Higher education management and development

Today as never before, it is imperative that university managers possess the knowledge and the competencies necessary for leading modern higher education institutions. Professional management enables higher education institutions to cooperate more effectively with partners ranging from local businesses to international enterprises and other stakeholders. As higher education institutions grow larger and extend their reach into new areas and the functions demanded of them multiply, academic administration and management become increasingly complex; thus, the need for skilled management and administrative personnel becomes more acute. This book emerged as the product of the European Higher Education Management and Development (EHEMD) project, a European multilateral curriculum development project under the coordination of the Danube University Krems and funded by the European Union in the framework of the Erasmus Lifelong Learning Programme. Focusing not only on theoretical points of view, but also on their practical applications as demonstrated in the accompanying case studies, the publication covers the key aspects of modern university management. The booklet is structured so that each chapter presents a particular aspect and application of university management and the entire volume reflects the core contents of the EHEMD curriculum. Can higher education management be taught? While we confidently say “yes!”, the answer needs some qualification. The “yes” applies because higher education management is no different from any other subject in the social sciences. The qualification is that a sound pedagogical philosophy and structure need to underpin such a programme. The fundamentals of the EHEMD programme are that it is interdisciplinary, that it is practice-oriented and that students learn from each other and also learn independently. With a strong emphasis on Central, Southern and Eastern Europe, this book addresses management challenges in higher education today and in the near future.