Reforming the existing universities or building new ones

1. Reforming the existing universitiesor building new ones

2. Overview of the presentation • Efforts to reform Russian universities • Higher School of Economics – success story

3. Reform efforts (1) • Late 80-th – early 90th • More autonomy, less ideology • Dual degree system • Private sector • Deterioration of culture • Break up with the Academy of Science and industry • Impact: no real changes

4. Reform efforts (2) • 1992 – the establishment of new universities (Higher School of Economics, Russian State Humanitarian University) • Entrepreneurial universities (1993) • World Bank Education Innovation Loan (1995) ------------------------------------------------------- • Creation of islands of innovations

5. Modernization (1999-2004) • Bologna process • National university entrance exam • Support to institutional innovations ------------------------------------------------------- • Superficial adaptation of dual system • Further decline of HE research sector

6. New reform (2004-2008) • Generous support for HEIs innovation programs ($2 bln) • Establishment of Federal universities by merging existing universities • Flexible educational standards • Push for quality control

7. Low impact (1)

8. Low impact (2)

9. Reasons for low impact • Concentration on infrastructure improvement • Lack of systemic international cooperation • Persistent institutional gap between education and research • Lack of prioritization • Insufficient autonomy and flexibility

10. Higher School of Economics – child of perestroika • Established by the last decree of Gaidar’s government in 1992 • Average age of the leadership team in 1992 – 33 • Started with 200 students

11. HSE today Overall enrollment,2007/2008 academic year– 16732, incl. Moscow – 9227 Nizhny Novgorodbranch – 3066 Permbranch – 2243 Saint Petersburgbranch – 2196 Admission to regular undergraduate programmesfor 2007/2008 academic year– 2088 (9,8% increase as compared with 2006/2007 admission) 11

12. Academic programs:enrollment dynamics, student numbers per year 12

13. HSE as an all-Russia university Admission: geographical expansion (2007) 13

14. Special challenges in the beginning • Building a team sharing a common vision • Inadequate infrastructure • Too many developments at a time • Lack of local expertise • Weak brand nationally and internationally

15. Responses - governance • Diverse governance structure to give voices to those with the vision (international academic council, senate, board, president, rector, academic advisor, different funds) • Transparency and anti-corruption measures • Internal competitive funds

16. Responses – capacity building and staff policy • Joint program development with premier Western universities (LSE, Sorbonne, Erasmus) • Teacher training abroad • Buying specialists in the international market • International academic supervision • Incentives for academic performance

17. Responses – students and pedagogy • Transparent entrance exams • High expectations • Regular control of learning achievements • Feedback system • Open learning resources

18. Responses - internationalization • Main avenue – learning • Importing programs (joint program with LSE – part of the external program of UOL) • Localization of programs by joint teams • Networking (conferences, seminars)

19. HSE – new challenges • Today the HSE is the best Russian university in the area of social and economic sciences • Tomorrow – it is to become globally competitive • New strategy: • Prioritization - centers of excellence • Addressing global agenda • Addressing national development agenda • Increasing a share of graduate studies • Importing lacking competencies