Yuzhuo Cai

Tuition Fees for International Students in Finland Where to Go From Here

Recent Finnish policies have encouraged Finnish higher education institutions to develop a market-oriented approach to international higher education by implementing fee-based educational programmes for students from outside the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA). From the Finnish government’s perspective, higher education is no longer merely a public service but it is also a private good, as the government is starting to consider international higher education as a means of generating extra revenue. Although the intention of the reforms in this area is apparent, concrete implementation strategies remain unclear. This article discusses what the Finnish government, higher education institutions, and other stakeholders should take into account when considering strategies for implementing tuition fee policies, based on international experience. It also provides a picture of one aspect of the recent reform of international higher education in Finland as well as other challenges related to the reform.

CONFRONTING THE GLOBAL AND THE LOCAL - A CASE STUDY OF CHINESE HIGHER EDUCATION

While most national systems ofhigher education are confronting seeminglyconvergent global pressures, specific nationalor local issues still mark the distinctfeatures of each system. Hence, highereducation, in places, has been enmeshed in thetensions between national issues and globalpressures. In China, both the global influencesand internal issues have become the majordriving forces for current higher educationreforms. This paper explores the specifictensions between global pressures and nationalissues with respect to Chinese higher educationin which political, economic and traditionaldimensions are focused.

Global Isomorphism and Governance Reform in Chinese Higher Education

In the past three decades, higher education reforms have taken place almost everywhere in the world, and governance or the way that higher education is or should be coordinated has become a global topic. The governance reform in Chinese higher education emerged against such a background. The current studies on Chinese higher education reforms mainly tackle the reform processes and treat the Chinese government as the driver of the reforms, whereas how the Chinese government is susceptible to international pressures has remained under-researched. This article examines the mechanisms that facilitate the spread of global governance reform ideologies in Chinese higher education through the Chinese government, drawing on the concept of institutional isomorphism. Based on analysing recent literature and documents, it concludes that the Chinese government is affected by the global reform ideas and practices that have been legitimatised through international organisations’ rhetoric and other countries’ successful experiences.

International Graduates from Finland: Do They Satisfy the Needs of Finnish Employers Abroad?.

It has been recognized that to increase the competitiveness of Finnish higher education institutions in the global education market international graduates’ employability must be enhanced. International graduates from Finnish higher education institutions are rarely employed in Finland for a number of reasons, such as the language barrier and a relatively small job market. This study aimed to understand from the employers’ perspective the possibilities of Finnish-educated international graduates finding jobs in Finnish companies in their home countries, taking Chinese graduates as an example. Using a qualitative approach mainly based on open-ended interviews at 16 Finnish companies in China, the investigation highlighted a dilemma: although the Finnish companies in China were generally inclined to recruit Finnish-educated Chinese graduates, few are employed there. This article explores the reasons behind the dilemma and discusses the implications for both students and universities.

The Role of Higher Education in Society and the Changing Institutionalized Features in Higher Education

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are under increasing pressure to show their societal relevance (Perry, 2012; Temple, 2011). This is partly a function of the impetus brought about by the rise of the knowledge-based economy and, concurrently, the premium put on the manipulation and transfer of knowledge assets (Varga, 2009), in addition to high-level skills embodied in the human capital of nations and regions (OECD, 2007). External pressures manifest themselves in a variety of forms, among them, shifts in the economy and the nature of the labour market, demographic trends and the demands and expectations of interest groups, and are, to a large degree, associated with the notion of higher education (HE) as an instrument for reaching certain societal agendas (Maassen and Olsen, 2007) like democratization, social mobility, economic development and innovation. As a result of these (and other) external pressures, governments across the world have enacted several bold reforms aimed at modernizing HE with the aim of responding better to the aforementioned pressures and to increase efficiency, quality and accountability (Amaral, Bleiklie and Musselin, 2008; Stensaker and Harvey, 2011; Vukasovic et al., 2012). These efforts, in turn, have generated a series of strategic responses by HEIs and their primary actors, academics and professional administrators (Kwiek and Maassen, 2012; Pinheiro and Stensaker, 2014a). What is more, the changes have led to a shift in the nature of the traditional relationship or ‘social pact’ between HE and society, brokered via the state (Maassen, 2014; Schwartzman, Pinheiro and Pillay, 2015).

