DOI: 10.24193/JRHE.2017.1
Contents
https://doi.org/10.24193/JRHE.2017.1
Dan Chiribucă, A Brief Rationale for a New Journal in the Field of Higher Education
Undoubtedly, higher education has become a sector with a major role in the economic and social development, much more important than the position reflected by the rank in a hierarchy calculated on the basis of statistical indicators such as GDP, number of employees or number of enrolled students.
The societal importance of the higher education system is given not by the volume of financial flows, but by the fact that universities are public good institutions, essential as education agencies, knowledge producers and major cultural resources (Rumbley et al 2014).
Beyond generic value statements, from a real world, mundane-grounded point of view, higher education has become a worldwide enterprise, a very complex one in terms of organization, with multiple and quite often self-contradictory objectives/goals, highly autonomous and at the same time dependent upon public control and regulation, with various stakes and heterogeneous stakeholders….
https://doi.org/10.24193/JRHE.2017.1.1
Adrian Hatos, Are University Mergers a Solution for the Problems of Romanian Higher Education Nowadays?
Abstract: This article discusses the timeliness of university mergers against the background of the crisis in Romanian higher education. It includes a summary review of international experiences while underlining the evaluation of the net results of the mergers and it shows that, in drafting and implementing such initiatives, a lot of precaution is needed, given that worldwide results are rather ambiguous. Finally, it discusses a number of evolution scenarios for the mergers in Romania and offers policy recommendations in the field.
https://doi.org/10.24193/JRHE.2017.1.2
Paul Șerban Agachi, Improving Performance of Universities Using University Rankings. Case Study, Al Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan
Abstract: Starting from personal experience and expertise, this article discusses the relevance of international rankings for improving the individual performance of universities. After analyzing the most relevant indicators used by one such ranking, the article suggests possible solutions to be considered by one individual university (i.e. Al Farabi Kazakh National University) if it aims to improve its position in international league tables and the quality of the processes in the university. At the same time, the article debates the degree to which the indicators used by the afore-mentioned international ranking are still relevant and can still be useful at institutional level, for university leaders.
Https://doi.org/10.24193/JRHE.2017.1.3
Adriana Daniela Şerban, International Participation in Quality Assurance within the European Higher Education Area
Abstract. At the Berlin Ministerial Meeting in September 2003, ministers with responsibility for higher education tasked the Bologna Follow-up Group to undertake a stocktaking exercise on the progress made in three priority action lines – quality assurance, the two-cycle degree system and recognition of degrees and periods of study. The international participation and networking in quality assurance within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) was established as one of the aspects that needs to be monitored. The group presented detailed reports at conferences held in Bergen (May 2005), London (May 2007), Leuven (April 2009), Bucharest (April 2012) and Yerevan (May 2015). The purpose of this paper is to present the comparative results of the five stocktaking exercises regarding the international participation within EHEA and to provide information about how the Romanian higher education system has faced this challenge.
Https://doi.org/10.24193/JRHE.2017.1.4
Simona Mălăescu, Dan Chiribucă, Anamaria Bogdan, Sonia Pavlenko, Monica Petric, Adriana Şerban, Oana Tămaş, Revisiting the Organisational Identification Assessment from a Managerial Perspective: A Case Study on a Romanian Public University
Abstract. Although there is a large body of literature on organizational identification (OID), in recent years few of them have addressed the higher education context, mostly on student’s identification and rarely on the identification of academic and research staff. Of these, their main focus is usually on different constructs, exploring OID in its role as mediator/moderator of these organizational issues and most often only one form of OID is acknowledged. The theoretical progress is evident, the essential necessity for large organizations to foster a sense of oneness in employees is acknowledged. However, from a managerial perspective, the issues of how many or which antecedents should be nurtured in this context in order to obtain results and the doubtful adaptability of considering just one form of OID are almost a decade old. This paper presents and discusses the results of a survey carried out on 1072 academics and researchers from Babes-Bolyai University, Romania. By assessing three forms of OID (OID, ambivalent identification and neutral identification) and certain relevant antecedents in the case of a large public university, the study addresses a gap in recent literature. Results are consistent with the Extended Model of Organizational Identification and strengthen the need to acknowledge the operational importance of ambivalent and neutral identification from a managerial perspective in the case of higher education employees. Theoretical contributions and practical implications of results are also discussed.
Https://doi.org/10.24193/JRHE.2017.1.5
