Public college and university administrators are concerned about steady erosion of immunities and tort caps traditionally relied upon for protection against lawsuits. In this context, institutions must consider their protection in these areas: extension of protection to all employees; scope of employment; nongovernmental functions; foundations and…

The ability of the university culture to adapt to changing environmental conditions that challenge the institution's primary functions and values (academic freedom, autonomy) is discussed, and management approaches that mirror the specific culture of a university are described. Methods for assessing culture are described, a typology for…

Describes important court decisions which illustrate the relationship and potential tension between the academic freedom of an individual professor and the academic freedom of the university as an institution. (EV)

Describes the advantages of charter schools, which are started by individuals or groups in the community and can set their own educational agendas and goals. More states are passing or expanding charter school laws every year. Benefits include autonomy, site-based management, increased parental involvement, and increased teacher control.…

Suggests that in planning transformative change in South African higher education, it is important to analyze the status quo and understand the legacy of apartheid, including less obvious features. Notes the need to revisit the role of the academy in social democratization and modernization in order to establish a firm framework and make progress…

For those who would like to see Ron Wolk's vision of schools realized, the challenge of scaling up is the most daunting one faced. Skeptics like to say, "Oh well, that 'X' and 'Y' did something really special is irrelevant; they're exceptions." But the author's experience suggests that today's exceptions can become tomorrow's norms. If that is to…

Of the many arguments for charter schools, one is crucial: that charters should be deliberately, thoughtfully, boldly different from existing mainline public middle and high schools. The evidence of the ineffectiveness of the traditional design of K-12 education, especially that of middle and high schools, serving both rich and poor, is…

Genealogies, or histories of the present, create critical spaces to remind us of the non-necessity of that which we consider necessary to our lives (Burchell 1993). Further, genealogies of governmentality attempt to create this space with a focus on how conduct is conducted. In this paper I suggest that genealogies of governmentality are one way…

A significant global trend during the 1990s is the restructuring of higher education systems. The essence of this restructuring process is a redefinition of the relationship between institutions of higher learning, the state, and the market, and a drastic reduction of institutional autonomy. This article is an analysis of the restructuring process…

In April 2004, all national universities, which had previously been legally subordinate to MEXT (Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture), were given a legal personality and became "National University Corporations". With this change, each national university now enjoys greater autonomy vis-a-vis the government in terms of how it uses…

When armed police officers, with no warrant, confiscated and searched the computer from this author's state university office, she began to cross-examine her relationship to computers and to investigate professors' computer privacy at public universities. She had violated no university policy. She had simply received an anonymous e-mail (an e-mail…

This article is a case study of Tsinghua University, one of China's most influential universities, which has special national significance and strong political ties to the state. Recalling three chapters in the past century of Tsinghua's history, this paper gives an interpretive understanding of how the intertwined relationship between academia…

The greatest challenge for institutions of higher education in most OECD countries since the 1970s has arguably been to cope with reduced public support. Many institutions responded to reductions in funding, first, by cutting costs and lobbying governments to reverse cutbacks, and then--when it became clear that funding levels would not be…

The paper starts with a description of higher education in the United Kingdom and of reforms over the last 50 years. By reference to specified output measures, the performance of UK universities is judged to be good. The factors affecting this performance are postulated by comparing policies and approaches in the United Kingdom with those…

"IMHE-Info" is the newsletter published by the Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE) programme of OECD. This issue includes: (1) Tertiary Education for the Knowledge Society; (2) The Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO); and (3) City-Regions in Focus. Publications of interest, IMHE News, and a calendar…