ERIC Number: EJ1411828
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0332-3315
EISSN: EISSN-1747-4965
Available Date: N/A
Competition within a Multi-Campus, Merged University - A Zero-Sum Game?
Rosalind M. O. Pritchard
Irish Educational Studies, v43 n1 p1-19 2024
Many reasons exist for mergers in higher education. One of the most pervasive is the pursuit of resources, often expressed in terms of student numbers which give increased power within an education ecology. However, resource dependency is not the only rationale for merger; and history demonstrates that a multi-campus institution may disband as well as amalgamate. The present study is based on Ulster University, a multi-campus institution in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. It is itself the product of merger and embodies the political tensions of Unionism and Nationalism that are endemic in the province. There are indeed struggles over resources which make campus competition look like a zero-sum game in which a gain for one side entails a corresponding loss for the other side. The political dimension is based upon historical narratives that are powerful even when they are not always fact-based; it has potential to destabilise the institution. Yet methods exist of managing inter-campus competition in order to create positive transactions capable of satisfying the needs of all concerned even across different jurisdictions within the island of Ireland. Well-implemented, such structures could help to defuse aggression between interest groups, facilitating optimal use of resources and increasing educational opportunity.
Descriptors: Competition, Multicampus Colleges, Organizational Change, Universities, International Cooperation, Foreign Countries, Nationalism, Politics of Education, Educational Resources, Conflict
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A