Introduction to the Book and the Comparative Study

Chapter 1 of Re-Becoming Universities contextualizes and describes the contents of the book based on the study: Change in Networks, Higher Education and Knowledge Societies (CINHEKS). The CINHEKS study was a six country international comparative study focused on the way in which contemporary higher education institutions and networked within and between networked knowledge societies. The countries in focus are Finland, Germany, Portugal, The Russian Federation, The United Kingdom and the United States of America.

The dimensions of social dynamics in comparative studies on higher education

This article discusses social dynamics of higher education which is one of the most crucial but neglected perspectives in comparative studies of higher education. We pay attention to the importance of time, space and contexts—both geographical and socio-cultural ones—to reveal how they influence on different social dynamics in various systems of higher education. The article focuses on the national higher education system level. Theoretically we approach higher education systems from a relational perspective paying attention to dynamics created by changing relationships between different actors in cultural, geographical and historical contexts. peerReviewed

Yhteisiä päätöksiä vai johtajavaltaisuutta? : kollegiaalisuus yliopistojen perustana

Yliopistojen toiminnan ytimessä on 1100-luvulta lähtien ollut akateemisten opettajien välinen yhteistyö. Perusajatuksena on ollut, että opettajat kollegoina sopivat asiat yhteistuumin. Tätä periaatetta on noudatettu niin opetuksessa ja tutkimuksessa kuin akateemisessa päätöksenteossa laajemminkin. Keskiaikainen kollegiaalisuuden periaate on kestänyt vuosisatojen testin hyvin, sillä se on edelleenkin akateemisten yhteisöiden perustana. 2000-luvulla näyttää kuitenkin siltä, että managerialismi eli tehokkuuden ja johtajavaltaisuuden korostaminen on syrjäyttämässä kollegiaalisuuden. Onko todella näin? Ennen kuin vastaan, pohdin kollegiaalisuuden luonnetta ja kehitystä yleisesti ja erityisesti S…

Elämää siiloissa

Yliopistoista viritetään tehokkaita ja vaikuttavia organisaatioita liike-elämästä lainatuin managerialismin opein. Sen vahvin vastavoima on tiedeyhteisön kollegiaalisuus. Millaisia seurauksia managerialismilla on yliopistoille ja millainen on sen suhde kollegiaalisuuteen?

Joki, järvi ja akateeminen professio

Onko yliopisto organisaatio vai instituutio?

Artikkelissa keskustellaan yliopiston luonteesta kahdesta näkökulmasta käsin, jotka ovat yliopisto organisaationa ja akatemian intellektuaalisten traditioiden kantama korkeakoulutuksen instituutio. Artikkeli analysoi sitä, millä tavalla nämä kaksi näkökulmaa eroavat toisistaan, ja mitä näistä eroista seuraa. Artikkelissa keskustellaan myös siitä, millaisia historiallisia kerrostumia ja niiden tukemia eettisiä koodistoja yliopistoista löytyy. nonPeerReviewed

Higher Dead End?

One of the main problems of Finnish higher education researcher training is the lack of any systematic training. It seems, however, that it is not only one of the main problems but also a result of a development related to the structure of funding sources and the status of higher education research as an academic field. In this article I will begin by describing how this situation has developed and what are the current problems. Secondly, I will reflect on the future avenues of higher education research and researcher training, which seem to be approaching a (higher) dead end. The article is based on personal experiences gained as a researcher in several higher education research projects a…

The Academy of Turku During the Last Century of Swedish Rule (1720–1809)

The chapter begins by describing the University of Turku as an academic community in the estate-based society of the Kingdom of Sweden, which had lost its status as a Great Power. The author explains the kinship system, born in the seventeenth century, which served to strengthen academic communities both ideologically and economically. Ties of kinship increased ideological cohesion and the sense of a scholarly community both in good and in bad: they were the channel through which books, clothes, and traditions were passed on; however, the kinship system also increased the risk of closedness and inbreeding.

