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IAU/Palgrave
Prize 2010
Privatization of Public
Higher Education: Current Trends and Long-Term Impact
Thanks to, and in partnership with, Palgrave Macmillan Ltd., publisher
of the Association’s research and reference works, the International
Association of Universities (IAU) is pleased to announce the 2010
IAU/Palgrave Prize in Higher Education Policy Research. The aim of this
Prize is to promote research in the field of higher education policy by
recognizing outstanding work on a particular theme by a scholar from an
IAU Member Institution or Organisation.
The 2010 Prize will focus on the theme: Privatization of Public
Higher Education: Current Trends and Long-Term Impact.
Privatization, in reference to higher education, refers to a process or
tendency of higher education institutions (both public and private) to
take on characteristics of, or operational norms associated with,
private enterprises. The term is not a precise one (any more than the
distinction between a "public" and a "private" institution, since
public institutions receive private funding and private institutions
can be publically sponsored and certainly regulated).
Privatization on
the one hand connotes a trend to view the student as a consumer, and
includes a trend to offer education as a commercial "product" or
commodity. Thus attention is paid to image, competitor
institutions
and "niche markets", pricing and the enhancement of net earned
revenue. Privatization also suggests the adoption of management
practices associated with private business, such as outsourcing (i.e.
turning to private firms to perform non-academic services such as
printing, food services, bookstore operations, or general building
maintenance), competitive and efficiency driven working environments,
"top down" management, widespread use of audits and accountability
measures (accreditation and ranking), and an insistence that each unit
(department or academic programme) contribute to profitability.
Proponents of more privatized higher education claim that it makes
colleges and universities more responsive to the needs of students and
employers alike, in addition to generating efficiencies that can
enhance the institution’s goals, whatever they may be.
Critical thinkers stress the dangers they see in the (increasing)
privatization of Higher Education: governments further decrease their
support for the sector, leaving private higher education institutions
to fill in the gaps; education offered through the public sectors
shrinks, students, who contribute to such funding privatization by
paying fees, are faced with education debts; fees themselves
potentially act as barriers to access to higher education.
Privatization impacts on the autonomy of institutions; cooperation with
the private sector may be ‘interesting’ financially but again may often
impact substantially on the autonomy of research, etc.
There has been a massive increase in the number of private higher
education institutions but less is known about the extent to which the
privatization of hitherto public institutions has been gaining
ground.
Furthermore, the methodologies to track this evolution are still being
developed and given that this is an ideologically laden topic, it is
not always easy to monitor what is really taking place.
Yet, the distinctions between public and private, profit and not for
profit HEIs are always being drawn. Are these lines accurate? Are
they
relevant? What challenges and/or opportunities need to be addressed?
By choosing this theme for the 2010 Research Essay Prize, IAU wishes to
mobilize its membership to focus their research efforts and share their
findings on the privatization of public higher education, the risks,
benefits and challenges it brings and what impact the trend may have on
the overall system and on society as a whole.
The research-based essays may take the form of an analytical case
study, an analysis of trends, provide an overview of relevant policies
or offer the results of impact assessment. They may also look at
important partnerships forged, showcase good-practice or evaluate
relevant funding policies or approaches.
We would like to underline, however, that the invitation for
submissions is for research- and analysis-based papers; not purely
descriptive articles.
The IAU/Palgrave Prize, valued at
£1,000, is awarded to the most
outstanding essay received from a researcher/scholar working in an IAU
Member institution/organization. The essay should not exceed
7,500
words in length; it should be written in one of the Association’s two
official languages - English or French - and be submitted in the first
instance in electronic format (MS Word).
An international jury of distinguished scholars and higher education
leaders will review the Essays submitted and select the most deserving
Essay. The result will be widely disseminated by the Association.
Deadline for submission for the 2010 Prize: 30 September 2010
Please send all queries and essays to: Nicholas Poulton
International Association of Universities (IAU)
UNESCO House,
1, Rue Miollis,
F-75732 Paris Cedex 15, France, hep@iau-aiu.net
The winner
of IAU/Palgrave
Prize 2009
The 2009 competition was on the theme of Equitable Access,
Success and Quality - three essential ingredients or three mutually
exclusive concepts for higher education development?, and the
jury nominated Jennifer M. Gidley, Gary P. Hampson, Leone Wheeler and
Elleni Bereded-Samuel of RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia for
their entry entitled From Access to Success:
An Integrated Approach to Quality Higher Education informed by Social
Inclusion Theory and Practice.
The winning article
will be published in one of next year’s editions of Higher Education
Policy (HEP), the Association’s quarterly research journal, and will
also appear in full on the Journal’s website when released.
On behalf of Palgrave
Macmillan and the jury, we would like to take this opportunity to thank
all those who participated in the competition, and to wish them all the
very best as they continue their work and research in higher education.
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