University rankings have strongly influenced the values, practices, and policies universities adopt to be considered "good" universities. Thinking in terms of epistemic responsibilities (ERs) of universities provides a novel framework that could counter the traditional use of rankings and its negative effects, by accentuating other and…

Community colleges created opportunities for expansion to feed into four-year institutions in the United States. Community colleges served high school students, military veterans, and diverse student populations in U.S. communities. In the twenty-first century, various educational needs and rebuilding processes existed for many community colleges…

This article considers how universities might be repurposed to fulfill their responsibilities to future generations in the context of accelerating social and ecological breakdown. To do so, we invite readers into an inquiry about how educators might prepare ourselves and our students to navigate current and coming disruptions in ways that…

The inherent features of universities and junior colleges in Korea may be non-normative based on institution type, suggesting the blurring of organisational identities. This raises concern amid Korea's increasing popularity as an international education destination. There might be confusion in the global marketplace from the perspective of…

The paper uses the heuristics of a spatial perspective of so-called Field Configuring Events (FCE) to investigate the question of how these new educational and project-related transfer and collaboration courses in higher education context can capture the fundamentally changed institutional role -- often called "third mission" or transfer…

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the relationship between academia and society focusing on how technical universities perform Third Mission (TM) to promote knowledge outside the academic environment producing multiple benefits. Design/methodology/approach: This investigation is performed through the conceptual approach. The theoretical…

In Chile, higher education is characterised by a constellation of features that make 'public' a multiplicitous idea. In the present study, academics in two public universities are seen to hold strong views in favour of public universities playing public roles and they identify several public goods that they value. These academics also hold…

This paper explores the profound philosophical and conceptual foundations that underpin comparative international education research, particularly concerning the evolving roles of universities and colleges that transcend mere skills training or human capital development in contemporary times. Universities and colleges have predominantly focused on…

This paper examines the evolution of Norwegian higher education with a particular focus on the role and transformation of colleges. Historically, these colleges have been instrumental in providing geographically accessible, higher (vocational) education tailored to local and regional needs, significantly contributing to Norway's workforce and…

Over the last decade, there has been a proliferation of policy engagement bodies set up within universities worldwide. The present study focuses on the British experience of this phenomenon but with relevance to other contexts. Multiple factors are at play to explain this growth, from the Research Excellence Framework impact agenda (which assesses…

Education is considered an integral element of sustainable development, and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on quality education is a key enabler for all other SDGs. Therefore, research is primarily focused on the roles and responsibilities of higher education systems, and in the same direction, a novel system, method, and perspective plan in…

The study addresses the challenges Addis Ababa University faculty encounters in fulfilling their community service mission. A qualitative research method with a case study design was used. Data were collected through individual interviews with vice deans, department heads, community service professionals, and academic staff. Further review of…

The number of federally designated Hispanic serving institutions (HSIs) has almost doubled over the last 10 years. This shift has led researchers and policy makers alike to increasingly scrutinize what it means to be Hispanic serving, and not just Hispanic enrolling. In this study, we present perspectives from five Hispanic community college…

Just as our society is polarized, higher education is no less divided as to its mission and purpose, whether it should be preparing students for employment or for engagement as citizens, whether it should be corporatist and profit-driven or promote intellectual curiosity and independent thinking, and whether it should pursue a neoliberal agenda or…

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the contribution of higher education institutions (HEIs) to the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and propose strategies to cultivate a culture centred on the SDGs in HEIs. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology used encompassed an integrative literature review, combining bibliographic analysis on…