Apurahatutkijat : selvitys suomalaisten yliopistojen käytänteistä liittyen apurahatutkijoihin

Tässä selvityksessä tarkastellaan suomalaisten yliopistojen käytänteitä liittyen apurahatutkijoihin. nonPeerReviewed

The Bologna Process in Finland

The aim of this chapter is to analyse how the Bologna Process influences Finnish higher education by examining what changes are related to or caused by it. The study focuses first on the social field of national higher education policy-making, and second on the study of higher education institutions examined from the perspective of academic basic units. The study is based on critical analysis of national policy documents and on a qualitative case study conducted at the University of Jyvaskyla in the spring term of 2004. The qualitative case study was based on thematic focus group interviews. The themes of the interview can be found in the Appendix 1. In order to reach a more comprehensive u…

Korkeakouludiplomi : kokeiluhankkeen seuranta- ja arviointitutkimuksen väliraportti

Korkeakouludiplomi on opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriön käynnistämä koulutuskokeilu, jonka tarkoituksena on selvittää nykyisiä korkeakoulututkintoja suppeampien koulutusten käyttökelpoisuutta työelämän ja opiskelijoiden kannalta. Korkeakouludiplomikoulutus alkoi syksyllä 2014 pilotti­hankkeena Jyväskylän ammattikorkeakoulussa ainoana korkeakouluna Suomessa. Tämä julkaisu on väliraportti kokeilun seuranta- ja arviointitutkimuksesta. Siinä kerrotaan opiskelijavalinnasta, koulutuksen organisoinnista, opetus­sisällöistä ja pedagogista ratkaisuista sekä havainnoista koulutuksen alkuvaiheessa. Raportti perustuu koulutuksen järjestäjien haastatteluihin, raportteihin ja dokumentteihin sekä opiskelijo…

The Expansion of Higher Education into Practical-Utilitarian Disciplines

The chapter focusses both on the debate on the role of practical-utilitarian disciplines and on the founding of new educational establishments during the nineteenth century. In addition to the Imperial Alexander University, four other educational establishments were set up in Finland in this century. Initially, these were schools or post-secondary level institutes providing vocational education. These schools and institutes are the following (in the order in which they were established): Hamina Cadet School, Mustiala Agricultural School/College, the Polytechnic School/Institute, teacher training colleges (or seminaries), and business schools/colleges. The author describes how these schools …

Nationalisation, Localisation and Globalisation in Finnish Higher Education

This article analyses and discusses the interplay between the social processes of nationalisation, localisation and globalisation in a single European nation state. The view of nationalisation put forward draws on a national case study based on historical and sociological research findings. The second part of the article presents a case study of the nature of globalisation and localisation in an average Finnish university. The article shows that nationalisation of Finnish higher education has created a cultural understanding of higher education institutions important for competition with other nations. As for localisation, on the one hand higher education institutions support their local co…

The Growth of Student Numbers and the Establishment of Polytechnics

The chapter focusses on the growth of the student population between the 1940s and the 2010s. The author also discusses a number of topics debated during the expansion, such as “over-education” and the relationship between higher education and the labour market. In addition, he analyses the students’ socio-economic background and participation in higher education and the professors’ socio-economic background.

Vaikuttamista, virkistystoimintaa ja kriittistä keskustelua: Professoriliiton Jyväskylän osasto 1970-luvun alusta 2020-luvulle

Ajatus kirjoittaa pienimuotoinen historiateos Professoriliiton Jyväskylän osaston historiasta syntyi osaston johtokunnassa loppusyksystä 2020, kun osastossa valmistauduttiin osaston 50-vuotisjuhlallisuuksiin. Suunnitelmana oli koota tiivis esitys toiminnan pääpiirteistä ja liittää se osaksi suomalaisen korkeakoulupolitiikan, Jyväskylän yliopiston ja Professoriliiton yleisiä kehityskulkuja. Professoriliiton hallitus näytti hankkeelle omalta osaltaan vihreää valoa ja myönsi avustuksen toteutukseen. Kiitämme tuesta lämpimästi. Avustuksen turvin pystyimme palkkaamaan talvella 2021 tutkimusavustajan, johon tehtävään rekrytoitiin historianopiskelija, HuK Tapio Roiko-Jokela. Hänen tehokas ja syste…

