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Palgrave Macmillan

Crisis Response in Higher Education

How the Pandemic Challenged University Operations and Organisation

  • Book
  • Open Access
  • © 2022

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Overview

  • Deals with emerging and highly topical issues in university governance
  • Of interest to both scholars in higher education and science studies, academics, and university administrators
  • Uses international case studies, ensuring a truly global focus
  • This book is open access, which means that you have free and unlimited access

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. The University Mission Before, During and After COVID

  2. An Overview of Pre-pandemic Higher Education Systems, Challenges and Opportunities in the UK, Sweden and Australia

  3. Part III

  4. Closing Reflections and Lessons Learnt for the Future—Time for a University Reset

Keywords

About this book

This open access book explores the impact of Covid-19 on universities, and how students, staff, faculty and academic leaders have adapted to and dealt with the impact of the pandemic. Drawing on experiences from Britain, Australia and Sweden, it showcases how Covid has challenged routines and procedures in universities, and thrown them into a disarray of ever-changing events and short-term adaptations. The authors pay particular attention to how students, staff, faculty, and leaders have coped with Covid, through a series of autobiographical portraits of their strains but also heroic efforts in the harshest of circumstances.

 This important book explores the exceptional ramifications of the pandemic but also how universities may contribute to a fairer and more robust society and concludes with a set of prescriptions for universities that aim to be proactive and resilient forces in society. It will be of interest to scholars interested in higher education, governance and organizational studies.

This is an open access book.

Reviews

Through insightful analysis and compelling stories, this book provides an invaluable overview of the change that was always coming within higher education and the ways in which Covid effected the pace and delivery of that change. One, perhaps surprising, impact was the doubling down within universities on their social mission: not just in the development of vaccines and treatments, but also in the myriad ways staff, students and institutions supported community needs. This book asks what happens next, and argues that the ‘jolt’ of the pandemic could provide a vital opportunity to reset the contract between society and universities, ensuring that social purpose is embedded not only in mission statements, but in the strategies, governance and business models that translate words into action. 

Baroness Deborah Bull, Vice President Communities & National Engagement, King’s College London.

The effect of Covid19 on universities has demonstrated the clear societal relevance and responsibility of the higher education sector but also its shortcomings and inequalities. However, the global ‘experience’ we are undergoing also provides new opportunities to transform universities as key actors for a global sustainable societal development. A book like this one is of utmost importance as it provides high quality insights, valuable documentation, new analyses and reflections from stakeholders within and beyond universities. This will help guide universities to develop for the future, and to emphasize stronger respect for diversity, enhance their social responsibility, foster the academic values upon which to develop high quality HE - in particular academic freedom. Thanks for this contribution and support to the development of the universities of the future.

Emerita professor Pam Fredman, President of International Association of Universities (IAU) and former rector of the University of Gothenburg.

Crisis Response in Higher Education tellingly interrogates university responses to the Covid pandemic in Australia, Sweden and the UK to demonstrate incisively down at the level of the lived experience of students, faculty and administrators  how power works within the cultural nexus of university and societal governance. A major achievement! 

Professor Arthur Kleinman, former Head of Harvard University Asia Center. 

This book on the threat Covid has posed to universities internationally and their stratagems for adaptation and survival is an accomplished achievement. It stands out not just for its currency and the authors’ scholarly insights into the nature of power and politics in higher education and society, but for the reflections and experiences of those most directly affected by the Covid pandemic. A timely, engaging and important work.

Emeritus Professor Janice Reid AC, former Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Western Sydney. 

This is a timely and vital resource for anyone who wants to learn the lessons of the pandemic - both what we want to keep, and what we never want to do again

James Purnell, President & Vice-Chancellor, University of the Arts London


Authors and Affiliations

  • School of Economics and Management, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Mats Benner

  • Different Angles Ltd, Cambridge, UK

    Jonathan Grant

  • O’Kane Associates, Birchgrove, Australia

    Mary O’Kane

About the authors

Mats Benner is Professor and Dean at Lund University School of Economics and Management, Sweden. He has written extensively on research policy and university governance, and served on many advisory committees for universities, organizations and governments.

Mary O’Kane is a company director, government advisor and Executive Chair of O’Kane Associates, specialising in major reviews of research and academic organisations in a range of countries. She was New South Wales Chief Scientist & Engineer from 2008-2018; and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Adelaide from 1996-2001. She is particularly experienced in the governance of research companies and organisations.


Jonathan Grant is founding Director of Different Angles Ltd, a consultancy that focuses on the social impact of universities and research. His main interests are in biomedical and health R&D policy, research impact assessment, the use of research and evidence in policy and decision-taking, andthe social purpose of universities in the 21st century. He was previously Professor of Public Policy at King’s College London. 



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