Institutional Cultures/ Environments: Preliminary remarks (original) (raw)

2015, Report on the Second National Higher Education Transformation Summit

This was not an easy assignment, especially since the major concepts at play, institutional culture and transformation, are generally regarded as slippery and their over-proximity in our everyday talk about the sector give it the appearance of floating signifiers. Those who shy away from it probably know the material stakes that are carried by these concepts. Such wariness has become a discourse in itself, aimed at certain ends. For others, that which is invoked when these concepts are used is more important than its „attached‟ meanings. And then there are those who are aware that our concepts are of necessity fragile, since they are sometimes called upon to stand proxy for that which is not yet cognisable. I attempt to take these different positions into account. The "racialised" categories used in this paper are inevitable and do not undercut my broader political understanding of Black. Similarly, the use of institutional categorisations do not confirm an unsophisticated, naive adherence to such hierarchies; they are simply employed to make my arguments more intelligible in the morass of "race" and "orders" in which we find ourselves. I also work with broad generalisations; my apologies. This is not to discount the varieties of contexts and histories which the limits of a paper such as this precludes pursuing. Micro-institutional cultures and dispositions can thus not feature in my analysis. I also include myself as an institutional and sector agent throughout the analyses in this briefing paper. In addition, my style is speculatively analytical, and political; something for which I make no apology. I have worked on these ideas in various capacities: as a member of the Transformation Oversight Committee (TOC); as a role-player in the transformation work of Universities South Africa; my work on Critical Studies in Higher Education Transformation; and my daily engagements with friends and colleagues. This needs be acknowledged alongside my gratitude to so many students who freely invite me into their space, are hospitable when I invite myself, and willingly share their experiences. Higher education, nationally, regionally and globally, is faced with an infinite number of challenges. These range from those related to globalisation and the predation of neo-liberal logics, to matters of access, throughput and participation rates, research, teaching and learning, internationalisation, differentiation, diversifications, funding, student aid, and its responsiveness to societal challenges. This briefing paper does not focus on these, though it may become clear how some of these challenges are intertwined with what we call institutional culture. In addition, I take for granted that universities and the social realities of the societies and communities within which they are located, mirror each other to a large extent. I am not dwelling on this truism. Two other types of analyses with import for reflecting on institutional cultures need to be flagged here, though they do not feature in any substance in this briefing paper. First, the discourse on contradictions and tensions within the higher education sector, with certain conceptions of excellence and quality in tow, has a profound impact on how we think and do transformation. This particular understanding of transformation as demanding trade-offs between equity and quality; redress and efficiency; and change and development have already been explored by others (Cloete et al. 2002; Cloete and Moja, 2007 and Cloete, 2014). Second, the interplay between the mission, mandates and roles of higher education has consistently being explored by Badat's writings (2006; 2007; 2010; 2013) as a useful reminder of the larger purposes of the sector.