‘World Class Local Heroes’: Emerging Competitive Horizons and Transnational Academic Capitalism in Finnish Higher Education – 2010–2012

This chapter introduces an analysis based on institutional profiles of higher education institutions and the two institutional case studies that were carried out in Finland as part of the CINHEKS study. The purposeful selection of the profiles and case studies was based on historical contextualization, the spectrum of higher education institutions in Finland, as well as the twin effects of a major legislative reform, carried out as the global economic crisis of 2008/09 unfolded. In terms of theory of the middle range, empirical focus was achieved via a purposeful selection based on mission emphasis, disciplinary cultures, career stage and competitive horizons. This analysis spotlights three…

Finnish mergers : Change in the Context of Continuity

This chapter focuses on three prominent university mergers in Finland which took place during the last decade. In order to understand the mergers and the developments that led to them, we highlight broader higher education policy change, most notably the making and implementation of the new Universities Act (558/2009). The changing discourse around the role of higher education (Nokkala, 2016) and the changing of the Universities Act took place in parallel to the merger processes, thus forming the broader political context which the structural development took place. In our analysis, we take as our central perspective the roles of the national actors to introduce national translations and so…

Apurahatutkijat yliopistojen rakenteissa

Higher Education in Networked Knowledge Societies

This conceptual chapter articulates an analytical synthesis: Networked Knowledge Society. This synthesis incorporates the role of knowledge, information and communication technology (ICT) and networks in order to better understand the dynamic nature of contemporary societies. It also conceptualises the relationships between contemporary societies and higher education. A traditional approach to examining the relationships between higher education and society is to consider this from the societal point of departure to interpret or explain change in higher education. Our approach, by contrast, is relational with respect to the dynamic role of higher education in societies and the ways in which…

Is There a Need for a European Institutional Research?

Recent changes in European higher education have accompanied a strong desire and need by national ministries to have comparable data across institutions and a growing recognition from campus leaders that effective planning and decision-making requires reliable institutional data and analyses. This has induced changes and restructuring of duties and roles of administration, administrative staff and academic staff. In North America, internal institutional data analysis is often referred to as institutional research. We examine the roles and functions of institutional research within North America and how the changes within European higher education have created a purpose for institutional res…

Reciprocal commitment in academic careers? : Finnish implications and international trends

This study explores the nature of reciprocal commitment in academic careers. The article is based on a survey conducted in autumn 2013 among fixed-term employees at eight major universities in Finland (N = 810). The analysis is focusing on researchers who have a doctoral degree and who are working on a fixed-term contract at their university (n = 308). According to our study, researchers experience their working conditions are insecure and many of them have considered leaving their universities. Despite the fact that they find their work meaningful their uncertain and poor working conditions are related to their thoughts of leaving the university. In addition in many of the cases leaving th…

The First Decades of Independence – White Finland

The Republic of Finland was established after a bloody civil war between the Reds and the Whites in 1918. This chapter analyses the emergence of Finnish independence and the role higher education played in the new republic in the 1920s and 1930s. During this period, the University of Helsinki was Finland’s dominant higher education institution, even though one public pedagogical college and seven private higher education institutions were also established: two universities (one Swedish-speaking and one Finnish-speaking), three business schools, a technical university, and a higher education institution of social sciences.

Access to Higher Education: An Instrument for Fair Societies?

Access to higher education (HE) has a long history. To offer a view on the current debates and worldwide issues regarding access to HE, this editorial depicts how the control of educational access has historically been used as an instrument of governance at the interface of two processes: social stratification and the territorialisation of politics. Access to HE has remained embedded in these large structural processes even though HE has expanded from a highly elitist institution into mass education systems with equity of educational opportunities having become a desirable goal across societies. Analysing these processes helps understand the complex mechanisms producing inequalities in HE t…

The Emergence of Universities in the Middle Ages

The chapter begins with an analysis of the historical context in which European universities were born. The time of the emergence of universities (the twelfth and thirteenth centuries) coincided with a major medieval transition period in Europe, characterised by changes both in social power structures and in the ecclesiastical thinking of the Catholic Church. The analysis is followed by a description of the emergence of the first universities – Bologna and Paris – which became the models for other universities. The idea of restoring the true and original university (reformatio) was followed at the new universities founded throughout Europe, even though each university developed its own vers…

