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The Research University in Transition: The Emerging Global Model

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Abstract

In a knowledge intensive society, the research university is a key institution for social and economic development. Focused on the discovery of new knowledge and the development of the next generation of scholars, research universities are also becoming more international in focus. This article presents the Emerging Global Model (EGM) of the research university in the 21st century, a description of the top stratum of research universities worldwide. EGM has eight characteristics: global mission, research intensity, new roles for professors, diversified funding, worldwide recruitment, increasing complexity, new relationships with government and industry, and global collaboration with similar institutions. The worldwide reach of the EGM means that nation-states have less influence over their universities than in the past; the article ends with a discussion of the implications for both government and campus leaders.

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Notes

  1. The authors were members of the New Century Scholars V program of the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars (the Fulbright program). In 2006–2007, 30 scholars from 20 countries, ranging from Ethopia to Brazil, Russia to Indonesia to the United States, collaborated for 15 months under the broad theme of ‘Higher Education in the 21st Century: Global Challenge and National Response’. For this article, the authors drew upon the three seminar/discussions of the program and thank their NCS colleagues for advice and insights.

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Mohrman, K., Ma, W. & Baker, D. The Research University in Transition: The Emerging Global Model. High Educ Policy 21, 5–27 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.hep.8300175

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