Global: financing of education Hubs: who are the investors?

Abstract

cent of countries (5 total including the United States) have more than 10 liberal education programs. The vast majority of GLEI countries, nearly 80 percent, have just one to three initiatives in their higher education systems. " Crowding at the bottom " of the global distribution dilutes the potential for liberal education to influence its own perceived legiti-macy or the mainstream postsecondary sector more gener-ally. This is an observation, however, not a prescription for developing more liberal education programs. The GLEI study ignited several questions that challenge the positive assumptions often proclaimed by liberal arts enthusiasts. Included among them are the difficulties of designing cul-turally relevant curricula; required shifts in approaches to learning and teaching; lack of affordability and access to liberal education that perpetuates elitism and inequity; and issues of neoliberalism and cultural hegemony that might result from western influence on education in other parts of the world.