Paul Serban Agachi UKM-AKEPT Consultative Forum on university governance … · 2014-05-27 · Paul...

Paul Serban Agachi

UKM-AKEPT

Consultative Forum on university governance and autonomy

Kuala Lumpur, 12-13 July,2011

Paul Serban Agachi - President of the Academic

Council Universitatea Babes-Bolyai Cluj,

Romania 1

Short history of provenience of university

autonomy

Present problems of the university autonomy

EUA study on university autonomy in Europe

University autonomy, a necessary, but not

sufficient condition for excellence

Responsibility and accountability

University governance and autonomy

Conclusions

Paul Serban Agachi - President of the Academic Council

Universitatea Babes-Bolyai Cluj, Romania 2

XIII century with the medieval non-authoritarian,

decentralized state

XIX century with the national state in full

industrial revolution

XXth century with the welfare state



studies of theology, philosophy and other

„classical” subjects as rhetoric and law

accesible to a restricted and privileged

category of population

in European feudalism, the authority was

compartmented; the city and the university -

two autonomous territories

Universities organized on the principle of

self-governance; an incipient system of

control on behalf of the permanent

professors being excercised



„research university” of the XIXth century

related to the scientific and industrial revolution, to the demands of the ”war state”

investment in a specific type of practical knowledge and pragmatic education

”land grant universities” legislation

schools of agriculture, science, technology/ engineering, medicine

organized and developed on the initial principles of autonomy and governance of the initial medieval modelPaul Serban Agachi - President of the Academic Council


post WWII - transfer from the „war state” o the

„welfare state”

„war state” benefits of the public investment in:

foreign policy and war command, in science and

technology

strong state investment - massification of HE

mass HE produced middle class meritocracy – knowledge

society

diversification of curricula

mass university of the XX century - much more

complicated institution which induced changes in its

governancePaul Serban Agachi - President of the Academic Council


massification and demand of participation –

constant decrease of funding

QA and QM systems

new thing – tuition fees to assure a balance

between participation and sustainability

global world – global competition in HE

main problem: intervention of the government

allocating less money in the manipulation of the

universities in its own interest



How can universities cope with these multiple constraints?

Policy of alliances and lobbying

Development of an information and communication database to influence the legislation

Solid legislation which does not DECLARE ONLY the autonomy

Association of Universities and Colleges of Canadafull time in charge with developing the relationships with the parliament and government



comparative study

organizational structures and institutional governance – in particular, the ability to establish structures and governing bodies, university leadership and who is accountable to whom

financial issues – in particular the different forms of acquiring and allocating funding, the ability to charge tuition fees, to accumulate surplus, to borrow and raise money from different sources, the ability to own land and buildings and reporting procedures as accountability tools



staffing matters – in particular the capacity to recruit

staff, the responsibility for terms of employment such

as salaries and issues relating to employment

contracts such as civil servant status

academic matters – in particular the capacity to

define the academic profile, to introduce or

terminate degree programs, to define the structure

and content of degree programs, roles and

responsibilities with regard to the quality assurance of

programs and degrees and the extent of control over

student admissions



Luc Weber, IAU/IAUP Presidents’ Symposium, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2006

Two major messages:

University autonomy is a necessary condition for excellence

University autonomy in not a sufficient condition for excellence

Public responsibility

The responsibility of universities and their stakeholders



Luc Weber, IAU/IAUP Presidents’ Symposium, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2006

Why should universities be autonomous? two justifications

Society needs universities = long term responsibility of universities towards society

to develop new knowledge and transmit it

to examine every societal questions freely, with a high level of scholarship and the most

appropriate scientific methods



- Autonomous universities can be proactive

and entrepreneurial

too much and/or bad regulation, as well as

too many short term and often cyclical outside

pressures or incentives are initiative-killing and,

therefore ,

the source of more regulation and political

micro-management weakening the institution

(vicious circle!)



The public responsibility

Council of Europe recommendations

“…… public authorities should ensure that higher

education institutions, while exercising their autonomy,

can meet society’s multiple expectations and fulfill

their various ….. purposes…….:

preparation for sustainable employment;

preparation for life as active citizens in democratic societies;

personal development;

the development and maintenance of a broad, advanced

knowledge base.



(continuation)

Public authorities should also ensure

appropriate conditions for higher

education and research institutions to

fulfill their function of service to society”.



The main question: are universities as good

as they could and should (accountability)?

The assumptions are: that academics and students do always what is best

for them and

that their decisions and behavior is in the best

advantage of the whole institution



The universities should be accountable for :

good quality of its graduates as citizens

good quality of the professional programs

good quality of the knowledge production,

dissemination and transfer

appropriate spending of the public money

appropriate use of the public patrimony



Condition for universities: increasing competition and very disturbed environment

Necessity to cooperate (paradox!) with other institutions and with business (and governments)

Necessity to adapt faster to lead the change (and not to undergo it) (Peter Drucker in 1997: “in 30 years, universities will be relics”)



This implies that the universities:

Have a good understanding of their environment

Have a good knowledge of their portfolio (SWOT)

Set up their missions accordingly

Fix clear strategies to meet their missions

Organize themselves so that they can make decisions

Develop a rigorous quality culture

Are serious with the necessary accountability and

transparency

In other words, Universities should be better

governed, led and managed



Management

Board

?????



