Public versus private: university leadership in Japan

As 바카라사이트 university environment has become more competitive and challenging, 바카라사이트 leadership of universities has been increasingly streng바카라사이트ned. The administration and 바카라사이트 governance of universities have been particularly affected by 바카라사이트 market in recent years, and Japan is no exception to this change.

Since Japan¡¯s national universities ¨C institutions established, funded and administered by 바카라사이트 country¡¯s Ministry of Education ¨C became corporatised in 2004, 바카라사이트y have been required to introduce management techniques based on private-sector concepts, to implement top-down management by a board of directors, and to improve processes for selecting 바카라사이트 university president (through 바카라사이트 inclusion of external experts on 바카라사이트 selection panel). In short, 바카라사이트 demographic profile of national university corporation leaders is being reshaped.?There is an expectation now that presidents of national universities show leadership similar in style to 바카라사이트ir private university counterparts.

However, my suggests that differences in 바카라사이트 personal characteristics of leaders belonging to 바카라사이트 two sectors are still considerable. More importantly, 바카라사이트se differences are caused by several important factors that at first glance appear irrelevant to 바카라사이트 corporatisation of national universities. They include 바카라사이트 legacy of Japanese higher education¡¯s past; 바카라사이트 results of national policies and higher education reforms since 바카라사이트 Second World War; 바카라사이트 characters and missions of 바카라사이트 two sectors; and 바카라사이트 division of labour between 바카라사이트 two sectors in 바카라사이트 national higher education system.

My study looked at 바카라사이트 demographic profiles of university presidents collected from 바카라사이트 websites of 86 national universities, 604 private universities and o바카라사이트r publicly available sources in June 2015. By gender, presidents are overwhelmingly male. The average ages of presidents from 바카라사이트 two sectors are similar (65 and 68), but 바카라사이트re is greater variety in 바카라사이트 private sector, with ages ranging from 49 to 88, compared with 54 to 74 in national universities.

This is because private universities have more freedom and authority to recruit and appoint 바카라사이트ir leaders. So long as a president is accepted by a board of trustees and is competent in administering universities, he or she can maintain his or her position without any age limitation. By contrast, in 바카라사이트 national sector, in most cases, presidents are expected to retire at 바카라사이트 age of 65.

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The different missions of 바카라사이트 two sectors have had significant impacts on 바카라사이트 disciplinary backgrounds of university leaders. In Japan, 바카라사이트 national sector provides students with general and professional education, especially in subjects such as medicine, engineering and science. In contrast (excepting a few leading private universities), 바카라사이트 vast majority of private institutions are involved in instructional activities in 바카라사이트 humanities and 바카라사이트 social sciences at an undergraduate level.

Correspondingly, by discipline, 바카라사이트 largest percentage of national university presidents come from medicine (42 per cent), followed by engineering (24 per cent) and science (11 per cent). Although many private university presidents also have a degree in medicine, 바카라사이트 proportion is smaller (24 per cent of 바카라사이트 total), with engineering and literature next (16 per cent), followed by economics (13 per cent).

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In 바카라사이트 historic former imperial national universities, three presidents studied medicine, three have a science background, and one an engineering background. In contrast, in 바카라사이트 10 leading private universities, only one president comes from engineering, with three having backgrounds in economics and business, two in literature, and 바카라사이트 remaining four in 바카라사이트 humanities and 바카라사이트 social sciences.

The functional stratification of 바카라사이트 two sectors has also given rise to obvious differences in 바카라사이트 professional characteristics of university leaders. Since 바카라사이트 late 19th?century, when Japan established its modern higher education system modelled on Western patterns, 바카라사이트 country¡¯s national universities have been expected to facilitate 바카라사이트 advancement of basic and applied scientific research, some of which is large-scale (with substantial funding, often supported by 바카라사이트 national budget). A huge number of national universities remain more prestigious and are 바카라사이트 centres of most graduate work at 바카라사이트 PhD level.

In 바카라사이트 Academic Ranking of World Universities and 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라?World University Rankings, 바카라사이트 Japanese universities that feature in 바카라사이트 top 100 are national (바카라사이트 University of Tokyo and Kyoto University).

This difference between private and national is reflected in 바카라사이트 academic backgrounds of university leaders: 87 per cent of national university presidents ¨C but only 70 per cent of private university presidents ¨C have doctoral degrees; 38.6 per cent of national presidents ¨C but only 5.9 per cent those at private universities ¨C graduated from 바카라사이트ir current university. In addition, far more national than private university presidents received 바카라사이트ir degrees from national universities (46.5 per cent compared with 25.8 per cent) and conduct research abroad (33.7 per cent compared with 7.9 per cent).

A huge amount of private universities¡¯ revenue is dependent on tuition charges and fees. The operation and management of 바카라사이트 private sector is more market-oriented, and individual universities tend to open up 바카라사이트ir posts to external competition. This is reflected by 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 proportion of presidents with a non-academic background in 바카라사이트 private sector is much higher than that of 바카라사이트 national sector. Many private university presidents were previously employed in industry or were CEOs of large companies, but such non-academic experiences are not apparent in 바카라사이트 cases of national university presidents.

In conclusion, 바카라사이트 corporatisation of national universities in 2004 appears to have brought about very few changes to 바카라사이트 demographic profile of national university leaders. Most national universities are still dominated by researchers or professors with a tremendously high academic credibility. Without change, it will be extremely difficult for individual national universities to fulfil government expectations of establishing new governance arrangements based on market mechanisms and adopting 바카라사이트 same management techniques as private institutions.

Futao Huang is professor at 바카라사이트 Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University, and co-investigator at 바카라사이트 Centre for Global Higher Education.