Вы здесь

Academics clash over doctoral program reform

понедельник, 10. ноября 2014 - 12:14

The Council for Higher Education and its Planning and Budgeting Committee are involved in a dispute with the country’s universities over a proposed reform in doctoral studies. Council Director General Gadi Frank recently threatened to cancel the reform program if it excluded institutions that are not universities.

“If by the end of the month institutions of higher education do not present a plan conforming with the reform’s objectives, the reform will be shelved,” Frank wrote in a letter to the unicersities. He added that the committee regretted the conduct of leaders of several universities, who “prevented their senior staff from drawing up plans for joint-institution programs that would include institutions for higher education that are not universities, thereby foiling the entire plan.”

The letter, which was sent to the presidents and rectors of all universities and of the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC,) followed plans drawn up by the universities for joint-institution doctoral studies that excluded colleges and college lecturers, despite the fact that the council had stated that it would not review proposals that excluded colleges.

The university opposition to the reform, which is not stated openly, stems from their concern that the IDC will eventually be allowed to grant doctoral degrees, making it the first private university in Israel. The IDC has been trying to obtain permission to grant such degrees for several years, but its requests have not been discussed by the council for over four years.

The council’s proposal for reform in doctoral studies in the humanities and social sciences would enable accelerated, five-year programs for obtaining a second (graduate) and third (doctoral) degree. The plan call for several institutions, including colleges, to combine forces in offering the programs. The purpose is to structure the degrees more uniformly and in line with international standards.

A senior Council for Higher Education official told Haaretz that “such a reform is necessary, although the universities are trying to keep the status quo, hurting students and young researchers in the process. The result of their refusal will be that the IDC will demand the right to grant its own doctorate degrees.”

IDC academic vice-president Prof. Mario Mikulincer said that joint programs that the institution had drawn up with some universities had been blocked by others. “Researchers and faculty were happy to collaborate, but university managements blocked it.”

One participant in the joint-institution planning said that faculty “were OK with it as long as it was done aboveboard and not with only one college, the IDC, benefiting from the reform. The whole plan was tailor-made for the IDC, counter to the declared purpose of the reform.”

Yarden Skop

Источник: 
www.haaretz.com
Тэги: 
Council for Higher Education
Israel
reform in doctoral studies
universities