Volume Editors:
Laura M. Portnoi is an associate professor and assistant department chair in the Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling Department at California State University, Long Beach.

Sylvia S. Bagley is director of Teacher Leadership in the College of Education at the University of Washington.

Series Editors:
Betsy Barefoot serves as Vice President and Senior Scholar for the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education.

Jillian L. Kinzie is Associate Director at IU Center for Postsecondary Research.

EDITORS’ NOTES 1
Laura M. Portnoi, Sylvia S. Bagley

1. Setting the Stage: Global Competition in Higher Education 5
Sylvia S. Bagley, Laura M. Portnoi

In this chapter, the issue editors set the stage for the chapters that follow by delineating recent developments in higher education and common strategies for creating globally competitive higher education institutions. The editors consider social justice concerns that arise with global competition and contend that contextualized priorities can and should mediate global trends.

2. Rankings and the Global Reputation Race 13
Ellen Hazelkorn

This chapter delves into the growing influence and impact of rankings on higher education, as a lens through which to view how the race for reputation and status is changing the higher education landscape, both globally and nationally. The author considers the extent to which rankings are driving policy choices and institutional decisions and the implications of these developments.

3. The Global Quest to Build World-Class Universities: Toward a Social Justice Agenda 27
Robert A. Rhoads, Shuai Li, Lauren Ilano

This chapter provides a critical perspective on the global quest to build world-class universities (WCUs), including global “ranking mania,” excessive emphasis on university branding, and the attending threats to the traditional public good mission of the university. Alternatively, we offer suggestions on how rankings may be used to advance a social justice vision of WCUs.

4. University Mergers in Finland: Mediating Global Competition 41
Jussi Välimaa, Helena Aittola, Jani Ursin

University mergers have become a common strategy for increasing global competitiveness. In this chapter, the authors analyze the implementation of mergers in Finnish universities from the perspective of social justice as conceived within Finland and other Nordic countries.

5. Questioning Quality Assurance 55
Kevin Kinser

Quality assurance is a key component of higher education systems around the world, and questions about its purpose and functions should be understood in both global and local contexts.

6. Cross-Border Higher Education: Global and Local Tensions Within Competition and Economic Development 69
Taya L. Owens, Jason E. Lane

In this chapter, the authors explore various types of cross-border higher education, considering equity and quality issues within these developments. With a particular focus on international branch campuses, the authors discuss the ways in which global competition for knowledge and economic development interact with tensions at the local level.

7. International Education Hubs: Collaboration for Competitiveness and Sustainability 83
Jane Knight

This chapter focuses on the development of education hubs, a recent phenomenon in international higher education. Three models of hubs are examined in relation to the forces, risks, and opportunities of globalization and how local and international collaborations are essential for both global competitiveness and sustainability.

8. A Critical Analysis of Global Competition in Higher Education: Synthesizing Themes 97
Laura M. Portnoi, Sylvia S. Bagley

In this final chapter of the volume, the editors synthesize key themes that emerge from the preceding chapters. They also highlight the contributions the authors make through emphasizing critical perspectives and the tension between global and local forces.

INDEX 101

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.