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Brave new world: Higher education reform in Finland

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  • Timo Aarrevaara
  • Ian Dobson
  • Camilla Elander

Abstract

Finnish universities are about to enter a period of radical change. This paper considers the reforms expected of a new Universities Act currently before parliament and a set of institutional mergers. When passed, the new act will provide universities with independent legal status, change their relationship with the government in several ways, affect university governance arrangements, and alter the relationship between staff and their university employers. Although these reforms will be radical for the university sector itself, many of the changes will be all but invisible to those outside the sector. The change that will be noticed is the creation of the new Aalto University through a merger between three existing institutions. The new university will be highly visible to all as it tries to meet the government’s aspirations for it to become a world-class university. Le meilleur des mondes : Réforme du système de l’enseignement supérieur en Finlande Les universités finlandaises se trouvent au seuil de changements radicaux. Cet article analyse les réformes découlant d’un nouveau projet de loi sur l’université actuellement présenté devant le Parlement finlandais et de plusieurs fusions institutionnelles. Une fois adoptée, la nouvelle loi accordera aux universités un statut juridique indépendant, modifiera leurs relations au gouvernement en plusieurs points, affectera les accords relatifs à la gestion des universités et modifiera les relations entre le personnel et les employeurs universitaires. Bien que le secteur universitaire considère ces réformes comme radicales, la plupart des changements qu’elles vont entraîner seront absolument invisibles aux yeux de l’observateur extérieur pour qui le changement apparent résideradans la création de la nouvelle Université de Aalto, fruit d’une fusion entre trois institutions existantes. Cette nouvelle université occupera en effet le devant de la scène puisqu’elle s’efforcera de répondre aux aspirations du gouvernement qui veut en faire une université internationale de haut niveau.

Suggested Citation

  • Timo Aarrevaara & Ian Dobson & Camilla Elander, 2009. "Brave new world: Higher education reform in Finland," Higher Education Management and Policy, OECD Publishing, vol. 21(2), pages 1-18.
  • Handle: RePEc:oec:edukaa:5ksj0twnffvl
    DOI: 10.1787/hemp-21-5ksj0twnffvl
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    Cited by:

    1. Lund, Rebecca, 2012. "Publishing to become an “ideal academic”: An Institutional Ethnography and a Feminist Critique," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 218-228.
    2. Päivikki Kuoppakangas & Kati Suomi & Jari Stenvall & Elias Pekkola & Jussi Kivistö & Tomi Kallio, 2019. "Revisiting the five problems of public sector organisations and reputation management—the perspective of higher education practitioners and ex-academics," International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, Springer;International Association of Public and Non-Profit Marketing, vol. 16(2), pages 147-171, December.
    3. Annalina Sarra & Adelia Evangelista & Barbara Iannone & Tonio Battista, 2023. "Looking for patterns of change amid pandemic period in students’ evaluation of academic teaching," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 57(5), pages 4759-4777, October.
    4. Shaker, Saber Adly, 2012. "إصلاح التعليم والتنافسية في ضوء التجارب الدولية [Education Reform and Competitiveness with International Cases]," MPRA Paper 82411, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Rómulo Pinheiro & Bjørn Stensaker, 2014. "Designing the Entrepreneurial University: The Interpretation of a Global Idea," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 497-516, December.

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