Exploring Insti tut ional

Collaboration and Mergers

in Higher Education

Piyushi Kotecha & Grant Harman

November 2001

For further information, please contact: The Chief Executive Officer SAUVCA PO Box 27392 Sunnyside 0132 PRETORIA SOUTH AFRICA Tel : 012 481 2842 Fax : 012 481 2843 Email : admin@sauvca.org.za The copyright of this report is retained by the South African Universities Vice-Chancellors Association (SAUVCA). Cover design : Livewire Design Tel : +27 11 788 6038 Email : fandango@icon.co.za Printing: Colorsprint Tel : + 27 11 624 1030/5 Email: colorsprint@iafrica.com

Preface

At the time of this report, South Africa’s higher education system is grappling with issues relating to transformation and the possible restructuring of the institutional landscape. The Minister of Education’s appointment of a National Working Group in May 2001, following the release of the National Plan for Higher Education in March 2001, signalled the start of a process driven by the Ministry which will culminate in the release of recommendations for restructuring in early 2002. The NPHE's interventionist stance prompted the Executive leadership of SAUVCA to consider its role in the period of the NWG's deliberations. Three options were identified as available to SAUVCA: • To refrain from comment, responding only once the recommendations of the NWG are released • To engage with NWG process issues only • To engage with the process and content issues of the restructuring agenda by proactively

identifying key considerations for the sector in the restructuring process, and to ensure that institutions are better informed of the issues and options.

Unequivocal support was endorsed for the third option. Discussions at a national level were organised and research was commissioned, issuing in this report. It explores some of the conceptual and practical issues raised for the sector in the restructuring debate, records the results of our deliberations and highlights both the options available to institutions and issues for consideration for the sector as a whole.

Andreas van Wyk Chairperson SAUVCA November 2001

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

This publication owes much to the participation of SAUVCA's Executive Committee, member institutions and the National Directorate in the endeavour to engage in meaningful dialogue with

government on shaping the higher education landscape.

Contents 1 Introduction…………………………………………………………….. 1 2 Nature, scope and complexity of the implementation

task if it is to build coherence ………………………………………. 3 3 The continuum of mergers and collaboration..…………………….. 9

4 The international experience of mergers and collaboration..…….. 17

5 The possibilities of restructuring in the South African context..….. 26

6 Exploring a way forward……………………………………..………. 36

References………………………………………………………………… 40 APPENDICES Checklist for collaboration agreements…………………………… 44

Institutional profiles…………………………………………………. 48 Regional summaries…………………………………………….. 66

1

INTRODUCTION

The Minister of Education’s release of the National Plan for Higher Education (NPHE) on 5 March 2001 signalled an implementation plan for the multiple and interwoven goals of higher education policy. The government’s urgency was confirmed by the appointment soon afterwards of a National Working Group to deliver recommendations within seven months on the restructuring of the higher education landscape. SAUVCA and its member institutions believe that the principle of cooperative governance demands a proactive and interactive role in assisting the Ministry of Education to develop a realistic, “home-grown” strategy which will enable all South African higher education (HE) institutions to work optimally and effectively within nationally-agreed priorities. We are on the threshold of a long anticipated process which will challenge and test the soundness and practicality of the restructuring proposals, and make high demands on critical leadership and commitment to change. This document explores some of the options which may contribute to the implementation coherence of the NPHE. It examines the rationale underlying mergers and collaboration, internationally and in the South African context, and assesses the conditions for effectiveness. It also explores some alternatives to mergers and collaboration as a means of achieving the goals of the NPHE. The experience of institutions, developments within this process to date, and the international record all point to the conclusion that new organisational and cultural modalities conducive to attaining national goals can only be successful once key factors have been taken into account. Most of these factors have not yet been adequately explored or understood in the South African context. Failure to take proper account of them has the potential to damage the system profoundly. We would argue that a range of interventions alternative to mergers is available to institutions and may result in more effective and sustainable transformation of the sector as a whole. Without arbitrarily dismissing mergers under specific conditions, the paper argues for pragmatism, flexibility and recognition of heterogeneity in thinking about institutional restructuring. In short, a linear, ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach may generate more harm than good in achieving national objectives in higher education.

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In the chapters which follow, we offer: • An analysis of the nature, scope, and complexity of the implementation task if it is to build a

coherent and effective system; • An outline and analysis of the continuum of institutional restructuring possibilities from cooperation

through to various kinds of mergers, drawing on the international literature; • A survey of the international experience; • A review of the possibilities for restructuring in the South African context, bringing the insights

from previous sections to bear on the South African situation; and • An exploration of the way forward.

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2

NATURE, SCOPE AND COMPLEXITY OF THE IMPLMENTATION TASK IF IT IS TO BUILD

COHERENCE

There is broad agreement within the sector, reiterated by SAUVCA and its member institutions on a number of occasions, that the system is not optimally organised for maximum gains and there is a need for clarity about purpose and differentiation. The consequences of the colonial and apartheid past, in particular the historical distribution and functional purpose of institutions, need to be understood and addressed judiciously, if the system is to be positioned to meet the human resource requirements of our country. If the system’s potential is held back by the vestiges of colonialism and apartheid, it is also yoked by unproductive competition. This is a result of trends of the new managerialism, the volatility and expanded role of market forces in higher education, enhanced student mobility, and far-reaching changes in delivery modes. The contribution of each individual institution needs to be reviewed in order to create a more relevant, focused, efficient, equitable and flexible national higher education system. In March 2001, the Minister of Education released the National Plan for Higher Education (NPHE) which identified five strategic objectives (policy goals) which are considered “central to achieving the overall goal of the transformation of the higher education system” (2001: 14). These are: • to provide increased access to higher education and to produce graduates with the skills and

competencies necessary to meet the resource needs of the country; • to promote equity of access and to redress past inequalities through ensuring that the student and

staff profiles progressively reflect the demographic realities of SA society; • to ensure diversity in organisational form and institutional landscape through mission and

programme differentiation; • to build high-level research capacity to address the research and knowledge needs of SA; and • to build new institutional and organisational identities through regional collaboration between

institutions. In order to achieve these objectives, a number of possible steering instruments have been identified such as (tighter) accountable forms of collaboration and cooperation, mission differentiation, institutional planning (rolling plans), and funding formula incentives and disincentives. As the search to find ways of restructuring the current system gains momentum, institutional mergers and combinations are a prominent option for the Ministry.

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However, it is important to emphasise that the transformation programme has to bring about change at many levels if the mission of higher education as advocated in the White Paper and NPHE is to be achieved. It would be unfortunate if a perceived imperative for dramatic structural change eclipsed the functional issues and the basic human resource challenges facing the sector. In order more closely to examine the opportunities for institutional restructuring, the National Working Group (comprising senior members of government, the private sector and retired higher education executives) was briefed to investigate and recommend: • How the number of institutions can be reduced; • What the new organisational arrangements might be; • The full range of options available including collaboration and mergers; • The role of all higher education institutions in the new landscape; and • The incorporation of Vista University into existing institutions. The possibility of extensive changes to the institutional landscape in the form of mergers and incorporation have became an overriding stratagem amongst policy-makers and policy advisors today. This may well be one tool for achieving particular objectives but we must also caution against a singular fixation with mergers or institutional incorporation as a catch-all solution to all problems in the sector. What is required is an approach that entertains a full range of options rather than relying on mergers as the principal strategy. This point needs further exploration. Taking the mergers option seriously The rationale and criteria for the restructuring have not yet been released, but a number of arguments are advanced by protagonists of mergers in the South African context. These have to be examined with proper rigour, taking into account the South African context. The international experience which is appealed to in proposing mergers has also to be understood critically. Our concern here is practical. Decisions taken on false assumptions are very likely to fail, with devastating implications for the higher education system. The following supposed beneficial effects of mergers have to be viewed with responsible scepticism, until it is clear how and under what circumstances they could be achieved. The rationale for institutional ‘mergers’ seems to be based on a number of often related assumptions:

• Mergers will create new organisational forms, which will facilitate greater equity, the development of new institutional cultures and the revitalisation of the higher education sector, thereby making it more likely that institutions will better serve the goals for higher education.

• The system of higher education, at least in its current form, is not affordable given the size of the South African economy, and the maintenance costs of some institutions cannot be justified in terms of per cost per successful learner.

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• There is a shortage of management capacity in South African Higher Education Institutions and rationalising the number of institutions will mean that existing capacity can be ‘shared’ between institutions.

• The (currently divergent) deeply embedded institutional cultures will be dismantled to form new identities which are not based on historical differences.

• Institutions which are not financially viable (due to declining student numbers or inadequate financial management) will be saved from total closure.

• Merging institutions will encourage efficiency in terms of economies of scale, through eliminating unnecessary duplication of course offerings and through ending unproductive competition.

• Perceptions about differences in academic quality between HE institutions will be addressed or reduced through mergers.

The supposed benefits of restructuring can be grouped broadly into desired technical outcomes such as enhanced efficiency and effectiveness and desired social and political outcomes such as improved equity and access.

SAUVCA is firmly committed to supporting changes with a demonstrated probability of achieving these outcomes. However, international experience and our discussion and investigation of local circumstances suggest that mergers should be approached with caution and considered on a case-by-case basis.

The analysis which constitutes the body of this paper supports our conclusion. A profile of state universities in South Africa: current realities

The twenty-one universities and fifteen technikons making up the current institutional landscape have very different resources, management capacity and culture, with implications for their ability to attract new students, to retain staff, to contribute to national research outputs, to transform staff and student profiles, and to compete at a national and global level. Much of this is the legacy of apartheid, in particular the link between institutional identity and the historical provision of resources. A central challenge in the restructuring process will be the need to provide commensurate financial support from the state to effect the post-apartheid policy directive of new identities.

The national socio-economic context of higher education is a major shaping element with relatively low participation in the formal economy and widespread poverty in the society being a pervasive feature of this legacy. While the factors touched on here are present in some degree in all systems, none of the often cited international models on which arguments for mergers are based has involved taking on disparities of the scale evident in South Africa, and doing so from as weak an economic base.

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In what follows we consider some factors of importance in restructuring: location, size, enrolment patterns, regional resources, and institutional forms. Institutions are located in both urban centres and rural areas. In some instances, distances between campuses of the same or different institutions are small (such as in Johannesburg, Durban, East London and Cape Town), but the rural institutions are located up to 500kms from their nearest urban counterparts. This has serious implications for the costs and practicability of mergers and cooperation. Contact universities vary in size from 4 000 students to 32 000 students. Most institutions, irrespective of size, offer a comprehensive range of courses, with only one single-purpose institution (Medunsa) in the system. A review of the institutional submissions to the Department of Education (31 July 2001) indicates that there is no direct link between size and efficiency measured in research outputs and throughput rates, nor perceived quality, nor enrolments in fields of study, nor postgraduate enrolment proportions, nor focus or differentiation. Size must be a factor in restructuring, but evidence suggests that it cannot be the only point of reference in thinking about issues of viability.

The general (but by no means universal or consistent) trend in student numbers over the past five years has been a decline at historically disadvantaged institutions, and an increase at historically advantaged institutions. However, this has not been a simple migration from one group of institutions to the other. The participation pattern calls for careful analysis. For example, it has been affected considerably by changing modes of delivery, with several residential universities introducing well-subscribed distance education programmes in this period. It has also been significantly affected by the ending of bursaries/loans for teacher education without proportional and equally accessible means of funding study being available to students from the poorer 67% of the population. Moreover, it has to be noted that there has been a general drop in growth rates of the higher education system as a whole. Overall, the anticipated system-wide growth in student numbers has not materialised, mainly due to factors such as poor output from the secondary school system, a sharp decline in white participation rates, and inadequate financial aid for potential students. Any restructuring conclusions based on enrolment patterns must take into account systemic patterns in the student market and the factors that drive such patterns.

Resources vary considerably between regions and between institutions within these regions. A concern for equity across the different regions, to ensure a more equitable distribution of resources, is a legitimate driver of the transformation process within the system. But it has to be modified by considerations of sustainability away from urban-industrial complexes, by the need for universities to transcend parochialism, and by the fact that most of them draw significant numbers of students from outside their provincial or regional bounds. There is competition for students between institutions within the same region and at national level, particularly where equity considerations are concerned, but there is also competition for students, regardless of equity, between public and private institutions. In restructuring, regional considerations have to handled with great circumspection if they are not to lead to expensive experiments or to a parochial regionalism which will damage the system.

