Abstract
Established in 1994 through a forced merger between various multiple regional education providers, Telemark University College (HIT) is one of the largest and most decentralised university colleges in Norway. This chapter investigates to what extent the adopted decentralised, multi-campus model has (a) had an effect on organisational dynamics more generally and (b) more specifically how it enables or constrains HIT’s regional role. In so doing, we cast light on a critical tension resulting from the so-called ambiguity of structure inherent in universities as organisations. Our findings show that HIT’s campuses enjoy considerable degrees of autonomy, have overlapping tasks and seemingly conflicting goals, and are rather loosely coupled. We discuss the implications of these findings for HIT’s regional role and suggest avenues for future research.
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Notes
- 1.
For more information, consult the project’s website at: http://www.perifproject.eu/
- 2.
Arts and Sciences (2700 students in 2014); Arts, Folk culture and Teaching Education (2195 students); Health and Social Sciences (1232); Technology (766 students) (DBH-NSD 2015).
- 3.
Given the scope of this research inquiry (retrospective orientation), as well as the larger study on the role of HIT in the socio-economic development of the Telemark region, the merger process and the structural changes that followed were excluded from our analysis.
- 4.
The Hardangervidda National Park Centre is situated near Skinnarbu, at the outlet of Lake Møsvatn, in the National Park municipality of Tinn, near the border of the National Park municipality of Vinje, all of which is part of Telemark county. The centre is a government-approved part of the Hardangervidda National Park, and is housed together with its partner, the Norwegian Wild Reindeer Centre South. More info at: http://en.hardangervidda.com/The-Hardangervidda-National-Park-Centre
- 5.
Note that external stakeholders , as in the case above, refer to each campus as if it was a separate institution rather than a part of HIT; this was referred to by many at various points during the interviews.
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Acknowledgement
The study which provides the backdrop for this chapter was undertaken under the framework of the research programme entitled ‘Norway Grants’ (2009–2021), funded by the Norwegian Research Council, and focusing on research and capacity building in the so-called new EU countries.
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Pinheiro, R., Normann, R. (2018). Designed for Regional Engagement? The Case of Telemark University College. In: Pinheiro, R., Young, M., Šima, K. (eds) Higher Education and Regional Development. Palgrave Studies in Global Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78643-8_3
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