The Future of University in the Post-Massification Era: A Conceptual Framework

Abstract

This chapter provides a conceptual framework for the book. The conceptual framework focuses on how the two competing ideas of higher learning institutions—elitism and egalitarianism—are incorporated and coordinated in modern institutional forms. The modern university has developed from an elite stage to a mass stage and from a mass to a post-massification stage, which contains elements of prior stages. Specifically, the world-class university (WCU) represents the ideas of the elite stage and is re-emphasized in the globalization and knowledge society. This chapter discusses how the conflicting ideas of the WCU and massification are embedded in post-massification.