Friday, 23 March 2012, 9am-6pm 

La Maison de la recherche de la Sorbonne Nouvelle, 4, rue des Irlandais, 75005 Paris, France

Higher Education in the UK and the USA since Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan: Converging Models?

International conference

Université Sorbonne Nouvelle - Paris 3, Institut du Monde Anglophone,

 

Centre for Research on the English-speaking World (CREW) EA 4399 :

Axe 1, Démocratie, politiques et société,

Axe 2, Information, médias et représentations,

Axe 3, Echanges, transferts et constructions nationales dans l'espace anglophone 

CREC - Centre de recherche en civilisation britannique

 

Higher Education in the UK and the USA since Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan: Converging Models?

Bahram BEKHRADNIA,
PhD, Director, The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), Oxford, UK,
James CÔTÉ,
PhD, Professor of Sociology, University of Western Ontario, Canada,
Marie-Agnès DÉTOURBE,
PhD, Post-doctoral Teaching Fellow (Prag) in British Studies, Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse 3, France,
John HALSEY,
PhD, Resident Director, SUNY Brockport London Program, Brunel University, UK and State University of New York (SUNY), USA,
Magali JULIAN,
PhD in British Studies, Post-doctoral Teaching Fellow (Prag), in Economic and Legal English, Université Montpellier 1, France,
Carole MASSEYS-BERTONECHE,
PhD, Associate Professor in American Studies (MCF), Université Montesquieu-Bordeaux 4, France,
Kenneth O'BRIEN,
PhD, Associate Professor, State University of New York (SUNY), USA,
Cristiana OLCESE,
PhD, Post-doctoral Research Fellow (ESRC) in Politics and International Relations, University of Southampton, UK,
Chris RUST,
PhD, Professor of Higher Education, Associate Dean (Academic Policy), Oxford Brookes University, UK,
Clare SAUNDERS,
PhD, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations (RCUK Academic Fellow), University of Southampton, UK,
Isabelle SINIC-BOUHAOUALA,
PhD, Doctor in American Studies, member of CREW research group, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle - Paris 3, France,
Christine SOULAS,
PhD, Associate Professor in American Studies (MCF), Université Rennes 2, France,
Steven WARD,
PhD, Professor of Sociology, Chair of Social Sciences, Western Connecticut State University, USA,
Anna ZIMDARS,
PhD, Lecturer in Higher Education, King's College London, UK.



09:00-09:30 registration and opening remarks

09:30-11:00 SESSION A - THE MARKETISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Chair - Sarah Pickard, la Sorbonne nouvelle

1) Magali JULIAN, Higher Education in the UK under Tony Blair as seen through the media (to read abstract click here [PDF - 270 Ko])

2) Bahram BEKHRADNIA, The English Experiment in Market-based Higher Education - ideology and reality disconnected (to read abstract click here [PDF - 266 Ko])

3) John HALSEY, Kenneth O'BRIEN, Education Markets in English and American Universities (to read abstract click here [PDF - 271 Ko])

11:00-11:30 tea / coffee

11:30-13:00 SESSION B - THE ECONOMICS OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Chair - Kenneth O'Brien, State University of New York (SUNY)

4) Carole MASSEYS-BERTONECHE, The Evolution of Funding Policies in American and British Elite Universities (to read abstract, click here [PDF - 266 Ko])

5) James CÔTÉ, The Consumer Model of Higher Education: The BA-lite' awarded in the US, UK, and Canada (to read abstract click here [PDF - 356 Ko])

6) Steven WARD, The Moral Projects of Neoliberalism and Higher Education Reform in the US and the UK (to read abstract, click here [PDF - 268 Ko])


13.00-14:00 lunch


14:00-15:30 SESSION C - THE ISSUES OF INEQUALITY ANDACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION
Chair - Sarah Pickard, la Sorbonne nouvelle

7) Anna ZIMDARS, The Issues of Access and Inequalities to Higher Education in the UK and the USA (to read abstract click here [PDF - 344 Ko]) [PDF - 339 Ko]

8) Isabelle SINIC-BOUHAOUALA, Higher Education in the UK and California: Issues of access, equality and achievement in a time of Excellence (to read abstract click here [PDF - 276 Ko])

9) Christine SOULAS, Access and the rise of accountability in the governance of public universities in the US (to read abstract click here [PDF - 338 Ko]) [PDF - 339 Ko]

15:30-16:00 tea / coffee

16:00-17:30 SESSION D - THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Chair - Hélène Quanquin, la Sorbonne nouvelle

10) Marie-Agnès DÉTOURBE, The Quality of the Student'sLearning Experience: A strategic dimension of American and British higher education systems in the early 21st century (to read abstract click here [DOCX - 90 Ko])

11) Chris RUST, The Student Experience in the US and the UK: A depressing picture of decline? (to read abstract click here [PDF - 189 Ko])

12) Cristiana OLCESE, Clare SAUNDERS, Higher Education in Protest: Do current and former students differ from people who have never gone to University? (to read abstract click here [PDF - 195 Ko])

17:30-18:00 closing remarks

A generation ago, the higher education systems in the United Kingdom and the United States were dissimilar in a number of ways. From funding and fees to participation and dropout rates, there was a cleavage between the two countries. However, the landscape of higher education and the student experience have changed considerably on both sides of the Atlantic over the past three decades; much has altered since Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1979 and Ronald Reagan President of the United States in 1981. On the one hand, the financial cost for students to go to university has increased considerably, whilst an ever greater emphasis has been laid on individual responsibility, quality, league tables and market forces. On the other hand, there have been social policy changes regarding inclusivity, diversity and affirmative action. More fundamentally, the essential role and purpose of higher education have been increasingly debated in relation to its economic benefit to the individual and the country, rather than the part it plays in personal self-fulfilment and self-betterment. Do the higher education systems in the United Kingdom and the United States now mirror each other and constitute a specific model?

Papers will deal with issues linked to the recent evolution of higher education, for example, the role fulfilled by higher education and its purpose for the individual and society as a whole, or any of the topics mentioned in this non-exhaustive list:

- The economics of higher education: the funding of higher education, public funding, competition for funds, sponsorship, private sector participation, links to business & industry, market principles, marketing practices, budgets, budget cuts, department closures, international and national rankings, league tables, dependency on international students, assessment of teaching staff, the funding of research and development;

- The issues of access and inequalities: the socio-economic make up of students, social mix, students from minorities or disadvantaged backgrounds, race issues, gender issues, disability issues, attempts to diversify student profiles and social engineering, affirmative action, widening access, social justice, social mobility, contextual data, outreach work, reproduction of inequalities, residential segregation, elitism, exclusionary practices, the Russell Group and the Ivy League, the degree gap, participation rates, regional variations;

 

Location: La Maison de la recherche de la Sorbonne Nouvelle, 4, rue des Irlandais, 75005 Paris, France - to see map click here

Registration is advised

Contact: Sarah Pickard - sarah.pickard@univ-paris3.fr

Conference webpage: http://www.univ-paris3.fr/conf-higher-ed

Call for Papers in pdf file: click here [PDF - 279 Ko]

Conference poster in pdf file: click here [PDF - 395 Ko]

Conference programme in pdf file: click here [PDF - 309 Ko]

 

The conference is taking place with the kind support of:

- Le conseil scientifique et les relations internationales de l'Université Sorbonne Nouvelle,


 
- The UK Social Policy Association - SPA (http://www.social-policy.org.uk)