Rankings dominate higher education policy making, although little is known about the experiences of those involved in perpetuating rankings. This paper explores middle-level academic leaders' sensemaking about university rankings and related policies in East Asia. Since university rankings have affected higher education policies and strategies…

Between 2022 and 2023, labor union and strike activity on college campuses increased to represent over 35,000 new workers, with many of these workers being graduate students (Herbert, 2023). As strike activity has continued into 2024 and beyond, it is necessary to understand how institutions responded to strikes to consider how their response may…

Deploying systems-theoretical conceptuality, this paper improves understanding of the organisational consequences of the intensified societal engagement of a research university. Aligning its work with Luhmannian organisational analysis, it addresses the dynamic interplay between two modes of administrative decision-making communication, namely,…

State-level postsecondary education governance has experienced a lull in successful reform efforts since the turn of the century. However, in 2020, the Utah System of Higher Education and Utah System of Technical Colleges were formally merged following a multi-year effort by state legislators and higher education officials. Framed by the theory of…

How do a university leader's publication patterns change after appointment? Until now, few studies have examined whether administrative burden has a significant effect on a leader's publication patterns. This study seeks to evaluate changes in individual publication patterns in relation to academic productivity and increased administrative load.…

Numerous universities throughout the world have established top-level advisory boards -- informal bodies and councils that the institutional leadership may consult on issues perceived as important. Through a series of qualitative interviews with members of such entities as well as representatives of the institutions appointing them, the article…

We explored the relationship between board characteristics and sustainability of higher education institutions in the United Kingdom (UK). We analysed 153 UK universities using data for the year 2019. Our analysis revealed that board size, the number of students on the board, and the number of academic members on the board were found to have…

Leadership in administration does not operate in a vacuum. Every decision comes with consequences for those tasked to make them, and foreseen career consequences, which often materialize during performance evaluations, may support or constrain administrators' leadership. This article explores how and why administrators factor in foreseen…

This study explores the nomenclature surrounding professional services staff within higher education in the UK. Taking a case study method, it uses a qualitative approach to understand the term 'non-academic' to describe the diverse range of professional services roles. Both professional services and academic staff were interviewed and there is a…

Acting as a governmental tool to enhance competitiveness and integrate research and education by merging a local university and a provincial academy of sciences, this case study provides an example of a novel cross-sectoral complementary merger in higher education in China. Through a qualitative analysis of its three-stage process and the factors…

Purpose: The implementation of income-generating still faces problems, such as the lack of well-established internal control and differences in implementation in each unit. This study aims to analyze internal controls, financial viability (FV) and leadership qualities (LQ) in the implementation of income-generating in Indonesian higher education.…

Several industries recognize transformational leadership as an effective leadership style that achieves performance beyond expectations. However, transformational leadership appears less connected to discussions on leadership in higher education administration. This study reviews and examines transformational leadership and the profile of certain…

As China is building closer economic and geopolitical relations with oil-rich Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council countries, enthusiasm for learning and teaching Chinese is surging in the region. In Kuwait, whereas Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) education is emerging, research into this topical domain remains scarce, particularly on issues such…

The goal of the study was to explore how a diverse community college board might effectively influence the college mission by focusing on the greater impact of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as well as the environment that may result from these policy discussions. The researchers explored if and how the establishment of diverse boards…

Background/purpose: This study represents the first comprehensive study investigating the beliefs about the glass ceiling (GCB) of women working in Kazakh universities. It aims to examine the theoretical validity of the multidimensional structure of GCB in Kazakhstan's higher education context. Materials/methods: The study evaluated the glass…