced degree, usually the doctorate-in some countries, programs offering only the master's degree did not qualify for inclusion in the inventory. c. Academic programs are generally housed in a university. INTRODUCTION XI ally within China, and we have listed these. Purely local university-based publications were not included. Yoshikazu Ogawa, a member of the staff of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, was mainly responsible for supervising the preparation of the journals list. Related literature This inventory is related to two volumes that analyze current trends in higher education research worldwide. These books are;