Liberality and Collaborative Governance in a New Private University: The Experience of Quest University Canada

Abstract

Discussions of reform in higher education often look away from the elephants in the room. The sheer size of most Canadian postsecondary institutions, the complexity of their administrative structures, the stasis of their traditions, and the bulk of their contractual obligations and labor agreements—all these tend to weigh reform down. Changing the course of such a juggernaut is more than a challenge. Even with a clear sighting of the reefs ahead, it takes extraordinary leadership and unusual unanimity of buy-in from all the stakeholders to turn such a ship around. We all must admit that, even with genuine goodwill and genuine spending, genuine reform seldom happens. What to do?