Higher education is in transition. On the one hand, over the last decades it has become politically and economically more important and thus also an object of reforms. On the other hand, higher education has become less special and is no longer able to justify its unique governance arrangements. This volume presents a collection of contributions that go beyond reform agendas as such and focus on the effects of reforms at all relevant levels in higher education systems. It is organised in four themes – education, research, governance, and academic profession – with a variety of levels of analysis, theoretical perspectives, methodological approaches and geographical foci. The topics in focus include the possible impact of latest national and European initiatives, changes in the primary processes (education and research) on the levels of institutions, professions and for individuals as well as higher education dynamics in contexts often overlooked in the literature (e.g. Africa). The aim is to ‘take stock’ of the growing knowledge basis with respect to higher education with a special focus on the influence of reforms on the key aspects of higher education.

Vietnam is a dynamic member of the community of Southeast Asian nations. Consistent with aspirations across the region, it is seeking to develop its higher education system as rapidly as possible. Vietnam’s approach stands out, however, as being extremely ambitious. Indeed, it may be at risk of attempting to do too much too quickly. By 2020, for example, Vietnam expects its higher education system to be advanced by modern standards and highly competitive in international terms. This vision faces many challenges. The economy, though growing rapidly, remains reliant on the availability of unskilled labour and the exploitation of natural resources, and decision making in many areas of public life continues to be hamstrung by a legacy of over-regulation and centralised control. A large number of goals and objectives have been set for reform of the higher education system by 2020. The success of these reforms will have a major bearing on the future quality of the system. This sober assessment Vietnam’s global competitiveness forms a backdrop to the subject matter of this book, that is, the state of Vietnam’s higher education system. The book provides a comprehensive and scholarly review of various dimensions of the higher education system in Vietnam, including its recent history, its structure and governance, its teaching and learning culture, its research and research commercialisation environment, its socio-economic impact, its strategic planning processes, its progress with quality accreditation, and its experience of internationalisation and privatisation.

This book analyzes the reforms that led to a differentiated landscape of higher education systems after university practices and governance were considered poorly adapted to contemporary settings and to their new missions. This has led to a growing institutional differentiation in many higher education systems. This differentiation has certainly contributed to making the institutional landscape more diverse across and within higher education systems. This book covers this diversity. Each part corresponds to a different but complementary way of looking at reforms and highlights what can be learnt on specific cases by adopting a specific perspective. The first part analyzes the ongoing reforms and their evolution, identifies their internal contradictions, as well as the redefinitions and reorientations they experience, and reveals the ideas, representations, ideologies and theories on which they are built. The second part includes comparison between countries but also other comparative perspectives such as how one reform is developed in different regions of the same country, as well as how comparable reforms are declined to different sectors. The last part addresses the impact of the reforms. What is known about the effectiveness of such instruments on higher education systems? This part shows that reforms provoke new power games and reconfigure power relations.

The volume offers state-of-the art contributions in the intersection of academic profession, research training and institutional governance. They reflect the profound interest of contemporary researchers in the questions of how the contemporary higher education reforms across Europe affect university governance and especially the roles and functions of academics. The volume includes several contributions from the peripheral and developing higher education systems of Central and South-East Europe; hence, attempting to rebalance the European profile of higher education research and at the same time contribute to the most salient debates in the field. This book confirms, once again, that the higher education research landscape is a diverse and rich one. At the same time, these diverse cases have at least one commonality – the fact that even though they are located in different higher education systems, they address issues that, albeit as a rule context-specific, can be found in all parts of Europe and beyond. Certainly, the local responses to the hereby addressed global challenges represent a mere snapshot of a broader landscape the European higher education dynamics is. Temporary higher education reforms across Europe affect university governance and especially the roles and functions of academics. The volume includes several contributions from the peripheral and developing higher education systems of Central and South-East Europe; hence, attempting to rebalance the European profile of higher education research and at the same time contribute to the most salient debates in the field. This book confirms, once again, that the higher education research landscape is a diverse and rich one. At the same time, these diverse cases have at least one commonality – the fact that even though they are located in different higher education systems, they address issues that, albeit as a rule context-specific, can be found in all parts of Europe and beyond. Certainly, the local responses to the hereby addressed global challenges represent a mere snapshot of a broader landscape the European higher education dynamics is.

Bridging the gap between higher education research and policy making was always a challenge, but the recent calls for more evidence-based policies have opened a window of unprecedented opportunity for researchers to bring more contributions to shaping the future of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Encouraged by the success of the 2011 first edition, Romania and Armenia have organised a 2nd edition of the Future of Higher Education – Bologna Process Researchers’ Conference (FOHE-BPRC) in November 2014, with the support of the Italian Presidency of the European Union and as part of the official EHEA agenda. Reuniting over 170 researchers from more than 30 countries, the event was a forum to debate the trends and challenges faced by higher education today and look at the future of European cooperation in higher education. The research volumes offer unique insights regarding the state of affairs of European higher education and research, as well as forward-looking policy proposals. More than 50 articles focus on essential themes in higher education: Internationalization of higher education; Financing and governance; Excellence and the diversification of missions; Teaching, learning and student engagement; Equity and the social dimension of higher education; Education, research and innovation; Quality assurance, The impacts of the Bologna Process on the EHEA and beyond and Evidence-based policies in higher education. "The Bologna process was launched at a time of great optimism about the future of the European project – to which, of course, the reform of higher education across the continent has made a major contribution. Today, for the present, that optimism has faded as economic troubles have accumulated in the Euro-zone, political tensions have been increased on issues such as immigration and armed conflict has broken out in Ukraine. There is clearly a risk that, against this troubled background, the Bologna process itself may falter. There are already signs that it has been downgraded in some countries with evidence of political withdrawal. All the more reason for the voice of higher education researchers to be heard. Since the first conference they have established themselves as powerful stakeholders in the development of the EHEA, who are helping to maintain the momentum of the Bologna process. Their pivotal role has been strengthened by the second Bucharest conference." Peter Scott, Institute of Education, London (General Rapporteur of the FOHE-BPRC first edition)

Institutions of higher education across the world are expected to contribute to the resolution of economic, social, and environmental problems and to respond to them. However, in order to meet these expectations, universities need to have a strong sense of university governance to provide academics and researchers with a high degree of independence. University Governance and Academic Leadership in the EU and China provides innovative insights into the evolving higher education system of university governance in Europe and China. The content within this publication analyzes university governance, education technology, academic integrity, higher education, clear role positioning, and more. It is a vital reference source for education administrators, educators, academicians, policymakers, government officials, professionals, researchers, and consultants seeking coverage on topics centered on successful and effective leadership in modern universities.

There is an increasing pressure for leading universities to perform well in competitive global and national ranking systems. International Perspectives on Leadership in Higher Education studies the complexity involved in the development and upkeep of good higher education provision. Without taking anything about leadership, management, governance, administration, authority or power for granted, this book draws together international case studies relating to specific instances of leadership to analyse how they relate to critical thinking and global challenges in higher education. Using a selection of global case studies, this book explores: The extent to which critical thinking on global challenges is employed by higher education leaders, The potential for an increase in the role of critical thinking in leadership, The creative potential for critical leadership thinking to transform institutions and communities, The essential attributes of critical thinking, namely cognitive, affective and social dimensions, and The possibility for critical thinking to contribute to the global public common good by encouraging enhanced research, teaching and public service excellence. Responding to the ever-increasing demands of the higher education climate, International Perspectives on Leadership in Higher Education is a vital resource for anyone occupying leadership positions in higher education institutions and any researchers or students looking to explore the landscape of critical thinking.