Global context of Change
Context of change in Croatia

Global context of change

Effectiveness of the modern university, balancing between research and teaching, between expectation of different social parties and maintenance of academic freedom, depends a great deal upon the efficiency of its governance and administration. Management of modern university, as that of any other complex organisation, requires high level of expertise in several related areas such as: organisational culture, strategic planning and decision making, management of human resources, financial management, social and communication skills, administration skills. All over the world universities are undergoing the process of transformation and within the European union the continuos effort toward the harmonisation of universities is under way. Globalisation of the knowledge production and transfer, massification of higher education and the limited state resources to support high quality research and teaching are recognised as the main agents of these changes. In order to cope effectively with these demands the major shifts within university goals and culture have been observed toward an increased entrepreneurial orientation, life-long learning orientation, multidisciplinary research orientation, social responsibility, international networking and development of quality assurance mechanisms.

Context of change in Croatia

As in some other former socialist countries, Croatian universities are organised as loose association of faculties that are the real bearers of legal and academic autonomy. In terms of McNay’s typology of university management, our universities fall roughly within the category labelled collegium academy with loose policy definition and loose control of administration. The faculty management is operating in two rather distinct sectors: one primarily concerned with academic issues (where managerial positions are usually taken with reluctance), and the other dealing with technical and administrative infrastructure (perceived usually by the former as a bureaucratic burden).

In the late nineties University of Zagreb, the largest higher education institution in the country (with more than 60 000 students and 33 faculties and academies), became acutely aware of those systemic limitations. Recognising the need for transformation, the initial effort has been invested into the self-evaluation as well as into two independent external evaluations of the University from CRE and Salzburg Seminar expert teams.

The insight into its own strengths and weaknesses has given the university an impetus to initiate the strategy development for the next decade. During year 2001. about fifty academics and students organised in 7 work groups were involved in the elaboration of the strategic document. Finally in June 2001. the document was presented to the academic community under the indicative title BREAKTHROUGH 2001. At the beginning of 2002. after wide public discussion, the Senate accepted it as the official strategic document of the University of Zagreb. In the document the main emphasis has been put on the autonomy in decision making, the organic integration of its constituents, the balance between research and teaching as well as upon the accountability with regard to different stakeholders.

At the same time it has been realised that the institutional capacities, regarding qualified human resources in HED management and administration, supporting professional services as well as use of modern technologies in institutional research, are inadequate in order to begin the implementation of the strategic measures described in the document.

Therefore the establishment of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chair at the Zagreb University could be perceived as an valuable instrument for alleviating described limitations and for supporting the realisation of strategic goals outlined in the document. Its contribution would be specially important for:
a) the enhancement of the institutional research and up-building of the data-base necessary for organisational decision making,
b) the opportunity to secure foreign expert advice in the issues concerning strategic management and quality assurance,
c) the designing and implementation of the staff development programmes for the present and future managers and administrators within HED.

The activities of the Chair would be developed through the close collaboration with the University faculties listed under A/6. These are the core institutions within the University that have human potential in developing expertise in the fields such as: organisational psychology and sociology, human resource management, financial management, legal framework (Faculty of Philosophy, Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Law). The other ones (e.g. Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Faculty of Electro-engineering and Computer Sciences) are among leading institutions within University and country in promoting European standards of performance ( e.g. introduction ECTS system, relationship with local community, bridging fundamental and applied research, raising the quality of administrative functioning through implementation of ICT).

Moreover, the Chair would be a focal point in the networking of Croatian higher education institutions through exchange of ideas and good practice as well as through joint research projects and educational programmes. It should be also noted that in the course of these developments, the other Croatian universities in Split, Osijek and Rijeka showed deep concern to collaborate in the wholesome transformation and modernisation of higher education system in Croatia.

The Chair would also have an important role in supporting the activities of the recently established Regional University Network on Governance and Management in the South East Europe since the universities of Split and Zagreb have entered the network.