"University Centers in Europe..." at University Centers conference, Sioux Falls March 2013

University Centers in Europe, Middle East and Asia

Anders Norberg

Education Strategist

Campus Skellefteå

+PhD student, Applied Educational Science

Umeå University

Skellefteå/Sioux Falls 2013-03-21

My presentation

• Me, Campus Skellefteå• My search for campus identity / Europe • Definition attempts + Middle East, Asia• Theory, Implications: ”University”/”Place”• Q & A

• YouTube film about a planned campus in Pleven, Bulgaria, 8 min

1,1 million

8,2 million

15000 students, 4 campuses

36 000 students, 4 campuses

2500 students

Campus Skellefteå

Learning Centre

Trätek

2500 students, some R&DAbout 120 univ-employed15 programs + 3 polytechnicsBusinesses, EU-projects

www.campus.skelleftea.se

Universities at Campus Varberg

Study counseling

Applied research

Business startup project

Project ideas, management, administration

Library Student union

Adult education

About Campus Varberg:

(outside Gothenburg, Sweden)

9 university programs

4 polytechnical programs

1100 students

Was formed 2003

Polytechnical educations

Learning centre

But who are we?What is this?

A local random construction?Something that just happened?What should we call it?

Identity search for a regional learning environment?

THE CENTRALIZED UNIVERSITY VOICE:• Isn´it enough that we call it ”Umeå

university in Skellefteå”, or ”Umeå university educations in Skellefteå”?(before ~2008)

• We call it our ”Skellefteå Campus” (Luleå University of Technology)

Older identity trials

• ….started as SKERIA, in the 80ies, ”Skellefteå Education and Research on Industrial Applications”

• ”A study center”? ”A learning center”?• A ”college”, undefined in Sweden?• …was this a ”university hotel”, like an

”office hotel” or ”web hotel”?• …or a multi-university campus?

”Multi-university campus”…hmm…worth a web search…• Chricton Campus, Dumfries, Scotland –

”the first multi-university campus in the United Kingdom”

• …and after many contacts attempts:

• …Prof Rex Taylor, University of Glasgow, Director Chricton Campus :

Come! We must talk about this!

http://www.crichton.ac.uk/

”Multi-institutional campus”

"A campus where two or more distant educational institutions cooperate with each other and local development agencies to create new educational and training opportunities in a locality deprived of such opportunities“

(Prof Rex Taylor, Director of University of Glasgow’s operations on Crichton Campus, presentation on Campus Skellefteå October 26th, 2005)

What is a ”multi-institutional campus” (MIC)?

• …or a multi-university campus?

Well, it is not…

• The same main campus for two universities• A multi-campus university• A university system• A university in the making • A multiversity

A MODERN HYBRID LEARNING ENVIRONMENT?

An Education hub?

A multi-institutional campus?

A university center?

http://www.medway.ac.uk/

Tremough Campus, Combined Universities Cornwall,

http://www.cuc.ac.uk/

Seinäjoki Campus, Finland

Kajaani

Pori

Lahti

Mikkeli

Kokkola

…other

MIC / Univ consortia

European Union - Interreg IVC: UNICREDS

project

Exchange of experiences between regions

…about Triple Helix functions / dysfunctions

and alternative models for education and research access & growth in the

knowledge society

15 partners in 7 European regions, 2010-2012

www.unicreds.eu

3 MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL CAMPUSES: Skellefteå,

Seinäjoki, Cornwall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzcVE6i7H1I

Searching wider…

googleing more,

networking

Qatar Education City

http://www.myeducationcity.com/

http://www.hbku.edu.qa/

Dubai International Academic City

http://www.diacedu.ae/

DIAC(Dubai International Academic City)

• American University in the Emirates (AUE)• Amity University Dubai Campus• BITS, Pilani - Dubai• Cambridge College International• Canada International College• French Fashion University ESMOD Dubai• Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus• Hult International Business School• Imam Malik College• Institute of Management Technology, Dubai• Islamic Azad University (IAU)• JSS Education• Manchester Business School• Manipal University, Dubai• Michigan State University Dubai• Middlesex University Dubai• Murdoch University Dubai• S P Jain Center of Management• SAE Institute Dubai

• Saint-Petersburg State University of Engineering & Economics

• Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Dubai (SZABIST)

• The British University in Dubai (BUiD)• Université Saint Joseph Law School –

Dubai• University of Bradford• University of Exeter• University of Wollongong in Dubai

“Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) is the world’s only Free Zone dedicated to Higher Education. Established in 2007 as part of TECOM Investments, DIAC aims to develop the region’s talent pool and establish the UAE as a knowledge-based economy.” http://www.tecom.ae/dubai-international-academic-city/

Guangzhou Mega Education City

Start 2005: 10 000 students, 2011:150 000, Finally 350 000 – 400 000 studentsSun Yat-sen University, South China University of Technology, South China Normal University, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Xinghai Conservatory of Music Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts

http://www.guangzhou.gov.cn/special/2006/node_969/

Guangzhou HE Mega Center: Idea?

• Focus on IT industry: implementing the integration of “studies, research, production” through interactivities with the existing IT industry, and thus enhancing the comprehensive competitiveness of Guangzhou City.

• Promoting academic culture and tourism : the university town is situated near by dozens of touristic attractions in Guangzhou. The rich campus culture can eventually add lustre to the existing tourism industry.

http://www.upo.gov.cn/plan2007/zdxmgh/949.shtml

• The establishment and operation of the university town is the integration of the cooperation between the government, universities and community.

