Impact of university councils on the core academic values of Polish universities: limited but benign

ABSTRACT

This article explores rectors’ perceptions of the changes to university governance in Poland, especially the impact of lay members on university councils. We investigate whether these new governing bodies make Polish universities more relevant to the needs of the economy and society. Empirical data from a large-scale national survey of Polish public universities, carried out with the support of the Rectors’ Conference (KRASP), provide a mixed picture of how the university councils have been adopted and used in the governance process. On reflection, rectors regard university councils as benign, with respect to key values of Polish universities (institutional autonomy and self-governance) but largely ineffective in contributing to the decision-making process. Overall, the university councils represent an important but only symbolic change in the governance of Polish universities.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. A letter signed by 145 professors was sent to minister Gowin http://www.gazetaprawna.pl/artykuly/1107125,list-145-naukowcow-reforma-gowina-zawiera-grozne-rozwiazania.html

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministerstwo Edukacji i Nauki [NdS/529032/2021/2021]; Narodowa Agencja Wymiany Akademickiej [PPN/ULM/2019/1/00128].

Notes on contributors

Dominik Antonowicz

Dominik Antonowicz is a Chair of Department of Science and Higher Education, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland. During his career he also worked as a postdoc scholar at CHEPS, Twente University (NL) CIPES at University of Porto (PT) and OISE at University of Toronto CA). He specializes in policy analysis including agenda-setting, implementation and evaluation studies with a particular focus on government-university relationships, institutional governance and leadership.

Davide Donina

Davide Donina obtained a Ph.D. in Economics and Management at University of Pavia (Italy) and was research visiting scholar at the Department of Science and Higher Education Research at the Nicolaus Copernicus University (UMK) in Toruń (Poland) His scientific interests pertained to higher education governance from a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective, public management and public policy. He published a dozen scientific articles on international journals and several book chapters. He taught also in several Italian universities.

Myroslava Hladchenko

Myroslava Hladchenko is a researcher at the Center for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University. Her research interest lies in the exploration of the effects of research evaluation policies. Before joining the CWTS she was a researcher at CHEPS (Center for Higher Education Policy Studies, University of Twente, the Netherlands) a visiting scholar at the International Centre for Higher Education Research-Kassel, University Kassel (2015) and Observatory of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lausanne (2015).

Anna Budzanowska

Anna Budzanowska, PhD, Associate Professor at the University of Silesia in Katowice. Her research interests focus on the study of political doctrines, public policies and political systems. In the field of public policy, she analyses the higher education sector, focusing on the governance of academic institutions and the implementation of structural reforms in science and higher education. She is the author of numerous articles, reports and expert opinions commissioned by Polish and foreign organisations.