Muuttuvat akateemiset urat : työurat yliopistoissa -hankkeen loppuraportti

Hanke ”Työurat yliopistoissa” toteutettiin 2015–2016 ja sen aikana tarkasteltiin suomalaisten yliopistojen urarakenteita, niiden muuttumista ja toimivuutta sekä poliittista kontekstia, määräaikaisia työsuhteita ja vastavuoroista sitoutumista akateemisilla urilla, yliopistojen rekrytointeja sekä akateemisten urien polarisoitumista. Hankkeen tulokset julkaistaan tutkimusartikkeleina, tässä loppuraportissa on kuvattu tulokset tiivistetysti. Työurat yliopistoissa -hanke antoi alustan, jonka avulla eri hankkeissa kerättyjä aineistoja voitiin kutoa yhteen ja siten laajentaa alkuperäistä tutkimusasetelmaa. Akateemiset urat ovat luonteeltaan hyvin vuorovaikutuksellisia. Yksilöt tekevät uran, mutta …

Yliopistot uudistuvat, uudistuuko henkilöstöjohtaminen?

Yliopistojen henkilöstöjohtaminen on linkittynyt historiallisista syistä valtionhallinnon henkilöstöjohtamiseen. Tämän lisäksi yliopistolainsäädäntö on luonut vahvan juridisen kehikon henkilöstön pätevyyksille, tehtäväkausille ja tehtäville. Siirtymä byrokraattisesta henkilöstöhallinnosta kohti (strategista) henkilöstövoimavarojen johtamista on vasta tapahtumassa yliopistoissa. Tämä sisältää monia mahdollisuuksia mutta myös uhkia akateemisen työn ja työympäristöjen kehittämiselle. Tässä artikkelissa luomme katsauksen siihen miltä yliopistojen henkilöstöpolitikka näyttää vuonna 2016 ja kuinka yliopiston henkilöstöä johdetaan. Artikkelin aineistona toimii opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriön tilaa…

The Bologna Process in Academic Basic Units: Finnish Universities and Competitive Horizons

Flexible learning pathways in higher education : Finland’s country case study for the IIEP-UNESCO SDG4 project in 2018–2021

The Development of Finland’s Higher Education System After the Second World War – Towards a Welfare State

Finland lost the war against the Soviet Union but won the peace after the Second World War. The defeat forced Finnish society to change. Higher education played a crucial role in these processes, resulting in a Nordic Welfare State in the 1980s. The author gives an overview of the major political changes in Finland between the 1940s and the 2010s.

Two discourses: researchers and policy-making in higher education

The theme of this article focuses on how policy discourse and research discourse meet in contract research in higher education. The interplay of these discourses has consequences for researchers who have to balance conflicting demands, which we view as links between research and policy cycles. Two evaluation studies on the introduction and effects of new policy instruments are discussed, focusing on the interaction between policy needs, and research design. The examples are taken from policies in the development towards increasing self-regulation in higher education, of which Finland and the Netherlands are interesting examples in the European context.

Higher Education and the Knowledge Society

Knowledge society may be defined as a discourse which is based on certain intellectual starting points in the analyses of modern societies, while as a concept it tends to create its own images, expectations, and narratives. The importance of higher education in this discourse is rooted in the fact that changes in science, research, and technology have changed the social role of universities. According to a radical perspective, a rapid metamorphosis is taking place in the relationship between knowledge production and university institution, whereas a more moderate view holds that recent changes challenge the traditional values found in higher education institutions.

