Editor’s Introduction (2012)

Arien Mack Editor’s Introduction THERE HAS BEEN A GREAT DEAL OF DISCUSSION IN THE PRESS AND in the highbrow media, such as the New York Review ofBooks, lam enting the current state of higher education in the United States: the demise of liberal arts education, th e enorm ous increase in the num bers of students, the explosion of offsite campuses around the globe, and the exorbitant cost of undergraduate education. That so m uch has already been w ritten m ight legislate against the idea of a special issue and an international conference on the subject of higher education. However, the conference, w hich took place in December 2011, and this issue, w hich publishes that conference’s proceedings, do m ore than rehearse our fears. Experts from inside and outside the academy, and from inside and outside the United States, not only assess w hat is going on and w hat m ight be done to improve higher education, but w hat we should be aim ing for over the next 20 years. For decades, the grow th of know ledge and developm ent of culture and industry were heavily dependent on w hat w ent on inside m ajor US research universities. However, it is no longer clear w hether W estern universities will continue to be the dom inant site (or model) for the generation of new knowledge. Today, m any US universities are entering into international exchanges, building satellite schools, and constructing entirely new universities in other countries because of their expectation that such an opportunity will infuse global perspectives into both the hom e campus and campus abroad, and maybe increase m uch needed revenue. Is this a safe assumption? W hat are the benefits and w hat are the challenges to moving universities to nonliberal democratic countries? The papers presented at the conference and edited for publica­ tion in this issue examine the shifting boundaries and roles of research Editor's Introduction xix universities, including the current developm ent of global collabora­ tions and the export of the US university model. Our authors are schol­ ars and experts, including deans, provosts, and university presidents, as well as university representatives from Europe, South Africa, China, Latin America, and the Middle East. The issues and questions they address include the following: ►Over time, W estern institutions of higher learning have been quickly and effectively able to reconfigure themselves as their contexts change—for example, the early move from church-based knowledge to secular institutions. How are current contexts chang­ ing w ithin US universities and universities elsewhere? ►Higher education is an arm of international development and an opportunity to strengthen democratic ideals and increase gender equality and civic engagement. However, can we assume liberal democratic values can be exported in a university model that is being purchased a la carte? ►W hat characteristics of the US university model are desired by other countries? W hat goals are sought by other countries when they establish universities based on the US model or in partnership w ith US institutions? ►How is the US university m odel restructured w hen employed in other countries? ►How do the globalization and possible reinterpretation of higher education im pact the quality of American higher education and international political and economic relationships? ►How can US institutions m aintain quality education at hom e while developing it abroad, given th at the needs of other countries may be different from those behind the original establishm ent of the research universities? ►Is the liberal arts tradition likely to survive in these new global contexts even as it is being threatened w ithin the United States? ►How do the changes in structure affect university budgets? ►W hat are the effects of increasing dem and for accountability and m easuring outcomes? ►How are the ever-rising costs of university education affecting universities? Can limits be imposed? It is essential that we better understand the changes to higher education as well as the goals and uses of higher education globally in order to respond to risks and develop methods to maximize the oppor­ tunities these new conditions afford. (Because the talks presented at the conference on...