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There has been little change to institutional forms over the past sixty years, apart from the establishment of new universities. The three distance education institutions (UNISA, VISTA and Technikon SA) are set for re-organisation into a single entity and a merger between ML Sultan Technikon and Technikon Natal is currently underway. Earlier this year colleges of education were incorporated into higher education institutions following a variety of models but driven by the need to contain the costs of the colleges (which were on average three times more expensive than universities in teacher education). This tendency to consolidate different kinds of higher education institutions has been the most common feature of mergers in international experience in recent years. However, national policy is that the binary divide between technikons and universities will remain in place at least for the next five years (National Plan for Higher Education, 2001). The rationale offered for this is to avoid academic drift and to strengthen the distinctive offerings in each of the sectors to facilitate a comprehensive offering of higher education programmes. In practice, the divide will be clearer in areas where there are thriving institutions of both kinds than in places where higher education provision is less adequate or is only now being contemplated. The merits of and impetus for hybrid institutions, especially in rural areas where local and regional needs must be realised, have not yet been fully explored. A conceptual approach Given the far-reaching scope and implications of current policy considerations, SAUVCA strongly believes it is its responsibility to encourage cooperative governance if the present system is to be successfully steered. A unilateral and top-down approach to restructuring would simply not work and might well unnecessarily damage relations that could otherwise have served the larger project. In driving a restructuring agenda, the state sets the level of consultation and involvement of the individual institutions. Traditionally, there have been views on this matter on a continuum between two extremes. At one end is the view often echoed in public statements – that the sector is incapable of making a meaningful contribution to the vexed subject of its own restructuring either because of self-interest or of ostensible leadership weaknesses. At the other end is the view that the sector should assist the state and participate in the reconfiguration debates as rigorously and vigorously as possible. The first view appears to have been adopted by the Ministry, based on a perception that the sector has not proposed real options for collaboration or resolving landscape issues. Whatever the merits of that perception, we would point out that

• It remains the responsibility of the sector and its constituent institutions to ensure that we provide the best possible system of higher education to serve the needs of the country;

• any proposed reconfigurations must take very seriously the existing fragility of the system and ensure that confidence is maintained in the higher education system, not least the confidence of its staff and management;

• the need for an external framework for restructuring is well understood and supported by the institutions, particularly given our history, and full consultation is possible and desirable.

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South Africa is a new democracy and our expectations are high, the change agenda ambitious. The sector needs and is willing to engage with the restructuring agenda and assist with finding solutions to the problems which have been identified. With these concerns in mind, it is important both to review the international experience of mergers and collaboration in more detail and to ensure that any restructuring initiative takes full account of the South African context. Before answers are prescribed it is important to understand the questions.

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3

THE CONTINUUM OF MERGERS AND COLLABORATION

Mergers and strategic collaboration have played a significant role in restructuring higher education systems around the globe and there exists a substantial literature, which must inform an assessment of the effectiveness of achieving policy goals in higher education systems through restructuring. The policy goals and socio-economic contexts differ from country to country and the forms of collaboration (and models within these forms) vary too. However, there are some general but useful conclusions which can be drawn about forms of collaboration, types of mergers and conditions for success. Different forms of collaboration Informal collaboration between institutions is common and its scope is little documented in South Africa. Any formal proposals for collaboration have to take into account the existing patterns of informal collaboration and the goodwill which informs them. Recent local surveys prompted by the NPHE process suggest that informal collaboration is far more extensive in South Africa than was previously realised. Such informal collaboration in teaching and research extends to joint research projects, sharing of guest lecturers, assistance in supervising higher degree students, and even joint presentation of courses. Informal collaboration may also include shared use of expensive or highly specialised research equipment or major campus facilities. In most cases, this form of collaboration is organised by individual staff or their departments, and depends largely on the initiative and goodwill of the staff concerned. More formal types of collaboration including affiliation agreements, is often designed to allow non-university organisations to award university degrees or gain other forms of academic recognition, sometimes to allow consortia to handle particular collaborative functions, and in some cases to provide for jointly owned facilities or departments, and jointly owned university companies. In some cases, the formal agreement for a particular form of collaboration may be based simply on exchange of correspondence, while in other cases collaboration is based on formal and legally binding agreements, usually ratified by the governing bodies of the participating institutions. Such agreements may extend to offering degrees jointly. Consortia are frequently used to provide common services to participating institutions (such as processing of student applications, coordination of library services or international education marketing) but they are increasingly being used for academic collaboration.

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Moving further along the continuum are full mergers or amalgamations. A merger can be defined as the combination of two or more separate organisations, with overall management control being under a single governing body and single chief executive. Normally all assets, liabilities and responsibilities of the former institutions are transferred to either a continuing institution or to a new institution (Harman and Meek, 1988b; and Goedegebuure, 1992). However, in some cases governments have provided help when particular institutions entering a merger have substantial debt or other liabilities. This range of collaboration agreements is illustrated in Figure 3.1. F igure 3.1 MODELS OF COLLABORATION

Informal collaborati

on

Affiliation Consortium

Joint department

Incorporation Merger with federal

structure

Merger with unitary

structure

CO OPERATION CO ORDINATION MERGER Mergers may assume either federal or unitary forms Federal structures have been popular in the United Kingdom and a number of Commonwealth countries for well over a hundred years. With a federal structure, specified responsibilities remain with participating institutions or are delegated to particular units such as campuses, with the overarching or central body taking other responsibilities. Examples of current federations: • In the United Kingdom, examples are the University of London, the University of Wales and the

recently formed University of Surrey Roehampton, which came into existence on 1 January 2000. Roehampton Institute London and the University of Surrey enjoyed a close relationship for many years but decided to strengthen the relationship by Roehampton Institute becoming the University of Surrey Roehampton. However, while all degrees will be awarded by the federal University of Surrey, each institution will continue to be a separate legal entity, employing its own staff and registering its own students.

• In New Zealand, the federated University of New Zealand operated from the second half of the 19th century until the late 1950s.

• Another type of federation is the American statewide multi-campus institution. This may take the form of a single multi-campus institution covering not only research university campuses but also state college and community college campuses, such as in the States of Wisconsin and New York. Alternatively, separate statewide multi-campus institutions may cover each of three post-secondary education sectors such as in California (Lee and Bowen 1971). In the private sector in the United States, a novel form of federation has operated at Claremont in the Los Angeles region where a group of private liberal arts colleges and a graduate university have operated together since the 1920s. In this case, each institution is autonomous with its own president and governing body, but

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member institutions are linked through a federal structure which provides the library and business and computing services.

Practical arrangements within federal organisations may take many different forms but in all cases it is essential that the particular powers and administrative responsibilities of each unit or level be clearly specified. Examples of unitary structures: In unitary structures, former participating institutions or separate campuses are not recognised as such, although there may be considerable administrative devolution of responsibility to major academic units such as faculties or schools. With unitary structures there is a single governing body, a single CEO and a single set of structures for academic governance. In the literature, there is considerable discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of federal and unitary models of mergers. Federal models are often more attractive to participating institutions, allowing them to retain a substantial degree of autonomy and often key elements of their own identity. In the case of voluntary mergers, sometimes participating institutions insist that merger will be supported only on the condition that a federal structure is adopted. Federal structures also can take into account the different cultures and situations of participating institutions. This is well illustrated in the merger, already referred to, of the University of Surrey and Roehampton Institute, London: it has adopted a federal structure under which the Institute aims that each of its four colleges will retain its unique identity and special affiliations. On the other hand, federal structures may limit the amount of course and administrative rationalisation that can be achieved and, as in the case of the University of London in the early 1990s, can break down when member institutions differ markedly in size and strength. Federal structures have been seen to be getting weaker in recent years in the UK and Ireland as member institutions gradually recover powers from the centre. In Australia, recent experience with federal structures has been disappointing. In the extensive mergers of the period 1987 to 1991 that involved universities and CAEs, only three institutions adopted federal models. One of these, the University of New England, split apart at the end of 1993, another (the University of Western Sydney) experienced a high degree of conflict and is now moving to a unitary structure while the third (Charles Sturt University) organised itself internally from the start as a unitary organisation despite the fact that its enabling legislation specified a federal model (Harman and Robertson Cuninghame 1995; and Harman 2000). The most common Australian model for merged institutions is a unitary structure without campus heads, campus budgets or campus academic boards. Funds for academic activities are internally allocated to cross-campus faculties, which in turn make allocations to schools on different campuses. A single academic board is responsible for academic governance. What is not always realised is that both federal and unitary models can take a wide variety of different forms. Table 3.1 compares the degree and type of unit autonomy under different areas of responsibility for participating institutions in two particular English federal models (the current Roehampton Institute London/University of Surrey federation and the pre-1994 federated University of

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London) and in the statewide University of Wisconsin system in the United States which includes doctoral universities, comprehensive universities and two-year colleges. The key features of the system are a single governing body, separate and distinct missions for each institution and a system of credit transfer enabling individuals to move upwards or sideways within the system. In planning any new federal structure, it is important for negotiations to cover the various administrative/responsibility areas set out in Table 3.1 and endeavour to secure agreement on where responsibility for each will lie. However, many federal systems appear to be able to tolerate a certain amount of ambiguity and even overlapping responsibilities in functions. Table 3.1 ASPECTS OF LOCAL UNIT AUTONOMY IN FEDERAL SYSTEMS Responsibility Areas Roehampton

Institute/University of Surrey

Federated University of London (pre- 1994)

University of Wisconsin System

Which is the legal entity?

Both All major colleges and federal body

Centre

Who gets the funding from the government?

Both University of London Centre

Which degree is awarded?

Surrey University of London Centre

How is quality assured? Surrey Shared Both Who approves new courses?

Both Shared, with some joint and subject to University Committee approval

Centre

Who decides on new staff appointments and numbers?

Both Colleges, but some appointments at University level

Centre

Who decides how government funds are allocated?

Both University of London but most funds allocated to colleges

Centre

Who approves capital expenditure?

Both University of London above specified amounts

Centre

Is resource sharing encouraged?

Optional Central services are charged out by University of London

Some common schemes e.g. administrative systems and IT

Where are decisions made on student numbers?

Both University of London Centre

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Types of Mergers International experience indicates that there is a variety of different forms of federal and unitary mergers, and the particular form of any merger is likely to have a major influence on the merger process, the kinds of difficulties likely to be experienced in bringing different types of institutions together, the kinds of structures likely to emerge, and the degree of success. Below are set out some useful ways of classifying and conceptualising different merger forms. • Voluntary and Invo luntary Mergers:

An important distinction can be made regarding the extent to which the initiative for merger comes from the participating institutions themselves as opposed to coming from external pressures, particularly government. Generally voluntary mergers are easier to organise and are more successful, largely because it is possible to achieve a substantial degree of staff involvement in negotiations and implementation, leading usually to a strong sense of ownership. The University of Surrey and Roehampton Institute merger is an example of a voluntary merger with unique features such as the exceptional and careful accommodation of separate identities. In 1987-1991, the Commonwealth Government in Australia set a policy framework for extensive mergers of universities and CAEs using quite powerful funding incentives and persuasion, but leaving the institutions themselves largely free to choose their own partners and carry on detailed merger negotiations. This worked far better than efforts in the early 1980s when the Government of the day determined which particular institutions would be required to merge with others in order to retain their federal funding.

• Conso lidat ions or Take-overs :

Another important difference is whether two or more institutions of similar size come together to form a new institution or whether there is a ‘take-over’ of a small institution by a large institution. Consolidations generally take more effort and time to organise and involve such issues as the name of the new institution, how the CEO will be appointed, the academic structure of the new institution, the portfolio of courses to be offered, and sometimes whether or not there will be substantial academic rationalisation of courses. Takeovers tend to be far simpler, often with the smaller institution being absorbed as a department, school or faculty and with the large institution making only minimal adjustments to its structures and procedures. This applies particularly to specialised smaller institutions becoming part of larger comprehensive institutions. For political reasons, proposed acquisitions are sometimes presented publicly as consolidations, with an emphasis being placed on the idea of partners of equal standing and worth coming together. On the other hand, with takeovers the larger institution can often be rather insensitive to cultural issues, leading to long term staff resentment which is significantly damaging to the academic project.

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• Single Sec tor and Cross-Sectora l Mergers :

Mergers may involve institutions from one higher education sector (e.g. the university sector or the technikon sector) or they may involve institutions from different sectors. Prior to the late 1980s, most Australian mergers took place in the college of advanced education (CAE) sector, whereas many of the mergers of the late 1980s brought together universities and CAEs (Harman 2000). In the United Kingdom, a large number of mergers have been within a single sector, although some colleges of education were absorbed by universities and in the mid-1980s there was the highly controversial merger of the failing New University of Ulster with Ulster Polytechnic to form the University of Ulster (Temple & Whitchurch 1994). Cross-sectoral mergers pose special problems, especially when institutions from different sectors have distinctively different missions, roles and cultures, and are funded using different funding models. These differences are illustrated well in the Australian case of the failed merger of the University of New England with three CAEs (Harman & Robertson Cuninghame 1995). In South Africa, the few cases where colleges of education have been absorbed into nearby universities or technikons can be viewed as cross–sectoral mergers while the proposed merger of technikons in KwaZulu-Natal would be a merger within a single sector (Hay, Fourie and Hay 2001).

• Two-Par tner and Mul t i -Par tner Mergers:

In practice mergers of two institutions are often somewhat different from mergers involving more than two institutions. The most common Australian mergers in the 1960s and 1970s were of two institutions coming together but from the early 1980s there were many cases of multi-institution mergers. Frequently mergers involving more than two institutions from the same sector take the form of consolidations rather than acquisitions. Sometimes small institutions work hard to attract additional partners into merger negotiations so as to avoid being simply ‘swallowed-up’ by a large institution.

