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For the longest period of its history, the university was the guardian and transmitter – not the producer – of knowledge. This relatively recent change of transmitting canonical knowledge and generating new knowledge is normally associated with Wilhelm von Humboldt. Other highly influential university models were provided by France and Great Britain. The association of certain types of universities with particular countries is a strong indicator of the intricate link between nation-state and education. Hence, the history of tertiary education and its elite institutions, the research universities, must be considered in relation with a sea change in educational history – the gradual emergence of national education systems. Only under the conditions of the by now standard form of organizing modern societies as nation-states did education become a central institution (Meyer, Boli, Thomas, & Ramirez, 1997) collapsing individual perfectibility and national progress. The nationally redefined university was integrated into the education system as its keystone while also being considered the motor of societal development. From a social history perspective, the latter aspect in particular indicates the pragmatic (training professionals, imparting military and technical knowledge, etc.) and symbolic expectations, “myths” of the nation-state that have been so aptly described and analyzed in numerous macro-sociological neo-institutionalist studies (Meyer, Ramirez, & Soysal, 1992; Meyer et al., 1997; Ramirez & Boli, 1987). In a macro-phenomenological perspective, the term “myth” is used to denote a fundamental change in the self-description of European society which since the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries no longer views itself as consisting of separate collectivities divided from each other by social origin – as was the case under feudal conditions – with each collectivity providing itself the necessary education for its members or being provided for by others in the case of neediness. Instead, as a result of a number of material and immaterial changes, society now defines the individual as its key unit, with the nation being consequently the aggregate of individuals and not of collectivities and the state redefined as the guardian of the nation. This conception might be taken as a kind of overlapping area which includes different approaches, such as Michel Foucault's concept of the disciplinary society (Foucault, 1977), Balibar and Wallerstein's (1991) deliberations on the relation between race, class, and nation, and Benedict Anderson's (1991) description of nations as imagined communities. All these studies could be taken as sharing the notion of “constructedness” (cf. Berger & Luckmann, 1972) of modern society with the neo-institutionalist perspective. The concept of a “world polity” which encompasses the “myths” society is based on, the overall notion of a cognitive culture, which takes Max Weber's concept of rationality as a point of departure, is identified as the basis of isomorphic change in the organizational structure of modern education systems (cf. Baker & Wiseman, 2006). However, the strong emphasis on international, world system embeddedness of nation-states and their education systems is not to be taken as a unidirectional dependence on external forces. While modern nation-states originate from and remain tied to international dynamics and developments, they are conceived as unique entities. For most of their history, modern nation-states have been preoccupied with making themselves distinct from each other. Thus, while international competition has always been present, looking abroad traditionally meant reworking, adapting, and reshaping what was imported, or borrowed (Halpin & Troyna, 1995; Steiner-Khamsi, 2004). This is true for education as well as for other areas of society.

It is useful to provide a context for the elaboration of this argument by referring to the historical and intellectual roots of Nigerian federalism, the nature of Nigeria's ethnic mosaic, and the influence or impact of ethnicity on the architecture of Nigerian federalism. The foundational or theoretical building block of Nigerian federalism was and continues to be ethnic, as opposed to geographical, diversity. The artisanal design and construction of this ethnicized federalism was informed by the imperative of elite accommodation initially between the departing British colonial administration and the emergent leadership of the inheritance elite and thereafter, at various times between 1960 and the present time, among the political leadership of the various fractions of the politically significant and mobilized ethnic groups (Jinadu, 1985, 2002).

The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the impact student enrollment manipulations have on the allocation of state resources among higher education institutions, and is motivated by a concern that gamesmanship in accounting for student enrollments leads to a lack of accurate and transparent reporting and ultimately inequities in intrastate funding of higher education institutions. To explore this issue, we use a case study methodology to analyze a State Auditor's Office investigation of a whistle-blower's complaint that a university employee wrongfully inflated the university's student count to increase state funding for the institution. We find that while the method the employee used to inflate student enrollments was ultimately condemned, another method of enrollment manipulation with much greater funding implications was not. Further research is needed to determine the scope of funding implications for similar types of enrollment manipulations across state-funded academic institutions.

The University of California at Berkeley now delivers more to the public of California than it ever has, and it does this on the basis of proportionally less funding by the State government than it has ever received. This claim may come as a surprise, since it is often said that Berkeley is in the process of privatizing, becoming less of a public university and more in the service of private interests. To the contrary, as the State’s commitment to higher education and social-welfare programs has declined, UC Berkeley has struggled to preserve and even expand its public role, while struggling simultaneously to retain its competitive excellence as a research university. This paper delineates how UC Berkeley has striven to retain its public character in the face of severe financial pressures. A summary of the indicators invoked can be found in the Table near the end of the text. This paper then addresses the sustainability and generalizability of the Berkeley strategy.

In many states, legislators have serious concerns about American competitiveness in the global economy. Based on Thomas Friedman's The World Is Flat – perhaps the most highly read book in policy communities over the past decade – legislators are aware the United States is falling behind other countries on many indicators of educational attainment. Although the United States was once a leader in higher education access, with 60 percent of its population attending at least some college, nine countries now exceed this level of participation (Wagner, 2006). Our educational attainment is predicted to increase in the future, not because of increasing participation rates, but because of the expanding college-going population. In production of bachelor's degrees, the United States is now merely average among the 20 most prosperous countries. On a per capita basis, one could argue that the United States no longer has the best higher education system in the world.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the US News and World Report's competitive ratings of US universities with various state level demographic variables using cross‐sectional data.

