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Transformational Partnerships: A New Agenda for Higher Education

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Abstract

In this article we develop the concept of transformational partnership and illustrate how such an understanding has enriched the relationship between a particular university and a school system. Transformational partnerships are different in purpose, nature, and strategies from transactional partnerships. They are based upon genuine engagement and a focus on common goals and mutual benefits. In transactional partnerships each institution pursues its own goals with little consideration of mutual goals or shared purpose. The areas of community engagement, leadership, and transformational partnerships provided key concepts for analysing the case study showing how higher education institutions can think and work differently with other institutions, organizations, and groups to achieve mutual benefits.

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Correspondence to Jude Butcher.

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Butcher, J., Bezzina, M. & Moran, W. Transformational Partnerships: A New Agenda for Higher Education. Innov High Educ 36, 29–40 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-010-9155-7

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