University Governance

Current Research Project

In May 2011, Glen Jones, Julia Eastman (University of Victoria) and Claude Trottier (Universite de Laval), were awarded a standard research grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council to embark on a cross-Canada study of university governance.  Using emerging research tools, the team will develop detailed case studies of institutional governance and decision-making arrangements.

Objectives

• To expand knowledge of university governance in Canada by studying empirically: the commonalities and differences in the way major Canadian universities are governed and in their relationships to government; whether and how their governance is changing; and what forces and factors appear to be at work.

• To situate Canadian university governance in the context of developments abroad.

• To contribute to understanding of the dimensions of university autonomy and of universities’ relationships to state, market, professional and disciplinary bodies and other entities.

• To communicate the findings to a wide audience including: scholars and students of higher education, public policy and governance; public policy makers; university officials and board members; and interested lay people, in Canada and abroad.