From Community College to University: Institutionalization and Neoliberalism in British Columbia and Alberta

Abstract

This qualitative investigation of higher education institutional development addresses new universities that were former community colleges in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. Stemming from an original study conducted nearly two decades earlier, this investigation’s data were collected from the same institutions and from similar sources: institutional documents, government policies, and interviews from faculty and administrators; thus, qualifying as a longitudinal qualitative investigation. This investigation explains institutional instability and identity change as a result of new government policies and institutional norms during the period of 2000-2013. Future research can monitor the influence of neoliberal practices on the development of these new model higher education institutions in the Canadian context.

Mental health in academia: Hacks for cultivating and sustaining wellbeing

“…The progressive neoliberalization of American higher education foregrounds values of productivity, innovation, and competition (Levin et al, 2016), contributing to a preoccupation with institutional reputation and university branding (Kwok, 2018). This, in turn, is connected to changes in cost structures that have led to a decrease in faculty salaries alongside an increase in the salaries of senior academic administrators (Schwartz, 2014).…”

The Impact of Offering Baccalaureate Degrees on Institutional Enrollment in Community Colleges

“…Amidst fulfillment of these functions, the sector has simultaneously supported multiple overarching missions and principles, including economic development, social mobility, and community engagement (Scott & Biag, 2015). Reflected in its moniker as “democracy’s college,” the most foundational guiding principles of the sector lie in its commitment to open access and educational opportunity (Gonzales & Ayers, 2018; Levin et al, 2016).…”

“…The proliferation of community college baccalaureate (CCB) adoption has catalyzed further interest in the impacts of shifting missions within the sector. In their study of community colleges turned universities in Canada, Levin et al (2016) noted the potential prioritization of certain students and programs deemed of more “economic benefit” than others (p. 174). A recent survey of 32 US community colleges with at least one baccalaureate program noted a similar emphasis on “address[ing] unmet needs in the community” like workforce development, but also to increase access to higher education for place-bound students (McKinney et al, 2013, p. 58).…”

Transformar la educación inclusiva: Elementos clave para la movilización del conocimiento desde la investigación educativa

“…Se aprecia en todos los grupos de investigación participantes la crítica a una universidad excesivamente burocratizada y en ocasiones alejada de la realidad sociocomunitaria. La estructura institucional de la academia y la falta de apoyo y reconocimiento a las actividades de movilización del conocimiento se convierten en barreras percibidas por el profesorado universitario (Chubb y Watermeyer, 2016;Sa et al, 2010), en un clima neoliberal de austeridad en el que las universidades deben mostrarse competitivas para conseguir fondos públicos para la investigación (Levin et al, 2016). Esta presión hacia los académicos se vuelve una barrera para desarrollar actividades de movilización del conocimiento entendidas como un proceso de creación de conocimientos en lo colectivo que potencia las interacciones y no solo la difusión de los resultados (Arsentjevic, 2011).…”