Call for book chapters: University Governance and Academic Leadership in EU and China

Call for book chapters:

University Governance and Academic Leadership in EU and China

 

Introduction

Currently universities have to cope with various pressures from the changing modern society, such as the impact of new public management, the emphasis on social service of universities and innovation, internationalization, the use of ICT, and so on. The list is by no means exhaustive. To cope with all these pressures in such a transformative era, university governance and leadership is identified as a key determinant (Fiszbein & Ringold, 2012). However, ‘what exactly a good university governance or good leadership means?’ remains uncertain both in literature and in practices. Policy-makers, practitioners and academics are seeking the best or more effective practices of university governance and academic leadership all over the world.

Against such background, together with the increasing cooperation on higher education between EU and China due to the common interests and objectives of both sides (Cai, 2013), since 2015 the LEAD Project (supported by the EU Erasmus+ program) has been launched to enhance the capacity of higher education institutions related to governance and academic leadership, with particular focus on European and Chinese universities (LEAD, 2017). The implementation of the LEAD Project indicates that EU-China cooperation on university governance and academic leadership has its strategic importance in driving the development, innovation, and internationalization of European and Chinese universities. However, the exchanges and discussions during or after the serial events of the Project also show that there is a lack of mutual understanding between European and Chinese stakeholders in university governance and academic leadership. The gap of understanding also exists within the same region, either in China or in Europe, due to the system diversity. Furthermore, advanced practices and experiences in the field need to be shared and promoted to a wider public all over the world. 

This book is expected to satisfy the needs of academic leaders from different levels and different regions and fill in the knowledge gap. We aim to bring together researchers and practitioners from both Europe and China to share the experiences and practices in related to university governance and academic leadership in Europe and China, to discuss the key issues in relevant areas and to explore the ultimate effective models of university governance and academic leadership. The book invites both academic-oriented and practice-oriented works, but has a priority on practice-oriented contributions, which can bring insights on university governance and academic leadership from the rich experiences and different contexts.

Objectives

  • To share the experiences and practices of university governance and leadership in the EU and China,
  • To foster a better understanding of academic leadership in the EU and China, and EU-China cooperation on university governance & academic leadership
  • To enhance capacities of academic leaders of HEIs on university governance and leadership

Target audience

All professionals (academic leaders from different functions and at various levels) and academics who want to know about the university governance and academic leadership, particularly in the context of EU-China cooperation.

Contexts and Recommended themes

  • University governance and academic leadership in European countries
  • University governance and academic leadership in China
  • University governance and academic leadership in higher education cooperation between China and EU

Recommended main themes can include the following but not limited,

  • university governance structures
  • university governance for education
  • university governance for research
  • university governance for innovation and valorization
  • institutional academic leadership skills

The sub-themes of university governance & academic leadership can include the following but not limited,

  • the role of HEIs in regional innovation system and economic development,
  • structural transformation within universities,
  • management and academic leadership in EU-China cooperation,
  • institutional autonomy,
  • funding,
  • new technologies;
  • quality assurance/assessment,
  • change management,
  • conflicts management,
  • communication strategies

Submission guidelines

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit before 30th August, 2017, a chapter abstract of about 200 words clearly explaining the aims and main issues or concerns of his or her proposed chapter.  Chapter abstract proposals should be sent by e-mail to eche@vub.ac.be. Authors will be notified by 30th September, 2017 about the status of their proposals and the full chapter guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by 31 January 2018 and all interested authors must consult the guidelines for manuscript submissions. The exact submission guidelines, review procedures and the publisher information will be communicated later.

Important dates

Abstract submission deadline: 30th August 2017 (extended deadline: 15 September)

Notification to Authors: 30th September 2017

Full chapter submission deadline (to editors): 31th January, 2018

Full book submission to the publisher: 28 Feb. 2018

Expected date of publication: August 2018

Editors

Prof. dr. Chang Zhu, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Prof. dr. Yuzhuao Cai, University of Tampere

Gaoming Zheng, University of Tampere

Dr. Merve Zayim Kurtay, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Inquiries

E-mail: eche@vub.ac.be