• Simi lar and Dif ferent Academic Prof i le Mergers:

The range of academic disciplines included in mergers is another important variable. A useful distinction can be made between mergers of institutions offering courses in the same field or fields of study (e.g. combination of two technikons with the same range of disciplines) as opposed to mergers of institutions offering courses in different areas (e.g. combination of an institution working largely in the humanities and social sciences with a technikon). To use the language of the corporate sector, the first form can be referred to as a ‘horizontal’ merger and the second as a ‘vertical merger’. Mergers of institutions with the same range of disciplines often mean a greater degree of commonality in academic cultures but frequently major rationalisation of course offerings will be a necessary consequential development if cost savings and effective rationalisation are to be achieved. On the other hand, institutions with different academic profiles may experience some difficulty in melding academic cultures, but their offerings may be complementary and may well lead to an enhanced academic profile without any extensive course rationalisation being necessary.

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As can be seen from the above, various factors affect the type of merger which may take place. Table 3.2 attempts to combine some of the concepts already presented in order to provide a more detailed spectrum of possibilities for organisational combination, running from unitary mergers to other forms of collaboration. In each case examples are provided. The table not only makes distinctions between merger and other forms of collaboration and between mergers adopting unitary structures as opposed to those adopting federal structures but also includes the ideas of cross-sectoral mergers and use of federal models with different degrees of autonomy to component units. Table 3.2: SPECTRUM FROM MERGER TO COLLABORATION Category Examples Unitary merger from same sector with several campuses under one central control

Sichuan Union in China; Kings’ College London; University of Tasmania

Unitary merger but cross sectoral New University of Ulster and Ulster Polytechnic to form University of Ulster; Northern Territory University; Monash University

Unitary structure with some measure of campus autonomy

Cranfield University with three campuses enjoying limited autonomy

Federal structure with colleges having limited legal entity and powers

‘Old’ (pre-1994) Federal University of London

Independent institutions within loose federal structure, sharing some resources and functions

New (post-1994) Federal University of London; University of Wales; New University of Ireland; University of Surrey/Roehampton Institute London; Claremont Colleges in California

Independent institutions, sharing some functions and/or formal agreements for one or more joint departments

Halifax consortium in Canada; CADISE in southern England; Australian Graduate School of Management (University of Sydney and University of NSW)

Independent institutions working together in consortia

Universities and technikons in Western Cape working together through the Adamastor Trust

Independent institution with affiliation agreement with another institution

Colleges of education in the UK affiliated with nearby university in order to offer degree programmes

Independent institutions working together in ad hoc ways

Numerous examples

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Given such differences, building an integrated and coherent educational community during and following merger or collaboration, poses no easy challenge and highlights the importance for politicians, institutional leaders and senior managers to concentrate on post-merger consolidation and community building. In some cases old local loyalties need to be consciously broken down and redirected to the newly created body. If the settling down period is not managed effectively, fairly quickly and with great sensitivity to the culture and tradition of the merger partners, the impact of mergers on morale and loyalty of staff can be devastating.

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4

THE INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF MERGERS AND COLLABORATION

The experience of other countries is useful in helping South African institutions to conceptualise particular issues and problems, gain increased understanding of the main drivers of mergers, set out the models and mechanisms that have been used and help to assess the relative usefulness of different approaches. Australia and the United Kingdom have used mergers extensively over the past four decades to address a range of issues, including fragmentation amongst non-university institutions, relatively weak and non-viable institutions, and opportunities to form stronger and more dynamic higher education institutions with a more comprehensive offering of academic programmes. In both countries, the government has tended to drive the restructuring with considerable initiative from individual institutions or groups of institutions. Until three years ago, the UK’s merger activity focused almost exclusively on the amalgamation of non-university institutions to create more comprehensive and viable institutions, or their incorporation into existing universities. Recently, a number of UK universities have initiated merger discussions with other universities, although no unitary mergers between two universities have actually gone ahead as yet. The Australian system probably offers the most widespread experience of fundamental restructuring, where since 1975, a system of 18 universities and 60 colleges of advanced education has been transformed to 37 universities with an average size of 19 000 students. Three separate waves of merger and restructuring activity have taken place within the Australian system since 1960. The first wave consolidated a highly fragmented non-university sector with smaller institutions in specialist fields (such as teacher education, music and agriculture) being combined with larger institutions and on occasion being absorbed into universities. The second wave, from 1981 to 1987 focused on the merging of colleges of advanced education with teacher education colleges. The third wave focused on the removal of the binary divide system, made provision for the expansion of higher education provision (particularly in areas seen to be serving the economic needs of the country) and to increase research selectivity. The process was driven by the Minister of Education, but rather than determining which mergers would take place, he set criteria for future government funding. The Minister personally championed the reform agenda passionately and energetically and acted as prime advocate. Institutional size was the driver of this merger process, but no attempt was made to assess quality of either teaching or research.

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In the former Soviet countries, such as Vietnam and Hungary, mergers of single purpose institutions to create larger comprehensive institutions has been the main characteristic of restructuring. In Hungary, the 55 state-run higher education institutions were consolidated into 28 institutions by 1 January 2000, with more merger activity envisaged. Higher education reform has been driven by the need to expand access but reduce the unit costs of higher education in order to catch up with the rest of Europe in economic and education terms. Unnecessary duplication was targeted with the aim of achieving economies of scale, and mergers were undertaken on a geographic rather than a complementary mission basis (dissimilar institutions in common geographic areas were merged rather than similar institutions in different locations). Education reform in Hungary initially took a bottom up approach, with the final determination made by the government. However, the new administration took a more centralised approach. The largest support for mergers has come from regional universities eager to increase their influence and resources while resistance has come from larger and more powerful universities protecting their status. Mergers have also taken place extensively in the United States as a device to build stronger and more viable institutions and to avoid the closure of financially weak institutions. These have tended to occur mainly in the community college sector and smaller private colleges and merged institutions remain smaller than most universities in other countries. In Canada, merger activity has tended to take the form of consolidation of smaller single purpose, non-university institutions and the amalgamation of these into universities. Merger experience in the Netherlands and Norway has also been at the level of non-university institutions with the purpose of building larger and more comprehensive institutions, and has had relatively little impact on universities. In Belgium, plans are currently underway to form a federal university, but this has taken over ten years of preparation. Germany’s attempts to abolish the binary divide and create comprehensive universities met with limited success as only six new institutions resulted. In New Zealand, the single federated university unbundled its constituent colleges into autonomous universities. These institutions have incorporated a number of teacher’s colleges and a polytechnic. The small private higher education providers in Malaysia, the vast majority of which have less than 1000 students, are likely to be forced to merge in the near future. While different forms of collaboration are common in higher education systems around the world, and the experience with the incorporation of non-university structures into universities or the amalgamation of single purpose institutions into larger, comprehensive institutions is extensive, there are few examples of successful mergers between two autonomous institutions into a unitary structure (such as Charles Sturt University in Australia and two major institutions of similar size in Tasmania). Where mergers have taken place, it is therefore likely to be the acquisition of one of the smaller institutions rather than the consolidation of two universities of equal size. In addition, it is evident that no single

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solution suits all higher education systems and it is essential to take into account the national context and the options available. What does this experience of mergers tell us? Over the past two or three decades, national higher education systems have used a wide variety of different models and mechanisms to achieve restructuring and increased levels of institutional collaboration. While these efforts have had various drivers/rationales, particularly important have been pressures for: • increased efficiency and effectiveness, especially to cope with rapid and substantial increases in

enrolments and additional responsibilities for higher education institutions; • action to deal with problems of institutional fragmentation and non-viable institutions; • improved student access and more serious equity strategies; • greater differentiation in course offerings to cater for more diverse student populations; and • increased levels of government control over the overall direction of the higher education systems,

especially to ensure that higher education institutions more directly serve national and regional economic and social objectives.

The rationales or drivers for collaboration will also influence the form of collaboration as indicated in Table 4.1. While some forms of collaboration are driven by professionals or academics, other forms arise from external pressures from government and community groups, from funding incentives provided by governments or donor organisations, or from government directives. While some forms of collaboration are organised between adjacent institutions and their staff, other forms of collaboration may be at regional or national levels. In addition, academic staff in major research universities are often engaged in extensive international collaboration, while increasingly higher education institutions with similar profiles and missions are being linked through various forms of associations or consortia. A recent example of formal international collaboration is Universitas 21, a consortium of major research universities in a number of countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Hong Kong, Singapore and China. This group is engaged in collaborative research and teaching activities and more recently has formed a company to offer e-courses in conjunction with a major publisher.

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Table 4.1 DRIVERS OF INSTITUTIONAL COLLABORATION PROFESSIONAL Driven by academic subject groups, librarians, finance directors, heads of

estates and facilities, and human resource professionals etc. for mutual benefit.

ACADEMIC Driven by individual academics, groups of academics and academic organisational units, and take the form mainly of joint research projects or teaching efforts, or development of academic infrastructure support, such as special library collections.

STRATEGIC Driven by government/social pressures on higher education institutions to respond positively to policy drivers.

FUNDING INCENTIVES Activities driven by government or donor agency funding incentives. COMPULSORY Collaboration based on government directives or possibly strong

persuasion e.g. joint academic programs or consolidation of number of small departments at one institution.

To date, collaboration in South African has been mainly driven by academic and professional interests and there is substantial evidence of joint research projects or teaching efforts. The appointment of the National Working Group with its terms of reference indicates that more powerful and strategic drivers will assume prominence in the forthcoming period. The drivers for mergers internationally have tended to be a combination of factors such as the need to address the fragmentation of the higher education system including the proliferation of small single purpose institutions, achieving cost savings, removing duplication of course offerings, rescuing financially disadvantaged institutions, building management capacity, increasing the range of academic offerings and removing the divides between different types of HEI’s. The international experience of mergers has shown that institutional mergers have achieved large, comprehensive institutions, and that these may have a competitive advantage in terms of size and scale, advantages for students in terms of academic offerings, infrastructure and services and quality of qualifications, and the potential for long-term economies of scale. Importance of Culture as a Merger Variable In considering the context of transformation of South African higher education through the use of mergers, culture is a particularly important variable. While there is no documented information for higher education, almost 50% of institutional corporate mergers fail, largely because of the impact of the merger on the people within organisations (Lefkoe, 1987).

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Attempting to create integrated and ‘coherent educational communities’ (Martin and Samels, 1994: 229-231) from the merging of cultures that are historically and symbolically non-complementary, would be an unwise move for political leaders and higher education planners nationally unless the implications were largely understood and provided for. Even when institutions seem to be highly compatible and able to achieve profitable merger synergies, they often possess underlying cultural differences that can seriously threaten their integration (Buono and Bowditch, 1989: 142). Central to both sociological and anthropological interpretations of culture are the notions of entrenched history, saga, myths, beliefs, loyalties, custom and traditions which are transgenerational, cumulative and symbolic. These cultural elements can be applied to both organisations and to academia. Organisational culture typically refers to these elements that are shared by members of the organisation and that hold deep symbolic significance and influence behaviour (Pettigrew, 1979; Clark, 1983). Academic culture can be interpreted as historically transmitted patterns of meaning expressed in symbolic form through the shared commitments, values and standards of behaviour peculiar to members of the profession, as well as the traditions, myths, rituals, language and other forms of expressive symbolism that encompass academic life and work (Harman, 1989: 36). In both organisations and academia these cultural elements are deeply embedded and cannot be unfrozen or turned off at will. The ‘thicker’ the culture where a greater degree of shared beliefs and values is evident, the more potent will be the culture’s influence (Buono and Bowditch, 1989: 147). The influence of culture in the South African merger context, especially regarding its socially differentiated racial history and tradition is particularly pertinent. It is well understood that mergers appear to work better where there exists greater possibility of integration and articulation of the goals and visions of the institutions in question, that is ‘horizontal’ mergers between institutions whose missions and cultures are complementary. Cross-sectoral or ‘vertical’ mergers such as those between a university and a college of education or between a university and a technikon, are less likely to be successful unless the pre- merger, merger and post-merger phases are managed very effectively and those driving the merger accept full responsibility for the financial and political implications. A particular cultural challenge for higher education leaders is to manage the merging of divergent campus cultures into coherent educational communities that display high levels of cultural integration and loyalty to the new institution. Where loyalties and values of academics stem from different academic traditions, integrating these harmoniously poses particular problems. The following table illustrates some of the cultural differences along five dimensions – academic role, professional loyalties, teaching versus research, reward structures and styles of governance – that typically are evident in universities and higher education colleges in Australia. The cultural differences between institutions in South Africa are of another order, deriving from various histories and locations, but they are no less significant.

