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,…

Advances in science are often associated with pre-eminent research universities. Policy makers and those who collaborate with university researchers may assume that this advantage generalizes to all types of research. This analysis explores whether this generalization applies to research in emerging disciplines. We do so by examining the…

Declines in state appropriations have decreased the ability of public research universities to hire faculty, particularly tenure line faculty. Many universities have grown nonresident enrollment as a substitute for state funding. This study investigates whether faculty hiring was associated differently with nonresident enrollment growth versus…

Background: Despite the growing interest in knowledge brokering as an approach to mobilising knowledge for societal benefit, research has only recently begun investigating the consequences of knowledge brokers' actions. In particular, while it is known that failure can provide a valuable learning experience for individuals and organisations alike,…

Chemistry graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) have substantial facetime with undergraduate students at large research institutions where they lead discussion and lab sessions. Emerging research describes GTAs' content and teaching knowledge for introductory chemistry classes, but we need to know more about how GTAs manage their classes in the…

Debates about appropriate, fair and effective ways of assessing research and researchers have raged through the scientific community for decades, recently mostly concerned with discussing the merits and limitations of metric-based, quantitative assessments versus peer review-based, qualitative alternatives. Ample attention has been paid to formal…

Although universities are often characterised as 'elite', institutions can attain status in multiple dimensions--reputation, research, money and selectivity. We studied 21st century public universities in the United States, using latent profile analysis to identify which universities followed each path to status. Most universities pursued none,…

Accreditation is one mechanism to review the quality of higher education institutions and programs. Having accredited programs can differentiate programs and provide opportunities to increase student enrollment and signify program excellence. Additionally, accreditation can be a forcing function for continuous improvement and program assessment.…

Declining enrollment quickly raises financial challenges within colleges and universities, such as decreased tuition and fee revenues, costs that can be difficult to nimbly control, and reputational risk. For public institutions within the same state, declining enrollment can also have a secondary impact: increasing competition. While a state's…

We explore the role of organizational factors in research collaboration networks among European universities. The study of organizational drivers in shaping collaboration patterns is crucial for policy design aimed at reducing research fragmentation and fostering knowledge creation and diffusion. By using Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGMs)…

Global science is more networked and connected than ever before. The rise of research collaborations occurs not only in the established Euro-American science systems that hold 'central' nodes in the globally networked science, but also in other parts of the world as science systems pluralise and multipolarise. Yet, research collaborations between…

Initiatives to build research universities to have world-class universities, the creator and the disseminator of scientific knowledge in knowledge-based economies, are among the most important policy reactions in higher education systems. With an increase in demands on greater accountability, transparency, and efficiency, studies investigating the…

This article presents a constructivist writing placement framework, developed from the study of two pilot iterations of a local writing placement mechanism at a large public research university. Through preliminary analysis of data from these pilots, we present a model of constructivist writing placement and demonstrate how it helps move…

This paper presents the results of thirty-seven interviews, conducted with deans and university librarians at large, research institutions in the US, regarding how they practice inclusive leadership and develop future leaders from diverse backgrounds. A demographic survey shows this cohort has become increasingly representative of the profession…

The political, social, and institutional environments in which contemporary universities operate have changed rather dramatically over the past two decades in ways that threaten the resilience of the academic core, both in its ability to map knowledge comprehensively and also to maintain a balance between the branches of the humanities, social…