The higher education industry might seem like it's booming, with over 200 million students in universities and colleges worldwide and funds flowing in like never before. But the truth is that these institutions have never been unhappier places to work. Corporate-style management, cost-cutting governments, mobilisations by angry students and strikes by a disgruntled workforce have taken their toll - in almost every country around the world. It's no wonder that there is talk of 'universities in crisis.' But what should a 'good university' look like? In this inspiring new work, Raewyn Connell asks us to consider just that, challenging us to rethink the fundamentals of what universities do. Drawing on the examples offered by pioneering universities and educational reformers around the world, Connell outlines a practical vision for how our universities can become both more engaging and more productive places, driven by social good rather than profit, helping to build fairer societies.

Amid the clamorous debates on political correctness, the Western canon, and alcohol abuse on campus, many observers have failed to notice the most radical change in the American University: the Golden Age of massive government funding is gone. And, as Stuart Rojstaczer points out in this incisive look at higher education, the consequences are affecting virtually every aspect of university life. Laced with humorous and insightful anecdotes, Gone for Good is a highly personal tour of the university system as it has evolved from the glory days of phenomenal post-WWII growth to the financial stresses that now beset it. Stuart Rojstaczer, professor of Hydrology at Duke, shows how almost unlimited funding during the Cold War years encouraged universities to become unwieldy behemoths--with ever-enlarging faculties and administrative staffs, an explosion of new buildings that are proving costly to maintain, and a parade of programs designed largely to impress other universities. Rojstaczer asserts that despite the scarcity of new funding sources, universities continue to strive for unlimited growth--with disastrous results: skyrocketing tuition (well over $20,000 per year at top tier schools); desperate attempts to increase enrollments (lower standards, inflated grades, and new majors in some rather implausible areas of study); and increasing pressure on faculty who already spend more time researching than teaching to raise more money through research grants. The time has come, Rojstaczer argues, to abandon an outmoded idea of growth and create a leaner university system more beneficial to both students and society. For parents, students, and anyone interested higher education, Gone for Good offers a vivid account of the crossroads where universities now stand--and a compelling argument about which path they should take.

This book asks how we can reclaim the university for the public good. The editors and contributors argue that the sector is in crisis, accelerated by the passing of the UK Higher Education Research Act in 2017 and made visible during the University and College Union strikes in April 2018. In response to this, there are widespread demands to reclaim the university and protect education as a public good, using co-operative structures. Taking an interdisciplinary and social justice perspective, the editors and contributors offer concrete examples of alternative higher education: in doing so, analysing how the future of the university can be recovered. This intersectional volume discusses a broad range of approaches to higher education while disseminating new ideas. It will be of interest and value to those disenchanted with the current state of higher education in the UK and beyond, as well as activists and policy makers.

This book calls into question the colonial and neoliberal university, presenting alternative models of higher education that can more effectively respond to today’s intersecting social, economic, environmental and political crises. The authors argue that universities should be driven by a different set of core values – one that promotes the common good over private or commercial interests, individualism and market fundamentalism. Presenting a broad range of educational initiatives from around the world that reflect life-affirming regenerative and relational practices, Indigenous intellectual sovereignty, and principles of social and ecological justice, the authors contend that pathways toward transforming higher education already exist within and without the university. This task, say the authors, is urgent and necessary if universities and other institutions are to hold relevance in a rapidly changing global environment. This book makes a unique contribution to critiques of the modern, neoliberal university by looking for alternatives within and beyond traditional institutions of higher education. In doing so, the authors dismantle the longstanding 'ivory tower' image of the university, instead resituating education within broader social and ecological communities. Transforming Universities in the Midst of Global Crisis is aimed at all those who have a direct or indirect interest and stake in universities, from the general reader to futurists, ecologists as well as students, academics, administrators, managers, policy makers and politicians.

Essential guide to British universities that gives you all the information you need to make the crucial decisions on what to study, where to study, and how much it might cost. Objective and authoritative, it is the best-selling guide to making the right university choice for you. For more than 25 years The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide has provided the most accurate and up-to-date information about British universities to help make the choice of which universities to apply to as easy as possible. Its university and subject league tables are the most respected and studied in Britain. This definitive guide is designed for those who are applying to start courses in 2020. - How to select the right course and university - Compare university performance. - Clear guidance on the application process. - Valuable advice on university life A new section for the 2020 guide give s an outline on where students come from which includes a ranking table on social inclusion.

The system of development co-operation implemented in recent years is now being exposed to great criticism. At the centre of this system are the policies of donor countries and international organisations that carry out co-operation actions. Criticism has been aimed at both co-operation actors per se, and the policies and instruments used by them in recent years. In this respect, it is interesting to analyse the role of the university as an agent of development co-operation. The aim of this book is to gather different ideas from the North on university development cooperation with the South in order to think about what we can consider examples of good practice. We try to offer a comprehensive view of university development co-operation practices in each of the ten countries analysed. We have tried to identify the most important aspects of these practices and to evaluate the extent to which they have met with the objectives established prior to their implementation. Likewise, we have tried to measure to what extent the tools and instruments used were appropriate to the aims. Each author, within their context and from their experience, has tried to answer these questions, and to provide clarity on the existing models, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as specific examples that can clarify the successful presence of activities of development co-operation in European universities.