On Comparative Research In Higher Education

The International SoleTM of Finnish Higher Eduction: A Virtual Vanishing Act

This participative inquiry critiques recent management trends in the Finnish higher education system. The six authors, presently working in three Finnish universities, focus on strategic internationalization policy to highlight the argument. Global trends in internationalization are introduced, followed by an experienced-based meta-analysis, drawing on several recent studies by the authors. This analysis points to significant challenges and blind spots that exist- well hidden- alongside the Finnish higher education system’s best features. The increasing use of ICT-based management routines are called into question with respect to higher education practices, capacity and linked societal chal…

Trust in Finnish Education: A Historical Perspective

This article analyzes the origins of generalized trust in Finnish society and how this relates to trust in education. The study was based on a historical analysis of the role of education in building a Finnish society and nation state. The author discusses the development of a Nordic welfare state and analyzes the relationships between generalized trust and education from the perspectives of democracy, corruption, egalitarian attitudes, wealth, and culture. A reflection was performed of the relationships between generalized trust, school autonomy, and the professional autonomy of teachers. peerReviewed

The Age of Autonomy – The Role of Higher Education in the Building of the Nation

The chapter opens by a discussion about the age of the Napoleonic Wars, which has been regarded as one of the most critical periods in the history of European universities. The author reflects on two solutions provided for the crisis: the grandes ecoles of France and the Humboldtian university in Germany.

Is Education Getting Lost in University Mergers?

Mergers are common phenomena in higher education institutions. Improving educational quality is typically one of the stated goals of university mergers. Yet, little information exists about how merging institutions approach this goal. This paper presents results from a study of planning documents created prior to four mergers in the Finnish higher education system. These documents show that there was little concrete attention given to the educational issues related to the mergers. Most attention was placed on administrative issues and issues related to research. When educational issues were mentioned, it was almost always in the form of vague goals with few details provided about how the go…

Tärkeintä on, että kehittyy ja oppii - titteli ei ole niin tärkeä : korkeakouludiplomikoulutuskokeilun seuranta- ja arviointitutkimuksen loppuraportti

From the Reformation to the End of Swedish Rule – Laying the Foundations of a National University

The history of the Swedish Kingdom is looked at from the perspective of education. The chapter begins by an analysis of the Reformation, a deep political and religious change, in the sixteenth century. During the Reformation, the church, which had been a universal community and organisation, became increasingly a part and organisation of the state. The chapter also describes the main trends of changes in education during Swedish rule, which in Finland lasted till 1809.

Tarvitaanko päätöksenteossa tieteellistä tietoa?

Disciplinary Versus Institutional Approaches, Higher Education

Institutional perspectives focus on HEIs as organisations and disciplinary perspectives focus on HEIs as cultural entities. This entry discusses the strengths and weaknesses of cultural and institutional approaches to higher education and higher education research. peerReviewed

Entrevista com o prof. Jussi Välimaa

Neste diálogo, o Professor Jussi Välimaa fala sobre vários aspectos da educação superior finlandesa, como os traços históricos que a modelaram, a cena atual da pesquisa em educação superior na Finlândia, internacionalização da educação superior e os fundamentos da cultura acadêmica colegial.

‘We Are a Training and Development Organisation’ – Research and Development in Finnish Polytechnics

This chapter discusses the research mission of the polytechnic sector in Finland. According to the Finnish Ministry of Education, polytechnics have already become essential actors in the regional innovation system, but they should enhance their regional impact with measures taken to develop the structure of education provision, to combine polytechnics’ regional development projects into larger entities linking different sectors, and to boost networking with different stakeholders, higher education institutions and schools. Polytechnics’ contacts with the world of work have also improved significantly with the aim of evolving into development processes, which benefit all the partners involve…

Main Findings and Discussion

This chapter ‘connects the dots’ between the outcomes of the CINHEKS study and relates these to contemporary higher education research practice and policy. This conclusion summarizes our main theoretical and conceptual findings, central empirical results and methodological advances in a way that illuminates the key issues and questions brought into view by the CINHEKS study, as a whole. Our findings are critically contextualized in terms of general challenges in higher education studies, which borrow far more than we generate, especially in terms of theory, conceptual problematization, methodology and methods. Theoretically, the analytical synthesis of network knowledge society is highlight…

Työelämälähtöinen avoin korkeakouluopetus (AVOT) -hankkeen arviointi : loppuraportti

