The Strategic Management of Universities: Teaching and Research

Abstract

The university as a producer of highly qualified human resources contributes not only to economic development, but more importantly, to endogenous technical progress. Although certain students of the subject have tried to prove that research and teaching in universities do not complement one another, most professors would disagree. If university teaching contributes to economic development, then it should also contribute to the improvement of teaching which through its effects on students will also contribute to economic development. A poll that the authors helped to direct of senior university managers indicated strong belief that teaching and fundamental research will remain linked and will continue to be very important parts of the missions of universities for the foreseeable future. Applied research will have a slightly lower priority, but its role will steadily increase in importance. Interestingly, very little priority was accorded to lifelong learning and even less, to third age instruction.

Notes

∗ The authors would like to express their thanks to the “Poles d'attraction interuniversitaire P4128” of the Federal Services of Scientific, Technical, and Cultural Affairs of the Office of the Prime Minister of Belgium within the purview of which they wrote this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

L. Wilkin∗

∗ The authors would like to express their thanks to the “Poles d'attraction interuniversitaire P4128” of the Federal Services of Scientific, Technical, and Cultural Affairs of the Office of the Prime Minister of Belgium within the purview of which they wrote this article.