• Management = Rector’s office

• Board(s) = Council of Administration, Board of the

Senate, Senate, Great Senate

• Stakeholders = ???

Who are our shareholders (metaphorically speaking)?

Who are those investing in the university and wait for

dividends?

Variety of possible answers => very diversified landscape

of the debates about university governance in Romania



The academic community is formed of teaching staff, researchers, teaching auxiliary staff, students, technical and administrative staff.

National Education Association: "Statement on Faculty Governance" in Higher Education (1987):United by a common mission, the faculty, administration, and

governing board establish academic governance to regulate their relationships, establish policy, and administer their institution.

In this context, Governance = the totality of the rules (systems of rules) structuring a community and being identified in language,

customs, behavioral codes, norms, laws and institutions

(Marga, 2010)



Theme 1: Implications upon management


Universitatea Babes-Bolyai Cluj, Romania

Recruited / selected Elected

Open circle Closed circle

Selection committee Colleagues

24

Theme 2: implications upon the board

Especially in the context of a professionalized

management => need, functions and role of the Academic

Council

Elaborates programs, policies, strategies of development of the

University Babes-Bolyai;



Theme 3: implications upon the academic community shared governance = the set of practices under which

department/ faculty staff participate in significant decisions concerning the operation of their institutions (Higher Education Program and Policy Council, 2002) academic decision-making should be largely independent of

short-term managerial and political considerations;

faculty and professional staff are in the best position to shape and implement curriculum and research policy, to select academic colleagues and judge their work;

and the perspective of all front-line personnel is invaluable in making sound decisions about allocating resources, setting goals, choosing top officers and guiding student life.

Challenge: activation of the inactivePaul Serban Agachi - President of the Academic Council


State = closest to the notion of shareholder:

university is a public institution

the state invests financial resources

Shattock: the link between funding systems

and governance

In this context, Governance – is strictly

linked to the concept of university autonomy



Accountability – state is not a simple shareholder, it has

the power of secure that its rights and interests are

protected.

State – institution of regulation

Theme 1: de-balance the power towards the

shareholders => micro-management

Infringing the university autonomy= capacity of the

board to think strategically and of the management to

act operationally in the frame of the established

parameters



Transparency – state is not a simple

shareholder, it has the power of secure that

its rights and interests are protected.

State – institution of regulation

Theme 2: bureaucratization of the university

system

Management: producer of reports



The third dimension of the mission of the university: teaching

research

community service

In this context, Governance – the way in which the strategic and operational decisions in teaching & research are correlated with the needs of the served society

Demand-driven university



Theme 1: Pressure coming from the shareholders to name own members in the structure of the board

Transformation of the Great Senate in an external governing body (Shattock, 2010)

Theme 2: Direct influence of the shareholders upon the content and nature of education

Education was replaced with formation of “skills and competences” – double pressure:

Employer-client => considering the students as human capital and transformation of the whole educational organization according to the economic programs;

Student-client => educational relation teacher-student is replaced with the relation bidder-client etc. (Marga, 2010)



University Senate – elected from bottom-up

Election at departments – heads and

representatives in the Faculty council

Elections at the Faculty – delegates from the

Faculty Council – representatives in the Senate

25% students in the Senate

Representatives proportional with staff and

students

President of the Senate –controls the Rector



Attributions of the Senate

Strategy and policies

regulations – Charter (approved by the Minister)

Design of the curricula (under the authority of

ARACIS)

Financial policy (under the authority of the Ministry)

HR policy, promotions (under the supervision of the

Ministry)

Organization of the scientific research

Organization and control of the administration

International relations etc.



Executive – top-down:

Rector – elected through universal vote of the academic community

Vice-rectors – named by the Rector

Deans named by the Rector

DGA

Council of Administration formed from the above mentioned persons

The relationships of the Deans with Heads of Department?



Attributions of the executive

Council of Administration – operational

administration

Proposes the project for the budget to the Senate

Proposes strategy and policies to the Senate

Approves competition for open positions

Approves financial operations



possibility of the government intervention in the structure of the university;

involvment of the authorities in HR policy of the university (approval of the scheme of personnel, approval of the positions for competition, interventionof CNATDCU in establishing conditions of promotion);

non-differentiated approach of the university public and private patrimony and of the university public and private finances;

non-differentiated pay, regardless of performances; annual funding and monthly supply of the university

account; ministry approval of all acquisitions.



Performance without autonomy is impossible

The autonomy is not offered it has to be

conquered

Accountability should accompany the

autonomy

The weakness of a system of identifying

the institution accountability is not an

excuse for abolishing or even restricting

the autonomy



Thank you for your [email protected]

www.ubbcluj.ro



mailto:[email protected]

http://www.ubbcluj.ro/

Paul Serban Agachi UKM-AKEPT Consultative Forum on university governance … · 2014-05-27 · Paul...

Documents

Transcript of Paul Serban Agachi UKM-AKEPT Consultative Forum on university governance … · 2014-05-27 · Paul...