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Table 4.2 EXAMPLES OF DIFFERING LOYALTIES AND VALUES OF ACADEMIC STAFF IN UNIVERSIT IES AND HIGHER EDUCATION COLLEGES

Universities Colleges

Academic role Roles ambiguous and marked by divided loyalties

Roles more clearly prescribed

Professional loyalties Loyalties directed to the disciplines and learned societies (a more ‘cosmopolitan’ perspective)

Loyalties directed more to the institution and the respective professions (a more ‘local’ perspective)

Teaching versus research

A strong research culture and less value ascribed to teaching

Less emphasis (if any) on research but teaching highly valued

Reward structures Research a key criterion for scholarly recognition and promotion

Teaching and service to the profession the key criteria for promotion and recognition

Governance Collegial, democratic decision making structures highly valued

Structures more hierarchical and bureaucratic

Source: Harman, in press The challenge of developing a new integrated culture of shared values and loyalties, attitudes and conditions of work is a mammoth task that needs to be handled sensitively. When deeply embedded cultures of non-complementary institutions collide, they present a potent force that can retard or prevent organisational change. It is important, therefore, to manage the cultural dimension of the newly merged institution, paying particular attention to post-merger consolidation in establishing integrated structures that heed deeply held beliefs and traditions and engaging strategies that will develop new loyalties and a sense of community. These considerations should never be underplayed. Symbolically this is a crucial process and of extreme importance to those affected by a merger. Mergers fail where there is a clash of institutional cultures, differences in educational philosophy and priorities and a lack of academic compatibility. Mergers are perceived by the Ministry as a way of breaking down existing cultures and forging new ones. It is worth noting, however, that the UK, Australia and the US do not have the high levels of disparity in infrastructure or differences in institutional culture as are evident in South Africa. The Council on Higher Education’s report points to the failure in the UK of the binary system that has resulted in a range of mergers and a loss of differentiation. In Australia, a trend towards marketisation has dominated the reconfiguration process since 1988.

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Integration of cultures does not equal assimilation. Retaining certain aspects of different cultures is desirable and many levels of integration are possible. The concept of an integrated ‘happy family’ culture based on consensus is not a realistic nor useful way to view institutional culture. If a common culture means that people can agree on a basic framework of values, tolerate and accommodate differences, but argue over technical issues, then this is a good starting point. Conclusion The international experience points to several important lessons for a restructuring process within South Africa’s higher education system. It is evident that: Academic and strategic priorities are better grounds for mergers than cost saving which is difficult to achieve. The transactional costs of merging two institutions are high due to factors such as the requirements of labour law, differences in staff conditions of service which will have to be equalised, differences in admissions requirements and differences in fees between institutions. Additional costs such as financial aid, cancellation of debt, administrative, infrastructural and capital expenses also need to be considered. Such mergers will require considerable resources and consume a large amount of staff time, the greatest hidden cost of the exercise. A necessary condition for success is to make sufficient funds available to cover the direct costs of mergers (planning and set up costs) as well as to offer financial incentives to compensate for risk and reward the achievement of national priorities. Some costs will be unexpected and business plans tend to underestimate the costs of mergers and overestimate the gains. Financial support is needed to ensure that collaboration and mergers happen. The UK’s Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) operates a restructuring and collaboration fund with considerable success. The criteria for accessing the grants clearly pinpoint four considerations: how the proposals will benefit the sector (and not just the institution), clear gains in terms of long term value for money and long terms plans justifying the investment, a demonstration that the institution cannot finance the proposed merger or collaboration entirely from its own resources, and ways in which the changes will enhance student experience. The funds made available by Minister Dawkins during the third phase of restructuring in the Australian context also contributed to the relative success of that project. Economies of scale are not necessarily achieved with mergers of contact education institutions, where lecture groups need to be replicated past a certain size although mergers may be a benefit as far as distance education is concerned. Particularly in the contact education sector, there is a non-linear relationship between size and economies of scale. Many cases of mergers produce minimal savings and few economies of scale (Fielden, 1991) particularly in the short term, making short term cost saving an invalid driver of mergers or collaboration. Voluntary collaboration has a greater chance of success than imposed mergers. The willingness to merge and the identification of obvious benefits is an important contributor to success. However, while the issue of ownership cannot be overestimated, there is usually a need for external pressure and the provision of a clear framework and financial incentives for mergers to be effective. Cooperation and

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consensus building can be achieved by providing adequate information to stakeholders and allowing them to engage more fully with its thinking. At the institutional level, although the ultimate responsibility is political, the burden of implementing perhaps unpopular and difficult changes will devolve to institutional managers. In this context, even small pockets of resistance can effectively undermine social cohesion. The situation could be made much easier if stakeholders were sufficiently informed to anticipate the changes ahead. A few carefully planned consultations, involving regional consortia and national bodies where necessary, would go a long way towards improving the current situation, because the process thus far has dramatically presented the changes to come as to be imposed from above. Leadership plays a critical role and effective leaders can do a great deal to help build a new institutional culture and a sense of loyalty to the new institution. Appreciating cultural differences is a key element of effective leadership in merger negotiation and implementation. Visionary, transformational leadership that is sensitive to cultural factors greatly facilitates merger processes. Time also needs to be provided for institutional leaders to build a shared vision. The effort required by institutional leaders to steer the merger process successfully underlines the fact that mergers cannot be used to address the differences in management capacity across the higher education system in South Africa. Integrated unitary structures as opposed to federal structures tend to work better in developing and promoting academic coherence, institutional stability, and institutional loyalty in merged institutions and in terms of effecting cost efficiencies through economies of scale. Duplication tends to be perpetuated in federal structures. Unitary organisations can differ in terms of their degree of devolution, but they always demand that participating institutions give up much more autonomy. Careful planning needs to be undertaken from the beginning where a vision for the collaboration or merger agreement is identified and the structure of the collaboration is agreed. Sensitive and careful negotiation between the two or more parties is critical, and it is important that all parties have some gains in the negotiation process. Openness and honesty with all parties contributes significantly to the success of the planning process. Negotiators need to be willing to search for compromises. Principles need to be of utmost importance. In the case of mergers, due diligence studies are highly desirable so that major financial problems can be identified and addressed during merger negotiations, Opportunities for institutions to conduct their own due diligence studies should be provided. The support of staff, students and other stakeholders needs to be secured early in the process. Wherever possible, appropriate guarantees should be given to staff and students. Government and government agencies have played highly constructive support roles in merger planning and implementation through articulation of merger goals and rationale, provision of advice, support and guidance to participating institutions, provision of funding incentives, and clarification of issues such as staffing and salary levels.

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The legislative and time frameworks which facilitate mergers or collaboration need to be in place. The latest amendment of the Higher Education Act facilitates the establishment of a single council for each group of merging institutions. Generally speaking, where mergers are concerned, long delays cause anxiety and give rise to stumbling blocks. While sufficient time for consultation and buy-in needs to be provided for, it is important that mergers move as quickly as possible to implementation. Well-planned and sensible merger efforts appear to have been largely successful even if the efforts were strongly contested at the time. The geographical spread of institutions can make mergers and collaboration difficult. Technology can go some way towards addressing this, but in many cases, courses have to be repeated at the different centres of merged institutions, due to the constraints on the mobility of students. It is likely that the development of academically sound programmes and management in smaller, more distantly located campuses will be disadvantaged. Bigger is not necessarily better as focus/niche areas may be threatened in larger institutions, and there is a danger of conformity of academic programmes across the system being encouraged, rather than encouraging diversity. Corporate experience of mergers has pointed towards conformity of offerings (Segal Horn, 1999). Only unnecessary duplication should be removed from the programme offerings. For contact institutions, distances between sites means that many subjects would have to be offered at all delivery sites. Cultural, religious, racial and gender diversity need to be assured and balanced. Enhanced academic programme offerings can be achieved in the merging of some institutions, although this possibility needs to be carefully reviewed in each case. Larger institutions can generally offer a wider range of programme offerings so that student choice is theoretically enhanced. However, making this improvement real would depend on the geographical proximity of campuses. The closure of non-viable institutions can be avoided through mergers. Where the financial position of some universities and technikons is poor mechanisms can be put in place to concentrate further capital development and share expertise. The perceptions of quality of institutions involved in the restructuring process are likely to impact on its success. Where institutions of differing quality are involved in mergers, there is a chance that the ‘stronger’ institution will lose confidence in the merger process, and the weaker institution will see the merger as a threat.

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5

THE POSSIBILITIES OF RESTRUCTURING IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT

The institutional submissions to the National Working Group (September 2001) reveal some negotiations for mergers and a number of collaboration initiatives which address a range of issues, such as shared teaching and research, joint appointments, and sharing of resources and equipment. These moves have been increasingly driven by the desire to save costs, share the available expertise and knowledge and resources base to improve quality, and avoid the closure of institutions which are suffering as a result of financial stringency and the national dip in enrolments. The NPHE and the brief of the National Working Group make it likely that South African higher education institutions will be faced with recommendations for institutional mergers and restructuring on an unprecedented scale. In the circumstances, it is useful to consider what forms these recommendations might take, drawing on best practice and learning from experience elsewhere so that the implications are clearly understood. Taking into account the unique factors which affect the institutional landscape and the rationale for the restructuring exercise as implicit in the benchmarking criteria released by the NWG, four broad types of mergers and collaboration seem likely.

Scenario 1— The Growth Model Two strong institutions, which are equals in terms of their market shares and strengths, decide to come together. The relationship is driven by the need to grow and builds on high levels of complementarity, the advantages of scale, and the reduction of unnecessary duplication of provision. This model can be realised in a variety of structural forms, from a loose federation to a unitary merger. The merger should ideally be set in motion within a timeframe for completion (say 3 years). It can take place across sectors, and is more effective where institutions are in close geographical proximity. However, at a time when the DoE is seeking consolidation and improved quality as opposed to expansion, the benefits of increased size may not be obvious. Although the new institution may spend less money per student, there is also the potential for diseconomies, for failing to honour higher education policy goals, and for the spur for reduced duplication to lead to drift across sectors.

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Scenario 2— The Balanced Model

l

A significant number of institutions in the system are vulnerable in terms of financial sustainability, academic and other resources, and their ability to continue attracting students. High levels of accumulated debt and other structural problems have compounded historical inequalities. Yet it is often such institutions that fulfil an important role in providing access, and particularly in increasing participation rates. When one considers balance, equity, and preserving and consolidating existing capacity in the system within a more viable and rational framework, institutionally weaker universities have much to gain from seeking to merge with stronger institutions in their vicinity. However, unless the overall systemic purposes for mergers are clear and compelling, the advantages for stronger institutions could be difficult to identify. The state is a third party. It may put pressure on the stronger institution to merge and take on the responsibility of managing the merged entity, with the potential benefit for the transformation agenda of changing the demographic profile. This benefit, of course, requires careful negotiation of institutional culture and of costs to students if it is not to be statistical sleight of hand which preserves the status quo. The advantages claimed for the system as a whole from such mergers are rationalised programme delivery, improved efficiencies in terms of costs, and improved access, but these are long-term gains which require immediate and substantial investment by the state if they are to be realised. Scenario 3— The Cultura Model The state has committed itself to supporting and preserving language and cultural rights in education, but there is nevertheless a perception that institutional cultures particularly in historically white institutions have not changed as much or as readily as had been expected, despite changes in student profiles. Institutions in which staffing profiles have remained near static are likely to encounter continuing negative attention from the state. A strong case may be made in these circumstances to see changes in institutional culture brought about by far-reaching collaboration agreements. Again, we would have to note the danger of statistical sleight of hand which shows large change in the bottom line that means little change in practice. In a context where the legacy of apartheid has shaped institutional cultures profoundly through racism and inequality, realising substantial change poses a major challenge to institutional leaders and to the Ministry. Scenario 4— The Spatial Model Under apartheid, race and space were used with particular effect in the discriminatory regulation of access to services and facilities. Whereas historically white institutions were established in prime, accessible areas, most historically black institutions were designed as rural and often isolated campuses for purposes of control. In other cases there was duplication of facilities (often in close proximity), the wastefulness highlighted by placing them under different racial jurisdictions but serving what for our purposes are the same target groups. As a consequence of this duplication, formerly

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black and white institutions (and universities and technikons) are separated in some instances by little more than a fence. A case may well be made in these conditions for collaborative arrangements based on shared services, joint programme delivery, unified administration and a host of other functions. The benefits of such arrangements will be in the potential to lower costs, improve efficiencies, lower overheads, improve the use of expensive urban properties, and improve student access. The spatial model offers some immediate potential benefits in urban settings although, like all the models, it requires significant investment from the state. This model is weak where capacity, long distances and poor infrastructure may make regional cooperation costly and cumbersome. Emerging Options for South Africa An analysis of the institutional plans and proposed programme and qualification mixes (PQMs) submitted by institutions to the Department of Education in July 2001 and the later submissions to the NWG shows that there is not a structured but free-flowing exchange of ideas and interaction amongst institutions at a regional and national level. The uneven set of responses indicates that, on the whole, institutions have engaged with the challenge of rethinking their mission and the alignment of new programme offerings with this mission as individual institutions on the basis of historical strengths. In a sense, this was what the Ministry required, and in some areas regional groups took the PQMs as a first step and have since been exploring larger possibilities. It is SAUVCA’s view that, while a national framework for restructuring which is driven by the Department of Education is a precondition for success, the involvement of institutions and their leaders in the decisions taken around the restructuring of the higher education sector, within reasonable timeframes, is absolutely essential. As international experience amply attests, without ownership of the process and the outcomes, restructuring is unlikely to succeed in achieving the goals of the NPHE. In sum, if institutional insularity is one problem, the South African tendency to create the "big moment declaration" from Task Teams appointed on a short-term basis is another. It forecloses too early on scenario-planning from top and bottom and limits deepening involvement and ownership, with serious consequences. Discussions about mergers and collaboration are not new to South African institutions. However, the effectiveness of the discussions has, in the past, been constrained by four factors: the lack of a clear vision at the level of national policy, costs which the institutions cannot afford, political considerations, and the different histories and experiences of institutions. There has been a new series of such discussions prompted by the NPHE. Without supporting an unqualified regionalism, two SAUVCA national workshops provided an opportunity for further discussion and consolidation of some of the approaches being considered in different regions. The discussions indicated that while institutions accept the importance of increased and more structured collaboration in order to achieve the objectives of the NPHE, very few institutions are convinced of the benefits for the system as a whole which would be delivered by institutional mergers. The reasons are practical. It seems as if mergers are offered as the panacea for almost all of the difficulties mentioned by the NWG in interactions with institutions: diseconomies of scale, dysfunctional institutions, proximity, etc. To build confidence of the kind which is essential to the success of the

