Canada in a Global System of Higher Education

Author(s):  
Brent Epperson ◽  
Britta Baron ◽  
Carl G. Amrhein

In the last decade, many leading universities throughout the world have modified their mission and vision statements to emphasize community service and broader societal aspirations. Examining the case of Canada within the global system of higher education, this chapter explores the community engagement approaches of Canadian postsecondary institutions. Following an analysis of the communities within and surrounding campuses and a summary of key stakeholders, it outlines the unique history of extension faculties and the special relationships with Indigenous peoples and linguistic minorities that have become pivotal to community engagement strategies. The chapter emphasizes lessons from the Canadian context that may serve global university leaders. It concludes with a synopsis of challenges and threats to navigate in the pursuit of effective and enriching university–community relationships.

Author(s):  
David M. Deggs

Outreach and engagement are essential functions of American higher education. Despite having historical commitment and missions aligned to community engagement, many colleges and universities struggle to prioritize community engagement efforts within and across institutions. Community engagement is often viewed as a lesser priority behind teaching and research and is thus an afterthought. This chapter explores the development of community engagement in American higher education in the 20th century and key initiatives that underscore its importance to fulfilling college and university missions and goals. Motivation and rewards for faculty along with student benefits are also explored. Finally, actions that should be taken by college and university leaders to ensure that community engagement is prioritized are discussed.


Author(s):  
Gerardo Blanco Ramírez

Quality assurance in higher education has become an endeavor of global proportions. Leaders within institutions of higher education are required to make choices about what quality assurance and self-regulation mechanisms to implement and how to respond to external pressures in an environment of increased accountability and competition. University leaders also need to make choices about what standards of quality their institutions will follow. This paper outlines the changing environment of international quality assurance and its implications for management practice and further research. Critical engagements with quality assurance are necessary in order to make decisions that are not only effective but also consistent with the institutional mission and the purposes of higher education. While quality in higher education becomes global, university leaders encounter new opportunities to exercise institutional agency.


2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ketevan Mamiseishvili

In this paper, I will illustrate the changing nature and complexity of faculty employment in college and university settings. I will use existing higher education research to describe changes in faculty demographics, the escalating demands placed on faculty in the work setting, and challenges that confront professors seeking tenure or administrative advancement. Boyer’s (1990) framework for bringing traditionally marginalized and neglected functions of teaching, service, and community engagement into scholarship is examined as a model for balancing not only teaching, research, and service, but also work with everyday life.


Author(s):  
Tembinkosi Bonakele ◽  
Dave Beaty ◽  
Fathima Rasool ◽  
Drikus Kriek

The recent entry of the US multinational Walmart into South Africa has proved to be a source of controversy. Key stakeholders in South Africa objected to the merger and attempted to block it unless certain conditions were met. The aim of this study was to examine the controversy and the conditions surrounding the merger. The research employed a qualitative archival analysis to examine publicly available sources of information with regard to the merger. The findings revealed key stakeholders’ concerns that Walmart’s entry would lead to an increase in imports which would displace local producers, increase unemployment, marginalise trade unions and lower labour standards unless certain conditions were met. The results also revealed problems relating to the firm’s primary focus on “business” while neglecting “public interest” issues, naively relying on their “local retailer” to manage key stakeholders, and assuming that their perceived controversial reputation regarding treatment of trade unions and their views about unemployment as well as the controversies surrounding their history of entry into other global markets would not have the major negative impact it did on stakeholders in South Africa.


NASPA Journal ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary H. Knock

In the introduction of this book, Arthur Cohen states that The Shaping of American Higher Education is less a history than a synthesis. While accurate, this depiction in no way detracts from the value of the book. This work synthesizes the first three centuries of development of high-er education in the United States. A number of books detail the early history of the American collegiate system; however, this book also pro-vides an up-to-date account of developments and context for under-standing the transformation of American higher education in the last quarter century. A broad understanding of the book’s subtitle, Emergence and Growth of the Contemporary System, is truly realized by the reader.


NASPA Journal ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Herdlein

The scholarship of student affairs has neglected to carefully review its contextual past and, in the process, failed to fully integrate historical research into practice. The story of Thyrsa Wealtheow Amos and the history of the Dean of Women’s Program at the University of Pittsburgh,1919–41, helps us to reflect on the true reality of our work in higher education. Although seemingly a time in the distant past, Thyrsa Amos embodied the spirit of student personnel administration that shines ever so bright to thisd ay. The purpose of this research is to provide some of thatcontext and remind us of the values that serve as foundations of the profession.


Author(s):  
Hans Gustafson

This chapter offers instructors in higher education some basic tools and elements of course design for interreligious encounter in the undergraduate classroom. Aiming at practice over theory, it provides practical suggestions for fostering interreligious understanding from the first day of class through the end of the semester. These suggestions include the use of guest speakers, interdisciplinary case studies, in-class reflections, and interreligious community engagement (i.e., “service learning”), among others. Further, it provides a concise bibliography of basic introductory texts for both students and instructors in the areas of comparative theology, theologies of religions and religious pluralisms, and interreligious studies and dialogue.


This issue of the history of universities contains, as usual, an interesting mix of learned articles and book reviews covering topics related to the history of higher education. The volume combines original research and reference material. This issue includes articles on the topics of Alard Palenc; Joseph Belcher and Latin at Harvard; Queens College in Massachusetts; and university reform in Europe. The text includes a review essay as well as the usual book reviews.


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