Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski discusses reforming university governance, following his recently published report.

Last summer the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Michael Russell MSP, invited me to chair a review of governance in Scottish higher education. The task given to my panel was to look closely at whether our universities were being run with appropriate levels of democratic accountability, transparency and effectiveness.

There is no doubt that Scotland’s universities are places of real educational excellence. They perform extremely well in international rankings, and the quality of their programmes of teaching and learning is recognised globally. However, concerns have occasionally been expressed about the emergence of managerialism, and about the extent to which universities do or don’t adhere to established principles of best practice in how they are run.

The review panel received written submissions from a number of key stakeholders, and took evidence from experts from Scotland and overseas.

In January 2012 we submitted our report, with 44 recommendations for reform, to the Government.

At the heart of our report is the belief that Scotland’s higher education system has a distinct identity and is key to the country’s development, in economic, cultural and social contexts.

Universities must be empowered to develop as autonomous centres of scholarship and learning, but must also attract the full confidence of society. Their decision-making processes must engage stakeholders, they must show recognition of the principles of democracy, and they must act in accountable manner; in return they must be protected from unnecessary bureaucracy and be encouraged to be innovative and entrepreneurial.

Where Scotland’s universities enjoy the full support and confidence of all key stakeholders, their ability to be global leaders in higher education will be strongly enhanced. That has been our goal, and it is my belief that the reforms we have recommended will help in the pursuit of that aim.

Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski

Related:
Higher Education and Further Education – Governance reviews published.
New college regions announced - by the Education Secretary.
Scotland’s college regions - the newly announced college regions.

Post-16 Reform (#Post16Reform):
For all the latest news and updates on Post-16 Reform see the following resources:
Engage – Post-16 reform section

You can also monitor any discussion on twitter around post-16 reform via the hash tag #Post16Reform.