Public Policy and Private Higher Education

Abstract

O May 28 and 29, academic leaders, researchers, and policymakers from five continents discussed the key issues facing private higher education worldwide. The social responsibilities of the private sector in higher education for societal improvement and service were discussed, as well as more traditional topics such as accreditation, quality control, the financing of private higher education, and others. The significant diversity of the private sector in higher education was illustrated in reports from such diverse countries as Mexico, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Hungary. Realities differ, but problems are quite similar. Daniel Levy, a noted researcher on private higher education, focused on what he termed isomorphism— the tendency of private universities to look similar in response to pressures toward uniformity. Other participants emphasized the variations among countries and even within systems. The funding of private higher education, and the difficulties of operating institutions based on student tuition in a competitive marketplace were emphasized. The link between funding, quality, and access was seen as one of the more perplexing issues facInternational Private Higher Education Conference Held at Boston College