Abstract
Over the past few decades, America’s social compact for higher education as a public good has effectively lapsed as government support of higher education has diminished. Given the need for a highly educated workforce in today’s knowledge-based global economy, we propose a new compact for higher education that couples increased funding with increased institutional accountability. While the compact must retain academic freedom as an essential component of higher education, this autonomy must co-exist with rigorous accountability standards. Accountability systems should be multifaceted, as different methodologies have differing strengths and limitations. All systems should, however, inform the public and provide for institutional improvement.
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Dr. James Kallison
is an educational consultant who has recently retired from the faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership at The University of Texas at Arlington. Previously, Dr. Kallison served as Acting Deputy Assistant Commissioner at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. He holds a B.E. degree from Vanderbilt University, an M.A. from Peabody College, and a Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin. His interests include higher education policy, accountability, governance, and college readiness. Email contact: jkal@austin.rr.com
Dr. Philip Cohen
is the Dean of the Graduate School, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, and a Professor of English at The University of Texas at Arlington. He holds degrees from American University, the University of Southern California, and the University of Delaware. Dr. Cohen is a member of the executive committee of the Council of Southern Graduate Schools and President of the Association of Texas Graduate Schools. He has published widely on American literature, William Faulkner, and on the relationship between literary studies and textual scholarship and editorial theory. Email contact: cohen@uta.edu
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Kallison, J.M., Cohen, P. A New Compact for Higher Education: Funding and Autonomy for Reform and Accountability. Innov High Educ 35, 37–49 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-009-9123-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-009-9123-2