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A merger in the higher education (HE) sector can be defined as a dynamic process of organizational transformation in which two or more separate Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are combined, with overall management control coming under a single governing body and a single chief executive. As a consequence, at least one HEI must cease to exist as a legal entity, being incorporated into either a new or an existent institution. Similarly, all assets, liabilities, and responsibilities of the involved institutions are transferred to either a continuing HEI or a new HEI (Goedegebuure 1992).
Consortia in this sector are specific arrangements between institutions, often focused on a particular area, and can encompass cooperation agreements, partnerships, or alliances. Contrary to mergers, the HEIs involved in these broader collaboration forms continue to exist independently. Though consortia between HEIs can be considered...
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References
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Rocha, V. (2017). Mergers and Consortia, Higher Education. In: Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_86-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_86-1
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