A New Imperative: Regions and Higher Education in Difficult Times

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A new imperative captures the sense that the current global challenges prompt universities to explore new ways of working with regional partners. Regional authorities and other stakeholders matter because it is increasingly apparent increasingly that regional differences matter, and that each region will need to forge a future which builds on its own economic, social and environmental assets. The book outlines the context of contemporary challenges, and reports on a project with 18 regions across four different continents where the primary focus has been the development of productive relationships between higher education institutions and regional partners. It links neatly a critique of the incapacity of contemporary politics with higher education analysis and practical examples of effective engagement. Four chapters report directly on findings from the project on how universities have contributed to regional activities in relation to economy, social inclusion, environment and culture. It contributes also to the emerging literature on leadership in the emphasis placed on institutional management and regional leaders sharing responsibility for recognizing their mutual importance to each other. Readers will find it invaluable where their interest lies in higher education management and/or regional development. Academics will find the volume useful in relation to the development of the argument for the imperative for regional engagement, together with the grounded examples of different kinds of engagement. Policy makers will find it invaluable because of the analysis of the interconnection between national and regional policy making, and the importance of cross-sectoral perspectives. Practitioners will find the range of examples in different settings to be a vital stimulus to their own thinking about possible initiatives.