"The new fascination with products and the commercial value of research, coupled with the rise of neo-liberal "new public management" in the public sector more generally, has led to the rise of a managerial class in the university. This collection of essays focuses on the rise of this "new management" and the widespread use of business models and market principles since the late 1970s that have undermined the autonomy of the professoriate. "--

"When times are tough and student demand is going through the roof, government and private providers seem to agree: this is the moment for increased accountability, "new public management," more commercially viable research, less faculty power, mass education and greater use of internet-based education. The great questions of the mid-19th century have come back to haunt the university. Who controls the university? How shall they do it? Who will pay? Should academic faculty or "clients and customers" decide what tune the university will play? The writers of this book ask whether the faculty risk losing their remaining authority in matters of finance, curriculum, and administration in universities. They inquire as to the future of academic legislatures--senates, boards, and committees. They worry about accessibility and quality. They record the rise and fall (and rise again) of neo-liberal policies and policy fads and their effects on universities. And they deal with the forms of higher education governance in Canada, the USA, Asia, Australia, Mexico, Indonesia and Ecuador. The volume includes introductions to conceptual and theoretical problems in higher education, along with studies of important regional institutions. The contributors are well-known scholars who combine teaching, research, and administrative skill"--