• Guangzhou University town’s management model – Social security and traffic communications - responsibility of the

government.– Public facilities  management - responsibility of municipal– logistics of service – the responsibility of the community and

society.• Police station, the traffic police brigade, fire brigade are established in

the university to ensure the security management is in place;• The management in the university are taken care by the

municipality and the government, hence the schools could focus on their academic activities.

http://www.lwlm.com/KaoChaBaoGao/201201/627882.htm

Guangzhou HE Mega Center: Common management

“University Town” “Campus City”

• Definition by China National Committee for Terms in Sciences and Technology

“An urban (suburban) area which develops around one or several well-known universities. Such new town is constituted by one or more campuses, and is equipped with living/residential area, sport stadium, research & development zone and large green open space.”

http://baike.baidu.com/view/46244.htm

大学城

Songjiang University town

Started planning year 2000, completed year 2005

University town of Shenzhen

http://www.utsz.edu.cn/02pic/showPicInfo.aspx?infoid=104&cateid=7

SEE Kinser, K & Lane, J.E. (2010). Educational Hubs: Archipelagos & Acropolises. International Higher Education, 59, 18-19.

http://www.thebestcolleges.org/10-cities-becoming-education-destinations/

Theory, implications…

Range of MIC:s

• From nearly local service for distance educations…

• ….to small campuses, comparable with smaller HE institutions

• …to supermarkets of universities• …to massive upscaling projects aiming at

400 000 students at the same campus– …but some characteristics in common!

Mechanisms?

• Higher education access needed • Life-Long Learning increases• The symbolic importance of places• Regions take their fate in own hands• Fast education up-scaling by outsourcing• Differentiation of regional education

provision in a world of institutional specialization

“University” vs “place”

…changes over time

First medieval universities were communities and corporations

of masters and students

Identification between ”University” & ”Campus”

”University” & ”campus” sliding apart

• A ”University” becomes more of a specialized international brand of research ….and education?

• A ”Campus” develops into a customizeable local / regional platform for universities and other organizations, filling a local function

Two perspectives in MIC backgrounds

1) University outreach perspective

2) Regional development perspective

1. University outreach perspective

Main campus

Branch campuses

Learning centres

International campus

SL campus

…and there are 17000+ universities… (source:Webometrics)

..so universities´ international campuses sometimes happens to co-exist in the same infrastructures elsewhere…

…which often is the idea itself from the regional perspective

But MIC:s are not easily visible from the centralized university / hierarchical horizon?

2. Regional development perspective

• Regions, subregions, cities, villages are trying to become competitive in the global knowledge economy

• Belief in “Triple Helix” cooperation and innovation, “the Knowledge triangle”, “The Entrepreneurial university”, etc

…but what if there is no university present?

…regional development perspective

• …a university presence, or a local campus, is very valuable for development purposes…at almost any cost?

• …but a university can demand 50+ years to form

• …and we have a tension between old national provision and current regional demand

• …university presence /representation is becoming a necessity in all communities?

Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE

And it comes now in all sizes:

..there are no future-confident regions that lack higher education, research and innovation?

True?

Lets sum up: MIC – “recipe” / European

• >1 regional university with decentralised F2F (face-to-face) classes • Learning centre with support to flexible learning students• Local R&D, development projects, mm• Vocational and polytechnical education • Science Park, Business labs & business startup• Local coordination organisation often needed• Local construction and ownership of buildings and infrastructure? Or

is there an older useful infrastructure?

= concentration of development factors in one place, a MIC – representing the direction towards the future?

MIC PROBLEM AREAS

• Very dependent on the universities• Must attract students• Expensive for the local region/city • Hard to understand at first glance• Education-heavy, research-poor

MIC POSSIBILITIES

• Very flexible • Very scalable• Can offer university presence without a new

university • Can support local business development• If one university leaves, another can replace it• Synergy effects between universities possible• The MIC recruits mostly students that won´t

move to a big campus – and these students will often stay in the area after exam –if, but only if, there are jobs…

Alternatives for local representation of a

university on a MUC • Research and teaching department?• Regional office? • Only educations?• Franchise construction?• Subcontractor?

• …and often is a regional development organisation important as a coordinator and catalyst

University-University-relations on a MUC

• Parallelism?• Coordination?• Cooperation?• Competition?• Coopetition?

• Vertical relation – to mother university• Horisontal relation – to other universities and

stakeholders on the MIC

Policy agreement?Consortium document?Deal?“Agreement”?“Tolerance”?

University internal motivations

• Possibility to specialize more on academic matters (as someone else helps manage campus infrastructure)

• Specialization in global research makes a university handicapped in broadness of local education offerings in the long run, will increasingly need cooperation in education

• Local / regional interests pay some infrastructure costs

Multi-institutional campus as HETEROTOPIA”/ ”Of Other Spaces”? (Foucault 1967)

• “We are in the epoch of simultaneity: we are in the epoch of juxtaposition, the epoch of the near and far, of the side-by-side, of the dispersed.”

• “We may still not have reached the point of a practical de-sanctification of space…”

• ”…something like counter-sites, a kind of effectively enacted utopia in which the real sites…are simultaneously represented, contested, and inverted.”

• “The heterotopia is capable of juxtaposing in a single real place several spaces…in themselves incompatible.” http://foucault.info/documents/heteroTopia/foucault.heteroTopia.en.html

Wrapping up MIC…with speculations:

• Will most campuses in the future be of a multi-institutional character?

• And will perhaps regional organizations run practical management?

Thanks for your attention!

Anders.norberg@edusci.umu.se

…now researching ”Blended Learning and Educational Logistics”; the landscape beyond the campus/distance dichotomy.

Time, space and education, combinations

Q (& A?)