Työelämälähtöinen avoin korkeakoulutus -hankkeessa (AVOT) (ESR 2015 - 2018) tavoitteena on ollut vastata työelämästä nouseviin osaamistarpeisiin ja luoda toimintamalli, jossa avointa korkeakouluopetusta järjestetään korkeakoulujen yhteistyönä. Hankkeeseen liittyi ulkopuolinen arviointitutkimus, joka toteutettiin Jyväskylän yliopiston Koulutuksen tutkimuslaitoksella (KTL) 1.6.2016 - 30.4.2018. Arviointi toteutettiin kahdessa vaiheessa: väliraportoinnissa keskityttiin hankkeen suunnittelu- ja käynnistymisvaiheeseen, arviointiprosessin loppuvaiheessa arvioinnin pääkohteina olivat hankkeen työelämäyhteistyön, korkeakoulujen yhteistyön, koulutuksen erilaisten toteutusmallien ja hankkeen kokonais…

University Mergers in Finland: Mediating Global Competition

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.

The Founding of the Royal Academy of Turku

The first university in Finland, the Royal Academy of Turku, was established in 1640. It was at that time the northernmost university in the world and served the Lutheran Kingdom of Sweden mainly by educating priests for it.

Conclusions – The Institutional and Organisational Layers of Finnish Higher Education

The concluding chapter of the book discusses contemporary Finnish universities from the perspective of historical layers, which have accumulated over time and have laid the foundation on which new ideas, processes, and structures have been built and which they have also sought to challenge. According to the author, multiple historical layers can be found in teaching, research, and institutional decision-making and administration. He shows how in academic contexts, different historical layers easily support each other, whereas in organisational decision-making, management, and administration, different mentalities, practices, processes, and goals often lead to tensions.

Suomalainen korkeakoulutus kriisissä?

”Voi liioittelematta sanoa, että kaikki suomalaiset yliopistot kuuluvat ’maailmanluokan’ yliopistoihin. Mistä siis nousee Jorma Rantasen ja Anne Brunilan raporteissa esitetty ehdotus luoda Suomeen muutama ’maailmanluokan’ yliopisto, joiden ohella olisi kansallisen tai maakunnallisen tason opinahjoja? Kysymys näyttäisi olevan koulutuspolitiikan suunnan muutosyrityksistä kohti markkinatalouden kilpailuun perustuvaa arvomaailmaa”, kirjoittaa professori Jussi Välimaa.

Elämää siiloissa : managerialismin vaikutuksia yliopistoissa

Yliopistoista viritetään tehokkaita ja vaikuttavia organisaatioita liike-elämästä lainatuin managerialismin opein. Sen vahvin vastavoima on tiedeyhteisöin kollegiaalisuus. Millaisia seurauksia managerialismilla on yliopistoille ja millainen on sen suhde kollegiaalisuuteen? nonPeerReviewed

Finnish Students at Medieval Universities

The chapter begins with a discussion about the importance of the Roman Catholic Church and the Kingdom of Sweden in connecting Finland to the Western European cultural sphere. The story continues by the foundation of Turku Cathedral School, the first school in Finland, at the turn of the fourteenth century.

Työelämälähtöinen avoin korkeakouluopetus (AVOT) -hankkeen arviointi : loppuraportti

Työelämälähtöinen avoin korkeakoulutus -hankkeessa (AVOT) (ESR 2015 - 2018) tavoitteena on ollut vastata työelämästä nouseviin osaamistarpeisiin ja luoda toimintamalli, jossa avointa korkeakouluopetusta järjestetään korkeakoulujen yhteistyönä. Hankkeeseen liittyi ulkopuolinen arviointitutkimus, joka toteutettiin Jyväskylän yliopiston Koulutuksen tutkimuslaitoksella (KTL) 1.6.2016 - 30.4.2018. Arviointi toteutettiin kahdessa vaiheessa: väliraportoinnissa keskityttiin hankkeen suunnittelu- ja käynnistymisvaiheeseen, arviointiprosessin loppuvaiheessa arvioinnin pääkohteina olivat hankkeen työelämäyhteistyön, korkeakoulujen yhteistyön, koulutuksen erilaisten toteutusmallien ja hankkeen kokonais…