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restructuring, there will have to be much more evidence than there has been that the substantial issues are understood, that their implications have been taken into account, and that less disruptive and costly ways of attaining agreed goals have been given due weight. In what follows, summaries of the current processes in regions are given. Contact Institutions • KWAZULU NATAL In KwaZulu-Natal, discussion of various models for a coordinated higher education system has been on the regional agenda for the past decade. This has involved all the institutions in the regional consortium, both universities and technikons. Recently, the universities have moved towards consensus about the desirability of exploring a unitary structure, involving two, or perhaps all three universities in the region, although a precise understanding, or indeed a common regional understanding, of the term ‘unitary’ has not been agreed. The objective will be to strengthen and consolidate the programmes on offer in the region. The consolidation process could be initiated by the development of a charter by all parties, which identifies pre-conditions for any restructuring, and a well-planned and flexible approach to the rationalisation of academic programmes. Structured collaboration could be phased in with a view to forming a consolidated institution over time. Articulation arrangements with the technikons could form part of the phased approach. The Department of Education will be approached to allocate funds for the planning process and to cover the costs of consolidation and also to undertake a due diligence study in each of the institutions. This option combines the advantages implicit in the balanced model and the cultural model although it is recognized that the student demography is changing substantially. In particular, it would demonstrate a willingness to explore the efficiency and equity imperatives in a province which has a critical mass of learners and economic muscle. It would constitute a major undertaking and the pre-requisites for its success are the need to secure commitment from the governance structures to engage in a strategic due diligence process. Indeed due diligence studies, adequately funded, and supported by the various governance structures, are a pre-requisite for the implementation of any restructuring proposal of this magnitude, as is funding for the implementation process itself.

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• WESTERN CAPE The Western Cape institutions have developed a "Platform Model" for formal collaboration, involving the universities and technikons in the region. This will effect articulation agreements, joint academic offerings, joint planning of new programmes and removal of unproductive duplication through a series of regional agreements which could vary in tightness. The platform model signifies an important shift as it focuses less on structural arrangements and keeps the joint planning of higher education programmes in the region crisply in focus. This could strengthen academic programmes in a regional system of offerings in major areas such as medical specialisation, nursing, dentistry, teacher education, biotechnology, performing arts, visual arts and design, modern languages, and information and communication technology. The number of institutions in the region will not be reduced but the platform model will facilitate effective restructuring of HE programmes. The development of federal and unitary structures may arise from the increasing collaboration in the region (such as a regional performing arts entity). Careful and purposeful planning in key policy areas would create a system which is conducive to improving access, equity and quality, and which articulates well with secondary and further education institutions. That process would need strengthening by government incentives and delivery within specified time frames. A mission differentiation process and a programme mix overview of the region are under way. This model has considerable potential, especially since the institutions have fairly clear identities, are viable and are concentrated in and around Cape Town, with the greatest distance between them being less than 50 kms. • EASTERN CAPE The Eastern Cape poses very particular challenges in terms of the location of the institutions, and the particular characteristics of the region, including poverty and low throughput rates from the schooling sector. The concentration of learners is in the cities of East London and Port Elizabeth and the majority of the institutions are fair distances away. Unitra is situated approximately 300kms from Fort Hare and 400km from Rhodes. Port Elizabeth is approximately 120kms from Rhodes. Close collaboration and planning to avoid unnecessary duplication is taking place between the different institutions in the region through the regional structure, ECHEA. The main objective of the collaboration is to strengthen the offering of academic programmes to address the needs of students. There are four models being considered at present which affect the different parts of this region. The possible formation of "Newnitra" has been explored, which is a loose federation between Unitra, the technikons in the Umtata and East London regions and some further education colleges. This will create a cross sectoral federation which will strengthen the articulation in the region. Deliberate over-provision by providers in this region will be discouraged. Expertise and centres of excellence at Fort Hare and Rhodes could complement the new institution.

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The University of Port Elizabeth (UPE), PE Technikon and Vista University are exploring the formation of a loose federal arrangement over the next three years, with a view to the formation of a single institution within the next ten years. While the geographical proximity of PE Technikon and UPE is not regarded as a convincing reason to seek the merger of the two institutions, there may be opportunities for shared infrastructural and administrative resources in the spirit of closer collaboration. There is some overlap in the programmes on offer, and potential synergies between certain academic programmes and research directions at the two institutions. However, the dangers exist of creating a hybrid institution with a strategically confusing combination of distinct programme mixes and qualification types, and of encouraging academic drift, towards either the university or technikon programmes. The promise of economies of scale is more realisable in distance education than contact cross-binary mergers. The institutions operating in and around East London (Rhodes, Unisa, PE Tech, Border Tech and Eastern Cape Tech) will seek stronger forms of collaboration with the possibility of forming a multi-campus facility. Based in East London, it would have videoconference sites in Umtata, Butterworth, Alice and Grahamstown with possibilities for expansion where needed. Fort Hare and Rhodes would remain as separate and autonomous institutions. Rhodes has extended an offer to become the axis institution should a collaborative facility be established in the East London area. It is believed that these arrangements take the best advantage of the geographical position of the institutions, and their current programme offerings. Through this collaboration, access will be increased and a set of common values developed, making the best use of existing strengths. Cross sectoral synergies are also being explored between universities and technikons. A substantial injection of funds is required, irrespective of which arrangements may ultimately prevail as the spectrum of possibilities range from formal collaboration to possible mergers. In addition, new interim regional structures may be required such as a regional clearing house for new qualification proposals, the co ordination of the activities of sub-clusters and the facilitated cooperation at the operational level (involving Deans, administrative and student services)

• GAUTENG

Gauteng is a populous province served by a number of institutions. Two large universities (20 000 students each) are situated in close proximity to each other in Johannesburg, and close to a large technikon. Rather than identifying the most appropriate structure for the region, institutions in the Gauteng region envisage that the structure will be determined by a system of formal agreements for increased collaboration. Issues such as articulation between programmes is therefore of increasing importance. Achieving cross-sectoral collaboration is possible with respect to facilities and infrastructure, but there is strong support for maintaining the binary divide. The incorporation of the Soweto campus is still subject to further discussions.

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• NORTHERN GAUTENG AND NORTHERN PROVINCE

In northern Gauteng, and the Northern Province, a loose grouping comprising the University of Pretoria, Medunsa, and the universities of the North and Venda have considered possible options, in a situation confounded by the following characteristics: this grouping of institutions comprises a large mixed mode institution based in Pretoria of full capacity size, a Vista contact campus, Medunsa (a focused provider of medical programmes), UNIN (a medium sized institution, based in Pietersburg) and a rural-based Venda. The campuses are situated across a widely dispersed area with distances between institutions of up to 500 kms. The distance between campuses militates against possibilities of a balanced model despite the potentially creative profiles and institutional mixes. The likelihood of potential cost savings is also minimised as a number of academic courses would have to be duplicated. In addition, the distance between the institutions prevents the meaningful change of institutional cultures and the achievement of an added strategic academic programmes edge as the campuses would remain relatively separate even if two or three institutions were placed within one management structure. Nevertheless, creative options are being considered, particularly with regard to looser forms of structural collaboration or federal merger arrangements involving Medunsa and the universities of the North and Venda. Stronger institutions in the region have indicated a willingness to assume agreed responsibility for assistance in building capacity and expertise in the more vulnerable institutions (balanced model). Articulation and collaboration arrangements between the different institutions which have complementary missions could assist in addressing equity and access issues by structuring partnerships between HWUs and HBUs. The creation of a climate conducive to the pursuit of these partnership discussions and negotiations will be essential for firstly defining mutual gains and secondly responding to national goals; this approach would minimise "take-over" fear and maximise cooperation. • NORTH WEST

The North West province has three HEI’s, situated at an average distance of more than 220 Kms from one another, in a semi-arid region where 63,42% of the population is rural. Poverty, lack of or poor school education, health and social challenges are endemic. The University of the North West and the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education have been co-operating in various respects under ad hoc arrangements and a framework agreement for some time. Emanating from this experience, discussions commenced between the two universities and the Technikon North West in June 2001, aimed at setting up a binding association between the three institutions.

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The association will enable the three founding institutions to contribute meaningfully to attaining the goals of the NPHE, through enabling structured articulation with other institutions and stakeholders in the various education and training sectors in the region as well. Joint structures will be set up by the three institutions to co-ordinate, monitor and manage the specific activities of the association, within agreed boundary conditions and according to a shared vision and values.A nexus of agreements backed by a basic agreement, will be entered into and projects will be managed rigorously to realise the agreed results, while lowering the transaction costs.

Project teams are currently engaged in shaping a number of prioritised collaborative interventions in terms of the association. The first projects relate to ICT connectivity, capacity building for and re-alignment of the institutions’ academic and support staff, developing and consolidating complementary - and rationalising unnecessary - academic programmes, e.g. in the fields of agriculture; public management; law; indigenous languages; teacher upgrading, especially in SET teaching; health sciences and research into land claims, land use and rural development, both economically and socially.

Potchefstroom University is also involved in discussions in the Vaal Triangle, about the possible way forward between its Vanderbijlpark campus and the Sebokeng campus of Vista University. • FREE STATE The University of the Free State and the QwaQwa campus of the University of the North have initiated talks for the incorporation of the QwaQwa campus into the university. A joint planning committee has been set up for this purpose. Considerable progress has been achieved and this process offers important lessons for other incorporations of Vista campuses. Organisational and cultural differences between the two institutions together with the distance between the campuses will contribute towards the complexity of the functioning of the new entity. Distance Education The Minister has already announced his intention to merge the three major distance education institutions (Vista, Unisa and Technikon SA). Economies of scale are generally easier to achieve with the merger of distance institutions than with contact institutions and it is likely that cost savings will be achieved. The creation of a cross-sectoral institution will also be easier to achieve in distance than in contact education. Separate academic boards are likely to be established, at least for the initial phases of the merger. The development of an agreed vision for the new institution is important to secure as early as possible.

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Conclusion

While institutional mergers may theoretically have significant benefits in terms of being more cost effective in the long term and increasing the quality and variety of programmes offered by institutions, these benefits are not necessary products of mergers, and the probability of their being delivered has not been demonstrated. The success of mergers depends on a number of factors, some of which are difficult to anticipate and control. Further, an element of the reconfiguration of the institutional landscape has already been decided by the Minister: all delivery sites will be retained, thus limiting the scope for some cost-efficiencies.

There are few precedents for the kinds of costly reconfiguration suggested in the National Working Group’s brief, even in relatively affluent countries, and these precedents are of doubtful relevance. There is considerable evidence to suggest a huge escalation in costs, at least in the short and medium term, whereas the case for long-term economic gains still has to be made in a macro-economic model, particularly in terms of the financial sustainability of academic programmes on the delivery sites.

The change process will require a dedicated tranche of funds as incentive and support for the development phase of new organisational identities.

Given the weight of international evidence and the distinctive features of the South African situation, it would be wise to: • Seriously examine models other than mergers - a whole continuum of strategic possibilities of

which exist and have hitherto received scant policy attention; the one size-fits all approach may well be unhelpful and unscientific to remedy a wide range of problems;

• Proceed firmly in addressing immediate problems, perhaps using a few cases as a means of assessing all the variables as changes take effect over, say, a three year period. Modest estimates of the costs of mergers show them to be costly at first: student financial issues have to be addressed if numbers are not to fall, human resources adjustments have to be paid for, salaries have to be brought onto the same scale, and there are significant set-up administrative and capital expenses to be considered. Limits to the capacity of the budget and the resilience of the system, as well as the need to understand South African variables better, urge this more tentative approach.

• Build incentives for the achievement of planning goals into the funding model so that institutions can see the way towards achieving the desired ends.

• Consider mergers only when it can be shown that the change is likely to strengthen academic programmes and advance access and equity. This will make for credibility.

• Consider mergers only where there is strong support from the institutions involved, the institutions are located in reasonable proximity, and institutional cultures appear to be compatible (or there are clear and credible plans for overcoming difficulties).

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Handled well by the Ministry and the institutions working together, some mergers may make very good sense. However, the full range of ways of achieving the goals of the NPHE has to be considered. Most SA institutions, committed to the NPHE, regard mergers on a large scale in our circumstances as costly, complex, destabilising and unlikely to achieve the benefits attributed to them. Other ways of achieving the objectives are being explored seriously by institutions in the different regions across South Africa out of a genuine willingness to participate effectively in the restructuring process. Mergers are a high-risk management strategy. Structured collaboration, partnerships and mission differentiation may be more likely to achieve NPHE objectives in many circumstances. Institutions are increasingly open to new arrangements. However, it is clear that these arrangements will need to be negotiated and the practical implications understood and dealt with by all parties including the Ministry. The importance of ownership cannot be overestimated. This is particularly evident when it comes to practical issues. For example, there are clear tensions between strategies for achieving efficiency and those for achieving equity, and these can only be addressed as institutions develop complementary visions, missions and logistics. In other words, restructuring must be an ongoing and incremental process, involving considerable interaction both between institutions and between institutions and the Ministry, if it is to be effective. The Ministry must drive this process, but it must do so in a dynamic partnership with institutions.

