World Class Worldwide ─ Transforming Research Universities in Asia and Latin America

Believing that quality research universities are a requirement for developing countries to join the ranks of modern economies and are often the sole link for such countries to the international knowledge network, Altbach (Center for International Higher Education, Boston College, US) and Balan (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, U. of Toronto, Canada) present national case studies on the current status and future challenges of research universities in Asia and Latin America. In order to provide multiple perspectives, two case studies were commissioned each for Brazil, China, India, and Mexico. Argentina, Chile, and South Korea are each afforded one case study. The studies are essentially concerned with how research universities foster such special characteristics as "a cadre of full- time faculty, academic freedom, a salary structure permitting a local middle-class lifestyle, promotion and salary enhancement based on performance rather than just seniority, reasonable guarantees of long-term appointment, absence of corruption in all sectors of academic work, and academic culture of competition and research productivity." Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Philip G. Altbach is the Monan Professor of Higher Education and director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College. He is coeditor of American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century, Asian Universities, and In Defense of American Higher Education, all published by Johns Hopkins. Jorge Balan served as senior program officer at the Ford Foundation. He is currently a visiting professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.