This seminal document is the result of extensive consultations and deliberations with EUA members and partners over a six-month period in 2020. It sets out a vision of resilient and effective universities, serving Europe's societies towards a better future. EUA's vision will support the development of the European Education Area and the European…

A growing chorus of critics--legislators, governors, alumni, students, parents, trustees, and others--is pressuring colleges to increase "accountability" and "transparency." The critics want colleges to measure whether they are actually achieving their core missions, especially educating undergraduates, and to give people the facts about what they…

A recent ranking undertaken by Jiao Tong University in Shanghai shows 36 U.S universities among the top 50 universities in the world, with eight of the top 10 in the United States. Author Fareed Zakaria has declared: "[H]igher education is the United States' best industry. In no other field is the United States' advantage so overwhelming. Although…

The effects on universities of different kinds of accountability mechanisms are examined, and ways are suggested in which higher education institutions can discharge their obligations to society while preserving their intellectual and fiscal integrity. (Author/LBH)

The status of American higher education is examined in this essay, with focus on such issues as institutional autonomy, the role of advanced education in society, access, and accountability. (LBH)

Examines evidence that higher education institutions in the United Kingdom are not discharging their responsibility for program quality and standards, and suggests that unless institutions act on these findings, they may find themselves sharing responsibility increasingly with external agencies and authorities. Evidence comes mainly from recent…

Public universities, the states, and the citizenry have a long-established and productive social contract in American higher education. This partnership is being reinvented in a climate of changing attitudes and priorities. Four steps for improving the partnership are raising the level of dialog about higher education; addressing the meaning of…

Two higher education leaders present perspectives on the meaning of the baccalaureate degree. The first argues that institutions can satisfy the need for public accountability for the degree without sacrificing autonomy. The second stresses that a clear statement of institutional objectives and desired outcomes is important and is consistent with…

Autonomy, in the context of higher education, is defined as the ability of a university or college to govern itself without outside controls. Autonomy and academic freedom are discussed and procedural and substantive autonomy are distinguished. (MLW)

If higher education creates universities that only adapt to circumstances, they will not shape the future. A universal university must have universal access; universal delivery; a vocation to educate, not just train; a watchtower function; a universal ethical role; solidarity with sister institutions and society; autonomy with accountability;…

Many educators are expressing doubts about the propriety and timeliness of the movement to legislate and mandate institutional accountability, but the trend continues with encouraging results. (MSE)

Incursions into the autonomy of institutions and the sources and types of incursions that occur are described including: legislatures defining the intent and the specifications of the legislation; expenditure controls extended to desirability and propriety; and legal opinions on legislative intent. Procedural and substantive autonomy are…

Accountability in education in Australia is considered, including some of the causes for the present concern for accountability of tertiary institutions and strategies that might improve the situation. Different views on the role of educational institutions, ambiguities associated with the notion of public accountability, and current difficulties…

Institutional atonomy, from the standpoint of accountability and responsibility, is discussed in order to arrive at a concept of the kind and degree of autonomy essential for an educational institution to effectively and efficiently fulfill its responsibilities to society. (MLW)

The issues of accountability, conflict, and academic freedom in higher education and the relationship between institutions and state coordinating boards (governing boards, voluntary and compulsory coordinating boards, and planning agencies) are addressed. The causes and nature of the inherent conflict between state coordinating bodies and…