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6

EXPLORING A WAY FORWARD

The inequalities in our system in terms of access, programme offerings, quality and infrastructure are acknowledged. The question is not whether the identified outcomes are desirable but how to achieve these outcomes whilst balancing change stab lity and autonomy. Reconfiguration of the institutional landscape is not in itself good or bad. It must provide demonstrable educational benefits in terms of the objectives of the NPHE at reasonable cost.

, i

In many cases, restructuring efforts have been integral parts of major programmes of expansion and adjustment as relatively small and elite systems of higher education have moved to mass higher education, catering not only for far larger numbers of students but also for much greater diversity in student populations. Within this context, the dominant trend has been to move from relatively small and often highly specialised institutions towards larger and more comprehensive institutions, and from institutions operating on single sites or campuses to multi-site and multi-campus institutions. In Australia's case, when the mergers were encouraged, enrolments were on a growth path, the restructuring budget was sizeable, the Minister as a restructuring champion engaged systematically with the institutions, clear drivers were identified, a reasonable period of time (two years) was allowed for institutions to generate merger options and colleges of education were the targeted institutions for mergers. Another factor conducive to success was that national salary scales covered colleges of education and universities so that the problem of levelling salaries did not arise. However, successful restructuring of various kinds depends on a number of contextual factors, and we have to be clear whether or not the requirements for any specific kind of restructuring are present before we proceed. While institutional mergers are viewed as a possibility by some institutions, they constitute only one option for achieving national goals. A range of others should be considered. It is essential to preserve the many elements of strength and innovation within our system and to address the problematic elements directly. In many, perhaps most, instances, it is unlikely that mergers will solve these problems or, in fact, be viable, given South African circumstances. Further, the system as a whole will experience unprecedented and damaging stress if the merger process is not handled credibly and with attention to practical details. It is the strong contention of the institutional leaders in SAUVCA that there are usually other, more effective ways of achieving the goals outlined in the NPHE. These are addressed in more detail in the section below.

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Institutions are open to change and willing to take responsibility for addressing the problems in the sector, provided that the resources are made available and that the consultation process is transparent and designed to address specific planning and capacity-building goals. With that in mind, we have to note that the restructuring initiative is being driven at a fast pace, without the necessary time and resources for planning and preparation. Accurate information-sharing and perspectives-sharing is essential if well-informed options are to be developed and decisions taken. Our comments are based on the experience of international mergers and on prevailing conditions in the higher education system. Some of the anticipated benefits, listed on page five, may indeed be realised through certain institutional mergers in the SA context. However, we must register the following reservations:

1. The merging of institutions separated by large distances is unlikely to have an impact on the culture of these institutions and it is likely that the cultures of different campuses will remain entrenched.

2. Quality differences need to be addressed through direct interventions targeting quality assurance and management within institutions in the first instance.

3. South African higher education can ill afford the high and readily predictable costs which will be incurred for students, for institutions and for the system as a whole if there are large-scale mergers.

4. The biggest cost in any merger is that of senior staff time. To use all this in the implementation of mergers will distract energies from many more serious policy concerns of the NPHE such as the implementation of the new funding framework, the proposed new academic policy and the quality assurance approach within higher education.

Alternatives to mergers The National Plan for Higher Education identifies clear objectives for higher education which are likely to be more effectively achieved through the consultative implementation of a number of different steering mechanisms and instruments, rather than the blunt imposition of restructuring recommendations. The joint implementation and streamlining of these mechanisms and instruments would be decidedly in the interests of the sector as a whole. The following steps are imperative if that is to be achieved. i. Formal and accountable articulation and access agreements, underpinned by legal

documents, must be established to bind institutions to associations in carefully selected programme areas or resource-sharing arrangements. Appendix One identifies key elements of sound collaboration agreements.

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ii. Direct interventions to address the shortage of management capacity in the system as a whole are necessary. Spreading this capacity more thinly is unlikely to achieve any benefits for the system as a whole.

iii. An environment for open discussion in which institutions are encouraged to find ways

to collaborate in areas of mutual interest or in the interest of the system as a whole, must be fostered and nurtured. This can be achieved through commitment from national/state structures to careful and meaningful consultation within reasonable timeframes. The MOE should consider financial support to launch such collaborative efforts. Apart from the academic programmes, potential areas of collaboration include purchasing, MIS and software development, risk management, staff development and training, student services, regional admissions systems and clearing house facilities, HR and Industrial Relations, HIV/AIDS, Safety and Health issues and joint marketing.

iv. Employment Equity legislation must be complied with, efforts to this end being

supported by interventions to help institutions identify and sustain a diverse staffing profile. The legal framework may need to be amended to enable breaking the deadlock of contractual employment obligations that complicates joint appointments and the sharing of resources.

v. Resources must be made available to existing sites to allow them to become niche-

focused, quality institutions. Notwithstanding the potential scope of offerings, institutions should be encouraged to focus on and prioritise those areas that can make the most cost-effective contribution to specific regions. Measures of accountability must be put in place.

vi. Financial incentives must be introduced into the new subsidy formula to steer

institutions to collaborate without coercion from the state, i.e. the state should respect institutional autonomy but create incentives for collaboration.

vii. The new funding formula must include incentives (and possible disincentives) to attain

a match between institutional missions, programme offerings, and regional and national needs. Competition between institutions has in some instances been damaging and unproductive. There is support for the need to align institutional missions with niche-focused programme offerings in key areas.

viii. Innovation must be encouraged as an essential dynamic for the strengthening of the

system as a whole. Means to this end should include the creation or encouragement of additional funding streams and incentives to staff and regional stakeholders. For example, commercial research as a means of building institutional financial robustness can be encouraged by providing financial support and creating an enabling environment to draw industry into partnerships with several cross sector

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departments or faculties linked to entrepreneurships and the co-funding of science parks.

ix. The increased focus on regionalism makes regional policy and the development of a

shared inter-institutional understanding of the regional identity desirable if not absolutely necessary.

The present restructuring initiative is predicated on the notion that tough decisions and decisive action have to be taken if the transformation of the higher education landscape is to be realised. This paper has argued for prudence and caution. The lack of experience with mergers in SA and the probability of considerable costs attending them, make radical restructuring a hazardous and potentially damaging enterprise. Four conditions for mergers to succeed must be repeated here: • there must be strong support for mergers from participating institutions; • the institutions concerned must be geographically closely situated; • the merger process must be adequately resourced; and • there must be good reasons to believe that the mergers will strengthen academic programmes and

promote access and equity.

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REFERENCES Adamastor Trust, (no date). A Compact to Facilitate Regional Cooperation in Higher Education in the Western Cape. Adamastor Trust, (no date). Concept Paper: A Way of Thinking about Regional Cooperation. Adamastor Trust, (no date). Report to Senates and Councils by the Adamastor Trustees on a Workshop with Heads of Institutions to Facilitate Regional Programme Collaboration in the Western Cape. Brown R, January 2001. Cooperation and Collaboration: Informing the Debate, Paper Presented at Cooperation and Collaboration, Promoting Strategic Alliances in Higher Education. London. Buono AR & Bowditch JL, 1989. The Human Side of Mergers and Acquisitions - Managing Collisions between People, Cultures and Organisations. Jossey-Bass Publishers: San Francisco. Clark BR, 1983. The Higher Education System: Academic Organisation in Cross-National Perspective. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. Clarke P, 10 July 2001. Interview with the Chief Executive Officer – Eastern Cape Higher Education Association (ECHEA). Crossley G, January 2001. Can Small be Beautiful – A View from the Higher Education Colleges. Paper Presented at Cooperation and Collaboration: Promoting Strategic Alliances in Higher Education. London. Department of Education, June 1998. The Incorporation of Colleges of Education into the Higher Education Sector – A Framework for Implementation. Pretoria. Douglass JA, April 2000. Institutional Differentiation and Coordination: A Case Study of California, Center for Studies in Higher Education. UC Berkeley. Fielden J & Markham L, 1997. Learning Lessons from Mergers in Higher Education. CHEMS Paper No 17. Fielden J, (no date). The Spectrum from Mergers to Collaboration. Fielden J & Greenop Y, December 2000. Federal University Structures: Models and Lessons. CHEMS Paper No 32. Fielden J & Markham L, 1997. Lessons Learned from Mergers in Higher Education. CHEMS Paper No 17. London. File J & Goedgebuure L, November 2000. Thinking about the South Africa Higher Education Institutional Landscape, Report Commissioned by the Council on Higher Education Shape and Size Task Team from the Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies. FOTIM, July 2001. Interview with Dr H Edwards.

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Goedegebuure LCJ, 1992. Mergers in Higher Education: A Comparative Perspective. Enschede: Universitiet Twente. Goedegebuure LCJ, 1989. Institutional Mergers and System Change: Reconstructing the Sector of Higher Vocational Education, in PAM Maassen and FA van Vught (Eds), Dutch Higher Education in Transition: Policy Issues in Higher Education in the Netherlands. Culemborg: Lemma. Hall J, January 2001. Legal Implications, Paper Presented at Cooperation and Collaboration: Promoting Strategic Alliances in Higher Education. London. Harman G, 2000. Institutional Mergers in Australian Higher Education, Higher Education Quarterly, 54, 4, October, 343-366. Harman G, 1991. Institutional Amalgamations and Abolition of the Binary System in Australian Higher Education under J Dawkins, Higher Education Quarterly, 45, 1, Spring, 176-198. Harman G, 1986. Restructuring Higher Education Systems through Institutional Mergers: Australian Experience, 1981-1983. Higher Education, 15, 567-586. Harman G, 1981. The Razor Gang Decisions, the Guidelines to the Commissions and Commonwealth Education Policy, Vestes: The Australian Universities' Review, 24, 2, 28-40. Harman G, Beswick D & Schofield H, 1985. The Amalgamation of Colleges of Advanced Education at Ballarat and Bendigo. Parkville: Centre for the Study of Higher Education. University of Melbourne. Harman G & Meek VL (Eds), 1988. Institutional Amalgamations in Higher Education: Process and Outcome in Five Countries. Armidale: Department of Administrative and Higher Education Studies. University of New England. Harman G & Cuninghame R, 1995. The Network UNE Experience: Reflections on the Amalgamated University of New England 1989-1993. Armidale: Department of Administrative, Higher and Adult Education Studies. University of New England. Harman KM, 1989. Culture and Conflict in Academic Organisation: Symbolic Aspects of University Worlds. Journal of Educational Administration, 27, 3, 31-55. Harman KM, (in press – no date). Merging Divergent Campus Cultures into Coherent Educational Communities: Challenges for Higher Education Leaders, Higher Education. Hay HR, Fourie M & Hay JF, 2001. Are Institutional Combinations, Mergers or Amalgamation the Answer? An Investigation into Staff Perceptions. South African Journal of Higher Education, Vol 15, No 1, 100-108. HEFCE, (no date). Approach to Mergers in Higher Education, (Summary). HEFCE, (no date). A Report to the National Assembly for Wales: The Scope for Institutional Mergers at the Higher Educational Level. Higher Education Funding Council, Circular W99/101 HE. Higher Education Funding Council of England, 1999. Restructuring and Collaboration Fund: Report on Progress. Bristol.

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Higher Education, 1988. A Policy Statement. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.

Higher Education, 1987. A Policy Discussion Paper. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. Hui W, 29 December 2000. Educational Reform Refined for 2001. China Daily. JET, 2001. Report of Activities and Progress in the Incorporation Process. Lee EC & Bowen FM, 1971. The Multi Campus University: A Study of Academic Governance. New York: McGraw-Hill. Locke M, Pratt J & Burgess T, 1985. The Colleges of Higher Education 1972 to 1982: The Central Management of Organic Change. Croydon: Critical Press. Martin J and Samels JE, 1994. Conclusion: The Mutual-Growth Process – Myths and Realities, in Martin J, Samels JE & Associates (Eds), Merging Colleges for Mutual Growth: A New Strategy for Managers, 227-238. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. Millett JD, 1976. Mergers in Higher Education: An Analysis of Ten Case Studies. Washington: Academy for Educational Development. Morgan A, 2000. Reform in Hungarian Higher Education, CIHE. National Working Group on the Restructuring of the Higher Education System, 2001. Terms of Reference. Newby H, 23 January 2001. Home and Away: National and International Perspectives on University Collaboration, Conference on Cooperation and Collaboration: Promoting Strategic Alliances in Higher Education. Pettigrew AM, 1979. On Studying Organisational Cultures. Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol 24, 570-581. Price Waterhouse Coopers, ML Sultan Technikon & Technikon Natal, 2000. Phase II: Detailed Merger Investigation. Reddy J, 2001. The Merging of Higher Education Institutions: Lessons of International Experience for the Reconfiguration of the South Africa High Education System. Reddy J, 2000. Mergers or Combinations. Reddy J, December 1998. Regional Consortia, Partnerships, Mergers and their Implications for the Transformation of the South African Higher Education System. Reddy J, 1997. The Challenge of Establishing a Single University for KwaZulu Natal. Robinson E, 1977. Mergers in Higher Education, in A Knowles (Ed), International Encyclopaedia of Higher Education. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Skodvin O, 1999. Mergers in Higher Education: Success of Failure, Olso: Norwegian Institute for Studies in Research and Higher Education.

