Strategi for universiteter - Langsigtede strategier. Nyt ledelsesværktøj eller blot gamle tanker på nyt papir?

Abstract

The last 25 years have been characterised by sweeping changes in the ministerial control of universities. The universities wanted autonomy that implied responsibility, whereas the ministry required strategies and planning, in principle granting extensive freedom, particularly in financial matters, while simultaneously reducing academic freedom. This has obviously limited the universities’ manoeuvring space for implementing their strategies. Three to four eras can be spotted: An experimental era in the 1980s and early nineties encouraging long-term academic planning. In the 1990s and early years of the new millennium an era requiring university strategies to include action plans; and further onto an era of ministerial contract requirements from early 2000 and onwards. Next year, a new era will commence with a funding system built on the performance of a long line of parameters. The strategic planning on paper has been introduced at the universities, but the question remains if this really has produced a strategy for the universities, or if they had one already? A few suggestions will be considered here. I wrote the article on the basis of my 17-year experience as rector of RUC, my 3-year stint as chairman of the Rectors’ Conference and 8-year chairmanship of European universities’ Institutional Evaluation Programme.