With the advent of the new imperialism in the late 19th century, one after another Muslim country was officially either colonised or came under the influence of the major Western powers. This had a far-reaching impact on the Muslim world. It altered the political geography and replaced or transformed the indigenous politics, social, education and economic systems of the colonised countries. Unfortunately, even after the Muslim countries achieved independence, they continued to be influenced by the Western systems legally, socially and educationally. In the sphere of education, liberation from imperialism often did not entail the creation of higher education based on indigenous tradition and values.To make matters worse, most of the secular leaders in the Muslim countries continued to borrow the Western models of higher education uncritically. This book brings together a collection of chapters on higher education in Muslim countries. Topics range from the philosophical and structural dimensions of higher education, reform of higher education, present achievements and gaps in the level of education and scientific research in Muslim countries, as well as ranking institutions ofhigher education. All seven chapters present useful insights on various issues of higher education in Muslim countries. Discussions from the chapters examine the current trends adopted by most Muslim countries and challenge readers to critically consider the coexistence of material and spiritual values in higher education, particularly from the Islamic perspectives. Equipped with such information, policy makers, researchers, university leaders and students can be better prepared to comprehend the major trends in higher education in Muslim countries.

With the advent of the new imperialism in the late 19th century, one after another Muslim country was oficially either colonised or came under the iniuence of the major Western powers. This had a far-reaching impact on the Muslim world. It altered the political geography and replaced or transformed the indigenous politics, social, education and economic systems of the colonised countries. Unfortunately, even after the Muslim countries achieved independence, they continued to be iniuenced by the Western systems legally, socially and educationally. In the sphere of education, liberation from imperialism often did not entail the creation of higher education based on indigenous tradition and values. To make matters worse, most of the secular leaders in the Muslim countries continued to borrow the Western models of higher education uncritically. This book brings together a collection of chapters on higher education in Muslim countries. Topics range from the philosophical and structural dimensions of higher education, reform of higher education, present achievements and gaps in the level of education and scientiic research in Muslim countries, as well as ranking institutions of higher education. All seven chapters present useful insights on various issues of higher education in Muslim countries. Discussions from the chapters examine the current trends adopted by most Muslim countries and challenge readers to critically consider the coexistence of material and spiritual values in higher education, particularly from the Islamic perspectives. Equipped with such information, policy makers, researchers, university leaders and students can be better prepared to comprehend the major trends in higher education in Muslim countries.

In attaining economic prosperity, efficient human capital and thus higher education, has increasingly ranked among the top of priorities in the Southeast Asian countries. It is to this end that Malaysia, in particular, has been working towards a reform in its higher education system. Reform measures have greatly centred on the issues of university autonomy. This book details the careful findings of the project entitled Governance Reforms in Malaysia Higher Education with Focus on Institutional Autonomy and Its Effects of University Governance and Management. As such, readers can look forward to gaining a thorough understanding of the reform measures taken in higher education governance and the extent of their impact. Four areas of autonomy are extensively covered: institutional, financial, academic and human resource autonomy. The challenges faced in the individual areas are painstakingly dissected and presented, leading up to projections and recommendations on the way forward in Malaysian higher education governance.

As the higher education landscape is ever evolving, sustainability continues to be an essential concern. This publication covers existing sustainability matters ranging from internationalisation and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to university social responsibility. The main contribution of this book is to reveal the efforts and issues of internationalisation of higher education for sustainable tomorrow from global perspectives. Since the institutions educate current and future decision makers, the play a key role in building more sustainable entities and creating new paradigms. The articles are written by a number of experts with various backgrounds in higher education that give global perspective on the issues of sustainability. Specific country studies give a timely review on the substantial growth of higher education institutions in certain parts of the world. This publication provides invaluable knowledge and skills to guide the reader in designing appropriate frameworks in critical problem solving of current higher education issues.

This book provides an overview on the major findings of a questionnaire survey of academic profession in international perspective. More than 25,000 professors and junior staff at universities and other institutions of higher education at almost 20 countries from all over the world provide information on their working situation, their views and activities. The study “The Changing Academic Profession” is the second major study of its kind, and changes of views and activities are presented through a comparison of the findings with those of the earlier study undertaken in the early 1990s. Major themes are the academics’ perception of their societal and institutional environments, the views on the major tasks of teaching, research and services, their professional preferences and actual activities, their career, their perceived influence and their overall job satisfaction. Emphasis is placed on the influence of recent changes in higher education: the internationalisation and globalisation, the increasing expectation to provide evidence of the relevance of academic work, and finally the growing power of management at higher education institutions. Overall, the academics surveyed show that worldwide discourses and trends in higher education put their mark on the academic profession, but differences by country continue to be noteworthy. Academics consider themselves to be more strongly exposed to mechanism of regulations, incentives and sanctions as well as various assessments than in the past; yet their own freedom, and responsibilities and influence shape their identity more strongly and are reflected in widespread professional satisfaction.

Unprecedented urban growth makes sustainability in cities a crucial issue for policy makers, scholars and business leaders. This emerging urban crisis challenges environment-based and economic-based approaches to sustainability, and highlights the complex and critical role that culture plays in ensuring that cities are viable for future generations. This publication assesses the use of cultural indicators as a tool for policymakers, drawing on case studies of Patan (Nepal), Penang (Malaysia), Cheongju (South Korea), and Kanazawa (Japan), and offers fresh insights into the role of culture in fostering community development, environmental awareness and balanced economic growth.