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Smyth JA, 1995. Policy Analysis of Higher Education Reform in Australia in the Context of Globalisation. Strydom J, 2000. Inter-institutional Cooperation, Information Service on Higher Education Academic Programme Planning and Development, Vol 10, No1. Temple P & Whitchurch C, 1994. An International Perspective: Recent Growth Mergers in British Higher Education in J Martin, JE Samels & Associates (Eds), Merging Colleges for Mutual Growth: A New Strategy for Managers. Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins Press. Van der Werf M, 23 March 2001. Chronicle of Higher Education: More Colleges are seeing the Virtues of Collaboration. Vergnani L, 27 April 2001. Chronicle for Higher Education: Moving South Africa’s Universities Beyond Educational Apartheid. Weifang M, 1999. Improving the Effectiveness of Higher Education Institutions through Inter-University Cooperation: The Case of Peking University. Weifang M, 1994. A Case Study of an Institutional Merger in Hubei Province. People’s Republic of China. Zhao F, February 1998. A Remarkable Move of Restructuring: Chinese Higher education, University of Western Australia, Education Policy Analysis Archives, Vol 6, No 5.

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Appendix 1

Checklist for Collaboration Agreements

(Excerpted from Hall, 2001)

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Checklist for Collaboration Agreements (Excerpted from Hall, 2001)

1. Entry criteria

• Number of founding members • Should additional members be allowed to join? • If so, within what period of time • What would be the entry criteria? • Should associated or affiliated members be admitted? • If so, what would be the entry criteria for such member and will there be transitional

arrangements leading eventually to full membership? • How can the founding members protect the mission and ethos of the project i.e. from the

effects of dilution? • Should there be any geographical restrictions on the project, e.g. limited to education

institutions located within a defined region? • Should founder members have any special rights?

2. Provision on termination

• How easy should it be for members to exit from the Agreement? • What level of commitment should members be under taking? • Should the Agreement provide for a transitional period of no exit? Should the Agreement

stipulate an initial fixed period of 2-3 years when the Agreement cannot be terminated by notice?

• What should the minimum length of notice to terminate the Agreement? • At what point of time in the academic year should members be allowed to leave? • Should members have the right to expel a member? If so, the grounds for expulsion need to

be specified? • What costs should be attached to exit?

3. Funding

• Should a business plan be formulated before funding is considered? • How should the start up cost be funded? • In what proportions should initial and then further funds be advanced? Is this to be based on a

formula? e.g. income of each member proportionate to aggregate income? 4. Joint Board

• What should be the size and composition of the Joint Board? • Should each member institution have the right to appoint one or more representatives to the

Board? Should representatives of the relevant governing body be appointed? • Cross representation?

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5. Planning

• What authority should the Joint Board have for planning? • What will be the planning cycle? • What will be the mechanics and timetable for agreeing and reviewing the joint strategic plans

etc? • How should strategic planning be implemented and monitored? • How should the board be advised by a Joint Academic Board or Senate? • If a Joint Academic board or Senate is envisaged, what arrangements are proposed

regarding composition, appointment or remit? 6. Administrative co-operation

• What responsibilities should be vested in the Joint Board, e.g. purchasing, procurement etc? • In what areas should the Board have powers to determine as distinct from powers to advise?

Will its functions be solely advisory? • Should the Board have powers of delegation? • What committee structure is desired? • Should any members of the board (i.e. executive members) be remunerated? • What should be the remit of any Chief Executive? • In respect of what matters should unanimous agreement between founding members (of their

representatives on the Board be required? • Should the board include co-opted members (i.e. persons who are not members of the

governing body of any member institution)? Should any such co-opted members have voting rights, non-voting rights or simply observer status?

7. Curriculum specialisation

• What should the mechanisms be for deciding this? • Should there be any restrictions on members an/or other provisions for enforcing agreed

curriculum specialisation? • Should audits be carried out to establish gaps and overlap? • What should be the mechanism for assessing rival/local institutions curriculum specialisation

to ensure no duplication? • Should there by a skills audit to ensure that curriculum reflects students demand?

8. Other collaboration

• Accreditation agreements — will member institutions remain responsible for control of teaching programmes?

9. Acknowledgement of autonomy/ retention of veto

• Is it envisaged that members will have equal voting rights? • Should voting rights be weighted according to the size of each member/other criteria? • Should only certain matters be decided by weighted voting?

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• Should there be a list of matters requiring simple majority decision and reserved matters requiring unanimity? This overlaps with earlier questions?

• Are there certain areas which require autonomy for operational reasons e.g. research, investment, etc.?

• Who is to exercise any power of the veto?

10. Provision for progress towards further integration/

delegation of functions

• Should there be provision for incremental development of protocols, policies and procedures? What matters should be covered by these arrangements (e.g. teaching and research collaboration)

• Should the collaboration agreement refer to veto rights or would it be preferable to say that unanimous agreement between the parties is needed for fuller integration?

• Should the agreement provide for merger between any of the members? • Should the agreement make any other provision for progression, towards closer co-operation? • Should there be an express provision for diminishing the right to veto and increasing within a

set time period? 11. Variation

• Variation to be in writing and agreed by all members • Should certain matters be varied by a majority vote? • Should certain matters be exclusively the responsibility of the Joint Board and hence only be

varied by them, e.g. financial regulations? 12. Resolution of disputes

• Should there be agreement as to how particular areas are policed? • Should there be provision for disputes to be referred to arbitration and/or alternative dispute

resolution (ADR) procedure? • Should there be a mechanism to resolve disputes at operational level?

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Appendix 2

Institutional Profiles

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S A U V C A

Institutional Profiles (figures are for 2001 unless otherwise indicated)

Unitra UPE Fort Hare Rhodes Wits RAU Unisa

Mission Committed to excellence by offering relevant teaching, research, and community outreach programmes with specific emphasis on the promotion of sustainable, rural development while providing service to the community through optimal utilization of its resources.

To develop intellectually, socially and technologically competent professionals and leaders from diverse cultural and geographical backgrounds through sustaining, generating and imparting advanced knowledge by means of globally competitive research, teaching programmes and strategic networking.

Providing highquality education of international standards contributing to the advancement of knowledge that is socially andethically relevant, and applying that knowledge to the scientific, technological and socio-economic development of our nation and the wider world.

In pursuit of its vision the University will strive to produce outstanding internationally accredited graduates who are innovative, analytical, articulate, balanced and adaptable, with a life long love of learning: and strive, through teaching, research and community service, to contribute to the advancement of international scholarship and the development of the EC and South Africa. The University has positioned itself as a contact undergraduate and postgraduate institution with an

The University of the Witwatersrand, situated at the industrial and commercial heart of South Africa, has as its mission to build on its foundation as a centre for education and research of the highest quality in a way that takes account of its responsibilities within South Africa today; and to maintain and enhance its position as a leading university

RAU expresses its mission as striving to provide for the knowledge, research and community development needs of the South African society by means of quality staff and students who increasingly reflect our society, and through interaction with professionals and the business community

UNISA’s mission is to serve learners and scholars in a manner accountable to society. To this end the University, in collaboration with its strategic partners and in accordance with the national and international vision for higher education, offers a full range of quality learning opportunities in higher education and certification

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emphasis on high quality research and on fostering the all-round development of its students.

in the Republic, in Africa, and in the World by sustaining globally competitive standards of excellence in learning, teaching and research.

including doctoral level to learners and scholars within and beyond the borders of South Africa. Conducts research in order to expand knowledge, promote scholarship and foster pedagogical and social development, and serves the community as a partner by reaching out through its expertise and infrastructure.

Students (2001 headcount unless indicated)

4 603 7 899 (provisional) (contact) including international students.

5 213 6 007 5 806 (2000)

20 471 (estimated, inc JCE enrolments) 18 302 (2000).

14 081 contact 5 342 distance 13 008 cont 2000 5 823 dist 2000

130 347 (headcount 2001) 134 706 (degreecount 2001)

% Postgrad 12% p/g 22% p/g (contact 7% p/g 19% p/g 32.6% p/g 30% p/g 13.8% p/g

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2000) 28% p/g (2000) Racial/gender composition

97% African, 2.25% Indian, 0.25% Coloured, 0.50% Whites. 54% Female, 46% Male

59% African contact students (1999)

99% African, 0,4% Coloured, 0.5% White, 0.1% Indian. 62% Female, 38% Male

35,6% African, 4,7% Coloured, 9,5% Indian, 52% White

63% u/g Black: 43.4% African, 17,9% Indian, 2% Coloured. 51% p/g Black:37,2% African, 10,5% Indian, 2,2% Coloured.

18.5% African, 7% Indian, 3.5% Coloured, 71% White (2001 contact), 59% students fem

56,6% Female; 43,4% Male. 47,2% African; 5,0% Coloured; 11,7% Indian; 36,1% White.

Student intake (geog)

Most students from EC

Majority full time from PE metro area, increasing numbers of SADC students, 6,7% international

80% EC, 9% SADC

G/Town campus: E/C=30%; Rest of SA=44% and international=26%. E/London Campus: E/C=90%; Rest of SA=5% and international=5%

Approx 70% Gauteng, also national, SADC and international markets.

Mainly southern Gauteng with spread from the rest of the country.

2001: Eastern Cape 4,42%; Free State 2,31%; Gauteng 39,26%; KwaZulu/Natal 19,96%; Mpumalanga 4,84%; NorthWest 3,61%; Northern Cape 0,87%; Northern Province 7,13%; Western Cape 9,59%; Unknown 0,33%; South Africa 92,32%; Other SADC 5,20%; Other African 0,37% and elsewhere

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in the world 2,11%..

Niche/Focus Area

Civil Societ, Ethics, Public safety and Law; Language Developoment; Mathematics, Sicence Teachiung and Education; Technology; Governance, Democracy and Development; Women and Development; Business, Finance, Entrepreneurship, Management; Agribusiness; African Studies, Rural Livilihoods and Sustainable Development; Rural Health;

Teacher education, business and health sciences.

Agriculture, liberation studies, law, human rights, theology of empowerment, education development, business and enterprise, development studies, government and public sector studies, information and communication studies, utilization and management of natural biodiversity and ecosystems, applied remote sensing and geographical information systems, biostatistics and epidemiology

G/Town campus: Focus on providing leadership and research opportunities. 6 faculties (Humanities, Commerce, Science, Education, Law, and Pharmacy) offer discipline-based formative degrees with specialisation at p/g level. E/L campus: 4 faculties (Commerce, Education, Humanities and Law) with professionally focused academic programmes, designed to meet the needs of the region.

Comprehensive and research-intensive, special focus on formative, professional and p/g education. Strengths constitute niche areas: SET; Education for managerial positions in the public and private sectors; Production of social scientists with research ability; production and upgrading of school teachers in the key subjects of English Language, Mathematics and Physical Science; national and international research collaboration and the consequent publication of research findings.

Economic and management sciences, education and nursing science, engineering, law and the arts. Adult education market

Foundational, professional and research oriented programmes in Arts, Economic and Management Sciences, Education, Law, Science, Theology and Religious Studies.

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Environment, Tourism and Eco-cultural Tourism

Participation in humanities, science and commerce

50% in human sciences 28% in natural sciences

52: 31: 17 (2001) 54:30:16 (2000)

66.3: 18.4: 15.3 Humanities incl education and law

46: 25: 29 Humanities incl. education and commerce incl. law

35.3: 48.5: 16.2 updated HEMIS 2000 FTE enrolments. Commerce includes Management.

60:12:28 2001: Arts(20,8%); Economic and Management Sciences (42,5%), Education (13,4%); Law (8,4%), Science (5,4%), Theology and Religious Studies (0,9%) Non-degree registration (8,7%)

Staff quals (% PhD)

19.38% 39% full-time staff 29% 48% (approx, 2000) 43.73% (incl tutors)

60% 49,08% of academic staff; 18,56% of all staff.

Anticipated growth areas

The natural, health, economic, business and the human sciences

Natural, economic/ business and health sciences Various professional fields, including building sciences, education and law.

Agriculture, development, education, management, accountancy, entrepeneurship, information processing and analysis, cross disciplinary

Almost full capacity on both campuses. Maintain broad range of disciplines on G/T campus. Postgraduate enrolments on the G/Town campus, enlarging capacity on the East London Campus, particularly in the area

Average growth rate of 3.5 % in student numbers is expected over the next four years.

SET and commerce, envisages continued demand for postgraduate education .

By the end of 2006 an expected enrolment of 150 000 students in formal (subsidized) programmes.

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studies, postgraduate studies.

of Information and Communication Technology.

Access Measures to improve access include, among others, the following: a) the Science Foundation Year Programme (SFYP) b) the Economic Sciences Access Programme (ESAP) c) Senate Discretionary Exemption

UPEAP is focal point for improved access to programmes in Science, Business and Pharmacy. UPE also operates a large number of regional sites concentrating on Maths and Science education, which contribute to greater access.