Secondary data for the study were collected from the US News and World Report, Demographics USA, other US statistical sources. Regression and correlation analysis determined the relationships.

Findings indicate that the competitive rating of the US News and World Report universities can be explained by the Buying Power Index (BPI) of the state in which the university is located, per capita federal transfer payments in education, and proportion of out‐of‐state students. International students and ethnic enrollment also show some relationship with competitive rating. Diversity adds to competitiveness. The ratings of the universities are related to the BPI of the state and per capita federal transfer, both of which are uncontrollable variables for the university administrators.

One‐year cross‐sectional data and quasi‐scientific rating of US News and World Report pose to be a limitation of the study. Longitudinal data could better substantiate the findings of the study.

Shows how universities can improve their competitiveness by bringing more diversity to their student body as out‐of‐state students, international students and/or ethnic diversity seem to influence the competitiveness ratings.

Higher education (HE) institutions worldwide are experiencing fundamental changes, moving from the traditional Humboldt-type model towards an entrepreneurial model. In the context of these global trends, the Russian university landscape is being prepared to undertake a great transformation towards international standards in HE. The Russian State is currently funding a large-scale reform package for universities. The purpose of this paper is to examine trends and institutional reforms in the Russian HE system including the perspectives of universities, governments and business.

Currently, much attention is focussed on increasing the global competitiveness of Russian universities by making Russia’s HE system more integrated in international activities. The Programme “5-100-2020” launched in 2013 provides funds from the federal budget in order to push selected universities to increase their international rankings. A central aspect of the analysis is the policymaking process based on Kingdon’s theory of agenda setting. Furthermore, it is necessary to explore how the reforms of HE are implemented in practice, presented with the help of a single representative case study demonstrating how the Programme “5-100-2020” is implemented in a large Russian polytechnic university.

The present research shows the ways in which international trends influence educational and research environments in Russia, which provides a better understanding of the evolution of the university landscape in the light of growing marketisation, identifies important policy issues associated with becoming top international universities. The study of the timeline of reforms and reconstruction of the Russian HE system revealed an ambivalent picture which presents contradictions.

The data were collected within one organisation only. This is a single representative case study. This means generalisation is only possible for similar organisations.

The study allows university managers to be more aware of the challenges and opportunities which arise with such organisational change.

The paper draws attention to HE system reforms in Russia. University is a very important organisation for society with numerous stakeholders. The findings of the study are important for better understanding what is happening in education now.

The research adds value to policymaking process in the field of HE, and gives example of transformation process in Russian universities.

Three different governing boards of higher education in Louisiana joined together to create the Louisiana Online University Information System (LOUIS). Key players in this endeavor describe progress from an idea formulated in 1990 to the 1993 reality of an effective statewide online system. Improved services to users and more effective use of collections are examples of what the various libraries throughout Louisiana are expecting to realize from this collective action. Various lessons learned are detailed. Budget components are addressed openly. In 1993, the state of Louisiana was awarded a federal $2.48 million grant that enabled the completion of this statewide infrastructure. Other states contemplating a statewide library network may want to look closely at the planning for and implementation of LOUIS.

Public universities began reporting the costs for nonpension retiree benefit obligations known as other postemployment benefits (OPEB) in their fiscal 2008 financial statements. The reported OPEB obligation is the projected benefits to be paid after an employee retires. This descriptive study examines the status of OPEB funding at land grant universities, composition of the benefits provided, and whether modifications are under consideration. Results indicate land grant institutions cover their costs on a pay-as-you-go basis, OPEB liabilities are significantly underfunded, and universities provide comparable types of benefits in their OPEB plan. Revenue shortfalls and current fiscal pressures raise concerns about how they can support the OPEB liabilities. Thus many institutions are evaluating the OPEB cost and the benefits currently provided.

Since at least the 1970s, the American research university system has experienced episodic periods of austerity, frequently accompanied by expressions of concern about the threats that these conditions pose to U.S. scientific and technological leadership. In general, austerity has been tied to fluctuations in Federal Government funding of academic research and macroeconomic fluctuations that have shrunk state government budget revenues. Even amidst these episodes, the system has continued to expand and decentralize. The issue at present is whether this historic resiliency, of being a marvelous invalid, will overcome adverse contemporary trends in Federal and state government funding, as well as political trends that eat away at the societal bonds between universities and their broader publics. The paper juxtaposes examinations of the organizational and political influences that have given rise to the American research university system, trends in research revenues and research costs, and contemporary efforts by universities to balance the two. It singles out the secular decline in state government’s support of public universities as the principal reason why this period of contraction is different from those of the past. Rather though then these trends portending a market shakeout, as some at times have predicted, the projection here is that the academic research system will continue to be characterized by excess capacity and recurrent downward pressures on research costs. Because the adverse impacts are concentrated in the public university sector, they may also spill over into political threats to the current system of awarding academic research grants primarily via competitive, merit review arrangements.