This paper arises from presentations given at a colloquium involving members of the Association of University Administrators (AUA) and staff from the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) of the UK Funding Councils held in November 2005. It discusses the increasing reliance on IT in modern higher education administration, and the role of the…

In the 21st Century, IT Governance is, within the broader corporate governance context, critical for all organisations. Those without an IT governance strategy face significant risks; those with one perform measurably better (Calder 2005). There has been little field based research on IT governance, and few publications help managers understand…

This paper reports on a study visit organised under the auspices of the AUA's UK/Canada Exchange Scheme, which provided an opportunity to visit the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary and the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver) over a four-week period. As Canada and the UK demonstrate…

Information and communications technologies are radically changing the way that teaching and learning activities are organised and delivered within higher education (HE) institutions. A wide range of technologies is being deployed in quite complex and interactive ways, including virtual learning environments (VLEs), mobile communication…

For the Netherlands and England, higher education (HE) is of particular importance. Their knowledge-intensive economies would not remain competitive without highly qualified human resources and innovative research. Despite the importance of higher education in public and political debate, both England and the Netherlands spend a lower percentage…

This paper describes a JISC-funded project which aimed to promote the benefits of improved information skills amongst university managers and administrators. The project ran from January to July 2006 and involved a survey into the way in which managers and administrators use information, followed by a UK-wide training programme. A self-evaluation…

Professional managers in UK universities represent an increasingly diverse grouping of staff. As boundaries blur between academic activity and the contributory functions required to deliver that activity in mass higher education systems and markets, their roles have become more fluid. Quasi-academic territories are developing in which professional…

Strategic planning and quality management have been developed independently of each other, but they meet in practice in many kinds of organisations. Strategic planning and quality assurance integrate different aspects of higher education institutions (HEIs) to ensure high-quality educational outcomes. This paper investigates the role of these two…

In this article, the author explores the features of the higher education (HE) industry (nationally and globally) in terms of an industrial economic analysis. Specifically, the author explores the following questions: (1) Can HE as an industry and HEIs as service-providers control costs in the absence of a free and genuinely/ruthlessly competitive…

It is undeniable that in Germany today higher education (HE) cannot be as it was in Humboldt's day 200 years ago. The mass university, together with social and politico-educational challenges, has created problems which require fundamental and lasting solutions. The key question is: how can the transformation from the industrial age to the…

This paper offers observations from an Association of University Administrators (AUA) study visit to Australia at a time of considerable hostility by some Vice-Chancellors towards the radical reforms implemented by John Howard's conservative Government. The team of ten senior managers, led by Ian Creagh of the AHUA/AUA International Committee,…

Over the last thirty years, the idea of sustainable development has come to be seen in policy circles across the globe as a necessary and urgent response to a range of social and environmental issues that threaten both the integrity of the biosphere, and human wellbeing. Increasingly, education, and particularly higher education, is seen to have a…

Sound financial management and financial stability are crucially important for universities operating in today's increasingly competitive and turbulent environment. Freedom of action is greatly enhanced if an institution is able to act opportunistically and invest in new initiatives, while healthy financial reserves help buffer the institution…

Future historians may well find as much continuity as change in government policies towards higher education between the mid-1980s and the mid-2000s. One exception, however, is likely to be widening participation (WP), which only appeared on the policy agenda after 1997. Moreover, this commitment has been sustained. In this brief survey, the…

It seems difficult to have a discussion about anything in a university or college today that does not involve branding: "what does this say about our brand?", "how is our brand perceived?", "what are our brand values?", and "are we living the brand?" (according to the American Marketing Association, this means "aligning actions with your Brand…