What We Stand For: Reputation Platforms in Scandinavian Higher Education

Abstract

This chapter examines the prevalence and contents of core value statements used by Scandinavian higher education institutions as a platform for their reputation management initiatives. The findings suggest that core value statements are not a universal phenomenon, although their presence suggests some degree of institutionalization. Analyzing the core value statements of 36 universities and university colleges, the study finds that these institutions seek to be known for unique, but quite generic and abstract values. Overall, Scandinavian universities and university colleges rely only modestly on traditional higher education values. The contents of their values predominantly implicate technical/professional and moral reputations, with some variation associated with country of origin, international ranking score, and whether the institution is a university, university college, or professional college.