engleski

Commercialization of higher education and changes in the management of public education institutions: examples and lessons from Anglo-American Universities

The notion of commercialization of higher education implies introduction and consolidation of market logic in activities of education institutions. Commercialization has a number of aspects and consequences: decrease in state funding and higher education regulation, public education sector privatization, individual education financing, promoting competitivness among individuals and institutions, cost reduction and non-profitable education programs elimination, precariousness of academic profession etc. These listed and interrelated aspects of commercialization of higher education present a neoliberal reform reply to real or exaggerated crisis of Anglo-American system of public higher education. The system that was built in time of the Golden Age of Economy, according to neoliberal critics, has resulted in decrease in higher education quality, students' competences reduction, wastefulness related to tax payers' money, injustice towards members of the lower classes, lack of discipline within universities and political destabilization of the society. Since the 1980ies along with an increased global impact of neoliberal ideology the number of neoliberally inspired and established higher education reforms has increased worldwide. In wider perspective, commercialization of higher education takes place together with reduction, privatization and commercialization of all other segments of public sector. Such processes are in accordance with the neoliberal concept of state retreat from education, health and social sectors and with setting different goals before the new public administration. At the same time with reduction of public financing, education services have been selling more both at private and public universities. The result of this is that both university types are seen as profit enterprises that should be run in managerial and marketing terms. This change in management has been more difficult for public universities that have numerous negative cognitive-educational, organizational, social and cultural consequences. Some of these are: prevailing of economy logic and goals as focus and goals of education process, simulation of knowledge and competences, neglecting scientific-research qualities, an increase in tuition fees and education services prices, social differentiation and elitism of the well-off, corruption and nepotism development, reduction in number of fulltime and top-quality teachers, separating management from academic environment etc. Broadly speaking, corporate business management of higher education institutions speeds up and deepens the processes that with the purpose of economic progress of the society and individual neglect/abandon the concept of higher education as the key area for integral personal development and cultural emancipation of the society. Based on analysis results by recent critical research the paper aims at abstracting, presenting and elaborating on the most negative consequences of uncritical application of corporate-managerial model of managing Anglo-American public universities. The purpose of this research is to theoretically set rational limits to corporate pattern of public higher education institution management. Furthermore, the most efficient concrete means and mechanisms have been suggested that help traditional European and Croatian public universities to prevent or moderate dysfunctional consequences of higher education commercialization.

neoliberal educational reforms, commercialization of higher education, corporate model of university management

Knjiga se referira u Thomson ISI, EBSCO Publishing, EconPapers, Socionet