The Transformation of Global Higher Education, 1945-2015

This book explores some of the major forces and changes in higher education across the world between 1945 and 2015. This includes the explosions of higher education institutions and enrollments, a development captured by the notion of massification. There were also profound shifts in the financing and economic role of higher education reflected in the processes of privatization of universities and curricula realignments to meet the shifting demands of the economy. Moreover, the systems of knowledge production, organization, dissemination, and consumption, as well as the disciplinary architecture of knowledge underwent significant changes. Internationalization emerged as one of the defining features of higher education, which engendered new modes, rationales, and practices of collaboration, competition, comparison, and commercialization. External and internal pressures for accountability and higher education’s value proposition intensified, which fuelled struggles over access, affordability, relevance, and outcomes that found expression in the quality assurance movement.  

“This is a monumental contribution to the stock of knowledge on developments in higher education worldwide in the past seven decades. Teasing out the major forces that brought about profound transformations in higher education since 1945, it analyzes how they interacted in different ways around the globe. A comprehensive and impressive synthesis of developments and trends affecting both public and private higher education, this is a ‘must read’ for any scholar of higher education today.” (Eva Egron-Polak, Executive Director, International Universities Bureau, and Secretary General, International Association of Universities, Paris, France)

“Long awaited has been a comprehensive, discursive study that situates the post 1945 world systems of higher education within the dominant services driven sectors of the contemporary global knowledge economy. Brilliantly conceived as a dialogue on the relationships between capitalist productivity agendas and the 20th century human rights revolution, it presents the principles and priorities of higher education as expressions of a convergence of market forces, civil rights, and the need to industrialize knowledge.” (Sir Hilary McDonald Beckles, Vice Chancellor, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica)

“This book is indispensable for all those interested in understanding the evolution and current character of higher education in the world. It interrogates the processes of massification, corporatization, multi-disciplinarity, and internationalization. It explains how these phenomena emerged and evolved after 1945, and what needs to be done for universities to meet the needs of the 21st century. A must read for all scholars and policy makers interested in building locally responsive and globally competitive universities.” (Adam Habib, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa)

Paul Tiyambe Zeleza is Vice Chancellor of the United States International University-Africa. Previously he was a professor and held senior administrative positions in Canada and the United States. He is the author of more than two dozen books several of which have won international awards.