All Ireland Society for Higher Education
| Name: | Huntley-Moore , Sylvia |
|---|---|
| Email: | shuntley@tcd.ie |
| Institution: | Trinity College Dublin |
Panter, John, john_panter@keypoint.com.au
Systems of university governance are notoriously difficult to change. They were established to help universities achieve their original purposes but, as those purposes change over time, systems of governance tend to lag behind, being enshrined in legislation and in the hearts and minds of those involved. If this tendency continues too long, governance structures and new purposes may actually be in conflict, with the former impeding achievement of the latter. This paper argues that one such instance is that of collegiality, a concept much loved by academics in theory (albeit somewhat ignored in practice). There probably never was a 'Golden Age' where true collegiality prevailed but, until very recently, the concept was at least compatible with the expressed purposes of universities. Now that universities in practice, have become 'competitive Enterprises', however, even such collegiality which remains active may work against the Enterprise. Should we, therefore, admit that collegialism is walking death - or try to make some version of it work in the new environment?
(Abstract ref: #10.)