The changing role of public university towards the emerging idea of corporate university (original) (raw)

Whither the public university: funding constraints

Knowledge-based competition within a globalised economy is encouraging a fresh contemplation of the sacrosanct role of Higher Education as a leading instrument for economic development and community revitalisation. Today, in a large part of the developed world, 'Higher Education Systems, Universities and Research Institutes' are effectively functioning to help local regions/states for advancing in new knowledge economy, by marshalling their core responsibilities -education, innovation and knowledge transfer -in ways designed to stimulate economic expansion. However, very recently, state appropriations for Higher Education declined significantly, thus exerting an adverse effect on quality of faculty, students and education delivered at Public Universities. This paper makes an attempt to provide a brief recapitulation of the role of Public University, reasons/impact of public funding constraints on Public University's ability to discharge its intended role and consequent efforts to re-position itself in an effort to continue to perform albeit enhance its economic pay-off to society.

Development Challenges for Universities in Developing Nations

University success and access to higher education are intrinsically linked. A financially successful university will be able to guarantee equity of access to those with talent, by providing scholarships. In this paper we will mainly focus on Universities financial success and how to attain it. I will point out the opportunities that exist in large grants programmes such as the EU's Seventh Framework and the Life-Long Learning programmes. I will also stress the importance of entrepreneurial universities for generating revenue. In addition, producing graduates with entrepreneurial skills helps avoiding brain drain, since the national job markets can not always be expected to absorb all graduates. I will also emphasize the importance on implementing a strategic management, which is essential to assure that new activities contribute to the desired development of the University. General key performance indicators for each of the 3 missions of the university will be proposed within a framework of a Balanced Score Card strategic management system.

The University as Engine of Development?

Philosophical Inquiry in Education

The idea of the ‘developmental university’ was popularised on the African continent in the post- independence period, but has recently returned to view on account of the positioning of the university in the newly agreed United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The developmental model is characterised by service to society, application of knowledge, non-academic benefit and prioritising the most marginalised. Yet to what extent are these goals and characteristics coherent and viable given the nature of the university as institution? While the developmental model per seis limited to a few experiences, the implications of these questions are much broader, given the public service mission held by many if not most higher education institutions around the world. After outlining its historical emergence, this article presents a conceptual exploration of the model, highlighting three major limitations, in spite of its highly positive intentions: its positioning of the university as an ...

Universities and Higher Education in Development

International Development, 2014

This chapter traces the origin of the modern university and its role in economic growth and development. From institutions primarily concerned with reproducing existing knowledge, universities have evolved into a crucial element in the advancement of the knowledge society by providing education, research, and third mission activities. With the recognition of the endogenous nature of technological progress in mainstream development theory, the importance Arocena, Göransson, and Sutz Universities and Higher Education in Development Chapter 34 Page 2 of universities and indigenous capacity building has significantly impacted the development strategies of international organizations and the donor community. To realize their full developmental potential, universities need to transcend the narrow confines of being marketdriven knowledge producers and evolve toward developmental universities aiming at putting their knowledge at the service of social goals at large.

Universities, Society and Development: Setting the scene

Universities, Society and Development: African perspectives of university community engagement in secondary cities, 2022

The conception and scope of the broader society in which the university is located depends on many factors including the mandate, resourcing and capacity, locality, and interests of the university and university-based actors. Moreover, the needs and the pressures universities experience may be understood in the context of the forces of globalisation; the emergence of knowledge economies; the fast advancement and uptake of new digital technologies; and the swings in the global political economy, all of which are greatly affecting the functioning of universities (OECD, 2012). Extending Cloete et al.'s (2002) argument, as much as institutional transformation results from complex interactions between state, universities and society, the specific developmental orientations of universities should be understood as a complex interplay between multiple factors, including national development and sectorspecific policy, the perceptions, capacities and resources of university-based actors, as well as stakeholders and communities external to higher education. '… let us be quite clear; the University… has a very definite role to play in development in this area, and to do this effectively it must be in, and of, the community … The University of East Africa must direct its energies particularly towards the needs of East Africa … it's in this manner that the university will contribute to our development … … In this fight the university must take an active part, outside as well as inside the walls'. (Nyerere, 1963, cited in Walters & Openjuru, 2013:143) 1 2017-Community engagement at Rhodes, a manifestation of Ubuntu (ru.ac.za).