Internationalization, excellence, rankings, branding, managerialization, accountability, professionalism, research development, ... In a few years it’s a whole new lexicon reflecting issues and concerns yesterday secondary or even unknown that has penetrated the University thus questioning its organization and own missions. Beyond the change of vocabulary do we know the effects induced by these injunctions and pressures to change? Are the universities seizing them to position themselves in the field of higher education, contributing to their dissemination and legitimation? The objective of this conference bringing together researchers from different countries will be to empirically document how universities are adapting to changes in their environment and transform their modes of functioning and their identities.

Argument

Internationalization, excellence, rankings, branding, managerialization, accountability, professionalism, research development, ... In a few years it’s a whole new lexicon reflecting issues and concerns yesterday secondary or even unknown that has penetrated the University thus questioning its organization and own missions. Beyond the change of vocabulary do we know the effects induced by these injunctions and pressures to change? Are the universities seizing them to position themselves in the field of higher education, contributing to their dissemination and legitimation? The objective of this conference bringing together researchers from different countries will be to empirically document how universities are adapting to changes in their environment and transform their modes of functioning and their identities.

Conference Program 

9h00 - 9h30: Draelants, H. & Dumay, X. Introduction 

• 9h30 - 10h20: Kosmutzky A. Mission statement and the transformation of German universities into organizational actors 
• 10h20 - 11h10: Dahan A., Draelants H. & Dumay X. Quand être soi ne suffit plus : les nouvelles modalités du travail identitaire des universités belges francophones (When being oneself is not enough. The identity work of French speaking universities in Belgium) 
• 11h10 - 12h : Huisman J. & Mampaey J. Branding of U.K. higher education institutions: an integrated perspective on the content and style of welcome addresses 

12h - 13h30 : LUNCH 

• 13h30 - 14h20 : Weerts D. & Freed G. From « experts in delivering knowledge » to « partners in the knowledge ecosystem » : the repositioning of US higher education institutions, and how it relates to organizational identity 
• 14h20 - 15h10 : Bès, M.-P. Des Alumni à l’université française : comment créer un réseau d’anciens ? (French Universities’ attempts to create alumni networks) 

15h10 - 15h40 : COFFEE BREAK 

• 15h40 - 16h-30 : Bachelet J.F. & Hoerner C. De quoi Radius est-il le nom ? Enjeux et enseignements de la  création d’une cellule de reporting institutionnel dans une université (« Radius » : Issues and learning from the set up of an institutional reporting service in a university) 
• 16h30 - 17h20 : Benninghoff M., Lutz A. & Ramuz R. Identification disciplinaire et institutionnelle : usages et significations du label « recherche biomédicale » (Institutional and disciplinary identification : uses and meaning of the label « biomedicine research »)