Autonomy of University in European Perspective: Threats and Obligations

1
Autonomy of Universityin European
PerspectiveThreats and Obligations

• Walter Berka
• University Salzburg

2
The Rhetoric of Autonomy

• Recent trends in higher education
• Quality Assurance
• Internationalization
• and Autonomy
• EUA Lisbon declaration 2007
• Autonomy of universities is one of the key issues
  in order to enable Europe to compete with the
  rest of the world
• Autonomy
• Can be an ambiguous term!
• Can universities be autonomous at all?
• Can we neglect the diversity of higher education
  in Europe?

3
Autonomy and the State
State

• Universities as state agencies
• Strict state control and centralised educational
  steering
• Reduced by traditional forms of
  self-administration and participation
• A change in the pattern of university governance
• Universities as self-governing institutions
• Institutional autonomy
• Cornerstones of institutional autonomy
• Organisational autonomy
• Financial autonomy
• Autonomy in educational affairs
• Personnel autonomy

University
State
University
4
Autonomy and Money

• Autonomy as a synonym for distributing public
  poverty?
• The lack of public funds as obstacle and argument
  against autonomy?
• Or Make the best with short means by autonomous
  decisions?
• Privatisation of higher education and its impact
  on autonomy
• Can support autonomy versus the state
• Increases the influence of market forces
• The need for adequate public funding
• The temptation of turning back the clock

State
University
Market
5
Autonomy and Accountablity

• Educational Accountability
• Consumer oriented accountability
• Professional accountability
• Legal accountability
• Legal accountability
• New instruments of governance are necessary
• But also new attitudes and cultures
• The example of performance contracts between
  universities and government in Austria
• The responsibility of the state for educational
  goals and strategic planning
• Maintaining state responsibility for HE can be a
  special challenge for states whose university
  system is fragmented

6
Conclusions

• Autonomy of universities is not aclear-cut
  solution, it is rather a program which has to be
  wisely implemented
• There is a need for balanced solutions, which are
  especially difficult in countries which face
  major social and economic challenges
• The university has always been the successful
  historical response to the sceptical question
  whether or not science can be organized
  (Wolfgang Mantl)