Call for participation: The Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) Higher Education Policy Unit, in partnership with IAU, will conduct a study on how the current economic crisis is affecting higher education institutions and what leadership and management challenges it is bringing in various parts of the world. The researchers undertaking the study are calling for expressions of interest from institutional participant in all regions of the world. If your university is interested to take part, please read and respond positively to the call for institutional participants.
CALL FOR INSTITUTIONAL PARTICIPANTS
First International Study on the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis on Higher Education:
Leadership and Management Challenges
The on-going Global Economic Crisis (GEC) is having an enduring and profound impact on higher education. At the same time, the continuing shift to the knowledge-based economy, the rising demand for and costs of higher education, and the influence of global rankings are placing issues of quality and performance under intense scrutiny. Faculty are also under pressure; calls for greater productivity and accountability question traditional work-practices and values. Many of these challenges were manifest years ago; but the extent of change now being experienced suggests higher education is undergoing significant structural adjustment.
We are all familiar with general commentary about increasing global competition and the need to demonstrate relevance. However, we lack deep-level knowledge of what is happening in higher education: the extent of change taking place, and the impact on individual institutions. In particular, we lack specific understanding of how the new global economic environment is affecting the role and responsibilities of HEIs, and what structural or organisational changes are being made. To what extent is the new global environment a driver of these changes or would they have happened anyway? How are these developments affecting students at your institution? Have changes been made to academic work practices? What effects are these changes having on educational quality, research, and institutional reputation? What are the higher education management and leadership challenges?
The study is being conducted in partnership between the International Association of Universities (IAU) and the Higher Education Policy Research Unit (HEPRU), Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland.
At this stage,
we are seeking Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) that would like to participate in this first international study of how the ongoing global economic crisis is impacting on higher education and, especially, on individual institutions. We aim for approximately 50 participant institutions in order to provide a balanced representation in terms of geographic/regional location and institutional mission.Participants will be asked to complete a comprehensive on-line self-study questionnaire, covering a series of issues under the following five (5) headings.
HEI Mission
HEI Strategy
HEI Finance
HEI Quality
HEI Work Practices
In addition, we will ask for some basic information about your institution, in order to correlate experiences with specific types of institutions and world regions. All data collected will adhere to research ethics protocols; the anonymity of each institution will be protected in all resulting publications. We anticipate it should take approx. 1 hour to complete.
It is intended to hold a Roundtable Meeting with participating institutions in early 2013, in order to provide an opportunity for higher education leaders to share their experiences of responding to the new situation. Results of the research will be presented at forthcoming IAU and other conferences; publication of the full results will follow in summer 2013.
For more: Contact International Affairs, DIU.
