Charles Vest gave the first of three Clark Kerr Lectures on the Role of Higher Education in Society on April 19, 2005 on the Berkeley campus. This essay argues that research-intensive public and private universities increasingly have far more similarities than differences in missions, structures, and even financial support. For both, the federal…

Saint Mary's College of Maryland, previously a public college, has become a unique public-private hybrid in response to changes in state support commitments. Although this model could not be applied to most institutions, the experience suggests that college and universities must find new means of financing and relating to the state. (MSE)

The economics of the growing sector of for-profit higher education institutions are examined, comparing the cost-price-subsidy structure of traditional institutions with these nontraditional institutions. Implications for the schools least able to withstand competition with for-profit institutions, generally private colleges and universities, and…

This paper reviews the development of the public monopoly of degree-granting institutions of higher education in Ontario, Canada. It examines arguments for private universities which suggest improved accessibility, diversity, and quality and finds the arguments to be insufficiently strong. A recommendation is made for improvement of Ontario's…

A discussion of post-Communist changes in Rumanian higher education looks at forces and factors promoting rapid expansion and diversification in institutional structure and extensive privatization. Attention is given to how those changes were addressed by legislative and government bodies. (MSE)

There is an increasingly popular view of government to shift costs of education formerly borne at the national level to the states, and the states, in turn to shift costs and risks to individuals that has created a "perfect storm" of economic and political trends. The idea of privatizing a portion of Social Security and the continuing press for…

Australia's higher education system reform, the booming overseas market, and unmet domestic demand have provided opportunities for private higher education. The growth of private provision, federal and state government responses, and pressures for subsidy and regulation have hastened development of a "peripheral private sector."…

The World Bank's proposed changes for higher education funding in developing countries include decentralizing management, expanding private schools, introducing selective student loans and scholarships, and cost recovery. Obstacles in Colombia include quality of and access to higher education and upper class opposition to scholarships.…

A discussion of higher education in West Europe looks at the variety of educational philosophies guiding higher education systems and their implications for teaching, research, and administration. The changing role of universities is examined in the context of expansion and growth of private colleges. Factors affecting access and admission are…

Policy concerning faculty training and development in Estonian universities is examined, looking at current practices in comparison with those of the former Soviet Union. It is argued that since democratization there is little effort and some resistance to faculty renewal, despite new labels given to academic qualifications. University…

Current trends affecting private research universities include: privatization, more programmatic support of research, dispersion of university research, and a shift in the balance of activities from the center toward the periphery. Differences in finance and control of private universities are related to their disproportionate importance, given…

Five college and university trustees and administrators explain how their institutions are approaching tuition containment. Issues the institutions have addressed in this context include need-blind admissions policy, using the Consumer Price Index as a budgeting criterion, enrollment changes, relationships with service vendors, personnel policy,…

Three trends in Central American higher education are examined in historical context: (1) inertia from lack of mobility, bureaucracy, and corporate influence; (2) elitism as a response to budgetary constraints; and (3) attempts to increase responsiveness to educational needs and demands. Issues examined include earlier attempts at change, slow…