Higher Education, Policy, and the Global Competition Phenomenon

In the modern open and integrated world, competition has become central to the higher education subsector. Key facets of the global competition phenomenon include the development of global university ranking systems, academic capitalism, and mergers of "strong" and "weak" institutions. This volume provides a critical assessment of the phenomenon and the complex ways in which global competition is envisioned and enacted in various countries and their higher education institutions. Senior and emerging scholars in the field address the tensions and challenges inherent in the global competition phenomenon by delving into issues such as university rankings, quality assurance, cross-border higher education provision, and privatization.

Laura M. Portnoi is Associate Professor in the Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling Department of the College of Education at California State University, Long Beach, USA (CSULB). She serves as the program director for the Social and Cultural Analysis of Education master's program and leads the Graduate Culture Initiative for the College of Education. Prior to joining the faculty at CSULB, Portnoi worked in the field of international education exchange for several years, including a term as Resident Director in South Africa. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, master's degrees from Indiana University and the University of the Western Cape (South Africa), and a PhD in Comparative Education from the University of California, Los Angeles. Portnoi's research experience and interests pertain to the intersection of higher education and comparative international education. Specific areas of focus include policy borrowing and implementation processes of employment equity policies at higher education institutions, the career decision-making processes of graduate students who are poised to pursue employment in academia, and the academic experiences of first-generation graduate students.

Val D. Rust is Professor Emeritus of Education at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA (UCLA) and recently served as the Faculty Chair of the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. He received his PhD from the University of Michigan in Education Studies and served for a number of years as the Director of the International Education Office at UCLA, which houses the Education Abroad Program, the Travel Study Program, non-University of California study abroad providers and other student exchange programs. He is also Associate Director of the Center for International and Development Education in the Department of Education, which deals extensively with higher educational mapping around the world, international educational leadership, and teacher training.

Sylvia S. Bagley is a Senior Lecturer in the Teacher Leadership Program at the University of Washington, USA. She was formerly the Fritz Burns Endowed Professor in Education at Mount St. Mary's College in Los Angeles, USA, where she served as Director of the Master's Program in Instructional Leadership from 2008-2012. Prior to this, she was Co-Administrative Director of the Center for International and Development Education (CIDE) at UCLA, where she coordinated country-specific research for CIDE's Higher Education Database and worked with a local non-profit organization, Relief International, to provide international teacher exchange programs. Previously, as Academic Integration Specialist for the Education Abroad Program at UCLA, she worked with subject-area counselors to help align UCLA's course requirements with courses taken abroad. Her research interests include teacher leadership, authentic assessment methods, lifelong learning habits, student identity, and a comparative approach to post-secondary alternative schooling.