Establishing sub-campuses in China: A Finnish perspective

By taking Finland as an example, this article discusses how foreign higher education providers can enter the Chinese market in terms of strategies on both branding and operation. Recent Finnish policies have encouraged Finnish higher education institutions (HEIs) to export education, with China being an important destination. The article argues that developing joint education provisions is the most suitable model for Finland’s education export to China, as it may meet the expectations and interests of both sides. The article then particularly analyses the need for Finnish HEIs to develop cross-border education in China as well as the Chinese expectations of foreign education provision. Strategies are then discussed for Finnish HEIs to harmonize the interests and needs of both countries, and the article concludes with a number of ‘selling points’ that can be used for marketing Finnish higher education in China.

Responses of Chinese Higher Education to the Information Society

Compared to the advanced industrial countries, the use of information technology in Chinese higher education came relatively late. Nevertheless, recent Chinese practices have achieved significant progress in the countrys efforts to bridge the digital divide. This article focuses special attention on the responses of Chinese higher education to the challenges of the information society. It begins by introducing essential characteristics of the information society and the challenges posed for higher education. A presentation of responses to these challenges made by Chinese higher education in terms of strategic reactions, national infrastructure development, and the actions at the institutional level follows. The article concludes with an account of ongoing problems constraining the use of modern information technology in Chinese higher education.

Towards a novel conceptual framework for understanding mergers in higher education

ABSTRACT This paper tries to develop a conceptual framework for a comprehensive understanding of the merger process, which is regarded as a matter of institutionalization of organizational innovation. In the framework, a number of factors affecting merger process or institutionalization of merger are identified, such as those related to environmental issues, economic benefits, institutional compatibility and human agency. The framework hopefully narrows our knowledge gap on theorizing innovation process, in general, and university merger, in particular. It also has a potential to better assist decision-makers and managers in planning and implementing university mergers.

Organisational Diversity in Chinese Private Higher Education

Organisational diversity, referring to the variety of higher education institutions (HEIs) within a national higher education system (Huisman, et al., 2007, p. 563), has become an important issue in higher education with respect to both policy making and development practice (Hrubos, 2002). However, only very few scholars explore theoretical explanations of the diversity. Clark (1996) sees diversity of HEIs as a natural result of growth of academic disciplines and corresponding internal operation at universities and colleges. Geiger (1996) assumes diversity as a likely outcome of a transition towards market oriented systems in higher education. Meek et al. (1996) further analyse organisational responses to increased market competition, and conclude two possible outcomes: organisations may turn to be more diversifying in their attempt to capture a specific market niche, or they may become more similar if they take the strategy to imitate successful competitors. van Vught (1996, 2008) sketches a theoretical framework, from perspectives of both population ecology and structural isomorphism, to understand under what conditions the influence of the environment will lead to decreasing diversity at system level.

Institutionalization of technology transfer organizations in Chinese universities

There is a lack of in-depth studies on how technology transfer organizations (TTOs) are organized and developed. This paper examines the evolution/institutionalization of TTOs in Tsinghua University (TU), as a microcosm of the development of TTOs in Chinese universities. It explores two issues in particular: what kinds of TTOs have been developed in TU and why some organizational forms become more institutionalised than others. In so doing, an analytical framework is developed by synthesizing the literature on organizational innovation and institutionalization. The analysis is based on extensive review of academic literature and policy documents, as well as on face-to-face interviews with practitioners involved in technology transfer in TU. The paper identifies the tendencies of TTO development in Chinese universities and advances theories on the institutionalization of university TTOs in general.