Overview : governance in higher education - concepts and issues

This article presents an overview of key concepts and issues in the corporate governance of higher education. It is written both as an introduction to and as a reflection upon the collection of papers presented in this special issue of 'Higher Education: Research and Development'. It seeks to locate important clusters of research interest relating to higher education governance, and it advances a perspective on the topic that might assist in guiding and encouraging further research. Issues identified in the papers are current issues in particular national systems (Australia, Canada, The Netherlands, the United States and Vietnam), academic autonomy, quality assurance, and institutional mission and identity. Themes across many of the papers include the changing relationship between higher education and the state, the nature and extent of 'shared governance' in higher education institutions, and the impact of the market on governance. [Author abstract, ed]