Universities and colleges in Flanders. Reflection on case studies

VERHOEVEN, J. C. (2008) 'Questioning the binary divide: Non-university higher education in Flanders (Belgium)' in: Taylor, J. S., Brites Fereira, J., Machado, M. & Santiago, R. Non-University Higher Education in Europe. Dordrecht : Springer pp. 43-75, 2008

In this paper, I will show how the government created a framework to bring universities and colleges closer to each other, and thus cast the binary divide into question. Although the first few steps in this process had already been taken in the College Decree in 1994, this process was more stimulated by the Bologna Process. Bologna, after all, stressed the internationalisation of higher education with its consequences for the structure of the curriculum and the titles of the diplomas. Within this process, new structures emerged (e.g. associations between universities and colleges), and special financing was provided for the academic upgrading of college curricula. A comparable financing system for universities and colleges was planned. Nevertheless, the binary divide is still present, which inspired VLHORA1 (2004b) to formulate a four-page list of demands to the new Flemish government in July, 2004, in order to bridge this divide. One of these demands was the right to translate hogeschool into the English word “university”, if only in their international contacts. The road of the colleges into the academic world will be described here in four sections. First, I will take a look at the structure of the colleges; second, I will give a picture of their governing structure; third, I will discuss their level of autonomy; and fourth, I will highlight their future development and challenges.

Mampaey, J., Huisman, J. (2016). Flanders – Introducing associations in Flemish higher education. Brussels: European Commission, 2016

Broucker, B., Huisman, J., Verhoeven, J.C. and De Wit, K. (2018). The State of the art of higher education research on Flanders. In J. Huisman & M. Tight (eds.), Theory and method in higher education research IV. Emerald, pp. 225-241, 2018

VERHOEVEN, J. C. & I. BEUSELINCK (1995) Towards mass teriary education in Flanders (Belgium). A report for the OECD. Leuven: Department of Sociology, K.U.Leuven, 81 pp, 1995

The purpose of this book is to provide an overview of recent developments in higher education and the various factors affecting this development. Questions raised thereby are: - What are the developments in participation in higher education? - What is the situation of graduates in the labor market and what is the impact of this on participation? - How autonomous functions the education system? – How is education appreciated and what is the impact of this on participation? The main finding is that higher education is developing into a mass-participation. This mass-participation has created some policy problems such as the problem of low success rates, oversupply on the labor market (unemployment, under employment level), increasing costs of higher education, the need for continuing education, etc

VERHOEVEN, J. C. & I. BEUSELINCK (1996) Higher education in Flanders (Belgium). A report for the OECD. Brussels: Ministry of the Flemish Community, Education Department, Policy-directed Division XII + 165 pp, 1996

1. Mission and structure of higher education 2. Demand for higher education. 3. Study career 4. Graduate employment 5. Curriculum and quality assurance policy 6. Financing higher education 7. Personnel

status: published, 2001

Each year, at the request and with the support of the European Commission, a review is given of the educational policy and the educational organisation in the Member States of the European Union. This is done in the framework of the EURYDICE campaign of the SOCRATES programme. The result is a wide-ranging overview of the situation of education in the Member States that facilitate comparative studies. Within this framework, the Education Department of the Ministry of the Flemish Community had compiled already in past years a whole series of data. They can be found on the Internet at http://www.eurydice.org/Eurybase/files/BNEN/BNEN.htm. They are updated by us each year since 1997. This book continues this tradition. It describes the educational policy and the educational organisation in Flanders in 2000 as required by EURYDICE. Therefore, there are virtually no critical reflections to be found here. The primary intention of the book is to provide information. As in 1997, 1998 and 1999 in the Dutch version of the book, in this English version, the educational structure and the educational policy of 2000 is described. The structure of the book has remained largely the same as that of the previous books. The content, of course, has been adapted to the new situation. These adaptations required a good deal of investigative work and would have been impossible to make without the help of the many experts of the Education Department. A number of them have critically read and commented on one or more chapters of the English version. For this, we thank in particular J.

European Journal of Education, 2000

This paper discusses the way in which governance structures in higher education institutions have changed as a consequentie of the rise of the Stakeholder Society. The researchers examine changes in the stakeholders' roles in Flemish higher education. The central question concerns the issue whether external stakeholders have become more influential with regard to the educational activities of universities and colleges. Like Larsen, they use a neo-institutional perspective. They conclude that all Flemish higher education institutions experience growing pressures from the `outside world', but that the way in which stakeholders are actually involved in the internal affairs of the institutions differs remarkably between universities and colleges.

Each year, at the request and with the support of the European Commission, a review is given of the educational policy and the educational organisation in the Member States of the European Union. This is done in the framework of the EURYDICE campaign of the SOCRATES programme. The result is a wide-ranging overview of the situation of education in the Member States that facilitate comparative studies. Within this framework, the Education Department of the Ministry of the Flemish Community had compiled already in past years a whole series of data. They can be found on the Internet at http://www.eurydice.org/Eurybase/Application/frameset.asp?country=BN&language=EN. They are updated by us each year since 1997. This book continues this tradition. It describes the educational policy and the educational organisation in Flanders in 2001 as required by EURYDICE. Therefore, there are virtually no critical reflections to be found here. The primary intention of the book is to provide information.

the search for an equilibrium possible. The procedure that was followed, is called pacification democracy.

Immediately after the abolition in 1814 of the academies of Brussels and Liège, a struggle broke out in the Southern Netherlands between several cities to secure the establishment of a university within their walls. Particularly the advocates of Leuven and Brussels pushed forward the ideal of one university, although it appeared to be impossible to reach a consensus about where to establish this single university. From the start, the ideal met with all kinds of conflicting local interests. However, the idea of one university actually never left the scene again. Certainly in reaction to the university expansion in the 1960s and the subsequent need of rationalization of the university landscape from the 1970s, the idea of one university (in this period for Flanders) gained in attraction again. By comparing the debate in Belgium with that in Finland, the article will make clear that the outcome of the discussions was not determined by arguments with regard to pedagogy and science, but rather by local, regional, ideological, economic and not the least political priorities, which besides, changed only very little during the whole period.