Number of access programmes offered including Foundation programmes in science and commerce

Foundation programmes in Science, Commerce and Humanities, focus on use of extended curriculum. EnglishLanguage for Academic Purposes (ELAP) course on all foundation programmes. Academic development has moved from a student to a staff focus in dealing with ‘under-preparedness’ and AD Centre is leading the field in developing staff as educators by offering the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education.

Access widened through part time contact programmes, Wits Plus programme focused on adult students, academic support, the College of Science and the Centre for University Learning, Teaching and Development.

In East London, RPL pilot project will complement access programmes in science, commerce and humanities.

Access promoted through foundation programmes and extended curricula, of which several new additions are in development. RAU manages its own school, RAUCALL – a high school for learners from historically disadvantaged communities who show academic potential. An RPL policy is applied by the faculties in order to provide alternative access routes.

As a dedicated distance education provider, access is a priority and 35 000 students were in access programmes in 2000. A large variety of access modules are available providing access to all faculties . Certificate programmes of which the majority can also be used to provide access to certain programmes compliment this, as well as Recognition of Prior Learning at undergraduate level from 2002. It is expected that RPL will also be implemented

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on postgraduate level during the course of 2002. The average age of students is 30 and its market is distinctly an adult learner market and life-long learning..

Collaboration initiatives

Frequent discussions with other higher education institutions in the region through ECHEA

Frequent discussions with other higher education institutions in the region through ECHEA.

As a member of ECHEA, new programmes go through a regional application procedure, where collaboration possibilities are also explored. The SEALS library consortium also operates through ECHEA and the association, through regular meetings at a number of levels has enabled increasingly good cooperation to develop. Centre of excellence in computer studies

Frequent discussions with other higher education institutions in the region through ECHEA Process for regional consideration of applications for new courses or qualifications before submission to the MoE has been operating for two years. Increased sharing of staff resources, particularly at the postgraduate level, library resources as well as expensive teaching and research equipment. Two joint qualifications are offered (Honours in Probation and Correctional Practice with the University of Fort Hare, and a

There is a wide range of collaborative arrangements. The primary agreement between Wits, TWR and RAU is to investigate academic, programme, infrastructural and research collaboration. Wits showed intent to discuss with Vista options for building new institutional and organizational forms, and possible synergies in Maths, Science

Numerous collaboration arrangements with national and international counterparts. The agreement between Wits, TWR and RAU signals intent to a process of collaboration. Agreement with Fort Hare to assist with offering a B Com (Accounting)

Unisa entered into collaboration agreements with 9 public universities, technikons and technical colleges as well as 41 private providers of tertiary education during the last 3 years. These collaboration initiatives varies from the sharing of facilities, the development and/ or licensing of tutorial matter to

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and information science held jointly with Rhodes University, which includes videoconferencing and rotation of students, has been operational for several years. Fort Hare’s accounting programmes will be run in association with the Rand Afrikaans University from 2002. Some programmes have been developed jointly with the Open University and University of South Australia. E-learning modules (mostly for Agriculture programmes) developed in collaboration with University of Zululand, Oregon State and

Diploma in District Health Services Leadership and Management offered jointly by Rhodes, Fort Hare, Unitra and UPE). Joint appointments (most recently the Chair in Money, Banking and Finance shared between Rhodes and Fort Hare) and videoconferencing facilities have enabled senior students in Information Systems and Computer Science at Fort Hare to ‘attend’ lectures at Rhodes in Grahamstown.

and Technology. Role for FOTIM in programme clearing being discussed.

the offering of joint degrees.

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Washington State University. Joint appointments, including the Investec Chair in Money, Banking and Finance, with Rhodes. Joint qualifications: Honours in Probation and Correctional Practices (with Rhodes), Diploma in District Health Services Leadership and Management (with Rhodes, Unitra and UPE), Masters in Policy Studies (with University of Zimbabwe). National Professional Diploma in Education being developed (with UPE, PE Technikon, Rhodes, Border Technikon, E Cape Technikon and Unitra)

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Mode Contact Contact and distance Contact Contact Contact (verysmall number of distance)

Contact and distance through multi-modal education

Open Distance Learning

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Vista FS North West PUCHE Natal DurbanWestville

Zululand

Mission Vista University expresses its mission as an African university for social and economic development that: Seeks excellence in learning, teaching, service and administration; Advances all forms of knowledge, especially the lived experiences of Africa; Promotes the effective and responsible use of knowledge; and Promotes the social and

The UFS mission statement captures its striving to be a top quality university in the new South Africa in pursuit of scholarship and by promoting an academic culture which entails critical scientific reflection, relevant scientific education, pure and applied research, community service, and the development of the total student as part of the institution’s academic culture.

The mission of UNW is expressed as providing students with a balanced, relevant academic and professional training experience, quality qualifications and marketable skills which will enable them to contribute significantly to socio-economic and political development of the country, particularly the NW, through teaching, research and community service

The mission statement of the University consists of five components: Educational task: To provide high quality outcomes-based education and support the full personal development of students. Research: To undertake research in focus areas, linked to the role of serving as a knowledge base in South Africa. Reflection on the essence of science: To reflect on the meta-theoretical aspects of science and their implications. Challenges and opportunities of the contemporary world: To develop expertise, skills and attitudes needed for the 21st Century. Participation in development: To act as an agent for development in a geographical and societal context.

UN has a strategy of Quality with Equity. It dedicates its excellence in teaching, research and development to progress through reconstruction. It serves South Africa and the KwaZulu-Natal region in particular, by delivering quality teaching which enables students to realise their academic potential and to obtain degrees of international standard. It undertakes quality research to national and international standards, and provides development services which

The goals of the University are: To promote teaching, learning and research in the context of academic excellence and social responsibility; To make university education accessible to all with academic potential, including students who are financially disadvantaged, thereby opening up opportunities for their intellectual development, professional training, personal growth and

The University of Zululand is committed to providing Tertiary Education and pursuing knowledge, which serves the needs of the country in general and those of the surrounding communities in particular. With regard to tuition, it strives to provide high quality education which is relevant, needs-focussed and accessible, while its research and community upliftment activities are particularly directed to

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economic development interests of its feeder communities.

meet communityneeds.

empowerment; and

To promote cultural, intercultural and spiritual understanding and tolerance.

problems in the region.

Student numbers (2001)

20 111 (2001). 22 455 (2000)

12 000 contact 2 000 open-learning

5162

12 896 contact 14 318 distance

24 623(2001) 22 356 (2000)

8 031 6000 contact approx

% p/g 10.3% 39% 19% 44% (total) 25% (contact)

32% 35% (2000)

Split by race/gender

97.4% African, 1.8% Coloured, 0.2% Indian, 0.6% White

50% Black, 50% white (contact)

25% African, 2,3% Coloured, 1,4% Indian, 65% White (contact)

46% African, 30% Indian, 21% White, 3% Coloured 56% female

61.8% African, 35.1% Indian, 1.2% Coloured, 1.9% White 57% female

Student intake (geog)

Majority students from Gauteng – 2 027 for distance and 6 321 contact students.

Student undergraduate intake comprises 62% from the FS while the remaining 38% includes students from various parts of the country including those from international and SADC countries

95% from NW Contact students are distributed as follows: 33% NW, 27% Gauteng, 5% KZN, 5% Mpumalanga, 12% FS, 4% EC, 3% WC, 4% NP, 4% NC. KZN and EC accounts for the majority of distance education students in the country (18% and 15% respectively), while 22% are outside SA.

Majority (50%+) from KZN, significant number from the other provinces, 7% international students, (50%+ of these SADC)

Majority from KZN

88% students from KZN, mainly north of the Tugela River, also students from Mpumalanga (5%), Gauteng (4.5%), other African countries (1.5%), WC, EC, FS.

Niche/Foc The Niche areas include 1. Applied Niche areas identified Comprehensive Humanities, Range of

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us Area University’s offerings are organized into faculties of community and business development, law, democracy and development, and science for social and economic development

Mathematical Sciences; Biological Sciences; Physics and Chemistry; Agricultural Sciences including Agricultural Economics; Building and Planning Sciences; Health Sciences and Professions, Social Transformation and Development; Languages and Multilingualism; Economic Sciences and Management and Law.

Radiation Science and Technology 2. Astrophysics 3. Indigenous Knowledge Systems 4. Animal Health Studies 5. Desertification Studies 6. Population and Sustainable Development Studies 7. Symmetry Analysis and Mathematical Modelling (IISAMM) 8. School Improvement and Effectiveness Studies CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE 1. Center for Applied Radiation Science and Technology 2. Graduate School for Business and Government

across CESM categories. modern research institution serving local and regional communities, contributing to achieving national policy objectives and striving to contribute to the global knowledge economy. Research emphasis on innovation and creativity, substantial links with industry, and the formation of (income generating) partnerships which have resulted in an entrepreneurial approach to university management. The type and range of programmes offered justify its claim to being a comprehensive institution, and further define its niche. It offers

Health, Law, Economics, Management, Science and Engineering.

activities impacting on the social, political, educational and vocational upliftment of the local community in particular.

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Leadeership 3. Center for Astrophysics Studies

Liberal Arts and Science programmes; professional qualifications; vocational programmes; qualifications at NQF Level 5; foundation and access programmes; Open Learning programmes with emphasis on lifelong learning; and programmes incorporating service learning.

Participation in humanities, science and commerce

58: 8: 28 (7% NDP)

40: 35: 21 (Natural Science and Agriculture and Health Sciences).

48: 26: 26 (2000) 70: 18: 12 39: 25: 36 (2000) Projections over the next five years anticipate a shift to 45: 24: 31 (increased education enrolments)

24.9: 37.4: 37.8 (commerce includes law)

57: 27: 18 (Arts includes Education, Commerce includes Law)

Staff quals (% Phd)

9% 77% M & Phd 21% 56%. 47 % 6%health sciences, 14% humanities, 6.5%law and economic sciences, and 17.6% SET

28%

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Anticipated growth areas

With the possible expansion of this University’s catchment area, the possibility exists that the e-degree, access programmes as well as occasional studies may grow substantially in the next five years, especially in the EC, NC and KZN. Future growth in the region of 22 000 students.

Shift towards technological, science, business, tourism and entrepreneurial skills, as well as expanding research and postgraduate programmes

Growth is anticipated in the field of education in distance programmes. Growth is likely to follow patterns over the past years: Economics and Management Science, Teacher Training and Health Sciences, certain areas of Natural Science, Engineering, public management and communication.

An increase in postgraduate enrolments in most areas is projected but limited growth in new programmes. Extensive growth in education is also anticipated.

Over the nextfive years the University anticipates a total growth in student numbers of 10+% (i.e. from 6,000 to 6,700).

Access Development and implementation of a foundation course, RPL and short courses targeted at the professional market

The following initiatives are in place to facilitate successful access : (i) counselling and Placement Programme consisting of a counselling programme with a process of selection through study programmes in further and higher education and training (ABET, ASECA, Career Prep, and foundation courses in lifelong learning; (ii)

Professional training for educators in provincial government and access for a highly local and rural intake

OPIPUK Academic support programme for engineers. Special AdmissionExamination run by the University, available to applicants withmatriculation exemption, but who do not meet the enhanced requirement for the specific program applied for as a consequence ofinadequate secondary school opportunities.

Number of foundation and access programmes in the sciences, engineering, management studies and the human sciences. 1000 students pa enrolled in these programmes, of whom 370 are in the natural and engineering sciences in programmes such as the Science

Bridging courses offered by the technical colleges of Potchefstroom,

A number of foundation and access programmes are in place.

All Faculties offer bridging/foundation modules for those students who have matriculated but without exemption. Success in these courses enables students to then enrol for a degree.

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Programme for academic and social success of students (PASS-S) in the Faculty of Health Sciences; (iii) Supplementary Education Programme in the Faculty of Law; (iv) Language Proficiency Programmes; (v) Tutorial Support Programme; (vi) Open resource-based learning

Rustenburg, Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging, Springs, Sasolburg, Middelburg and Benoni. Flexible application of language policy at Potchefstroom, provision of education in English at the Vaal Triangle campus (parallel medium) and the Telematic Learning Systems (TLS) programmes (only in English).

Foundation Programme and the University of Natal Intensive Tuition in Engineering (UNITE). Access for adult learners is a priority. Besides part-time classes, specific, niche-oriented Open Learning programmes, offered in mixed-mode, are aimed at adult learners. In 2001 4308 students are enrolled in Open Learning programmes.

Collab initiatives

(i) The FS Higher and Further Education Trust; (ii) Career Preparation Programme by which inter-institutional co-operation, equity and efficiency is addressed through co-operation between the UFS, FS Technikon and regional colleges (iii)

UNW, PU for CHE and TNW have started a process of developing a model for HE system for the province

Collaboration with Unisa for presentation of life sciences since 1960s; UP and US; Theological Colleges in Southern Africa and abroad; California State University (Dominguez Hills) and bridging programmes with Technical Colleges in the North West, Gauteng

Involved in efforts of esATI to promote rationalisation and collaboration; participates actively in various projects designed to promote shared services, capacity building, health and research.

The University notes its involvement with the regional consortium esATI and it is currently involved in projects designed to promote shared services,

Involved in the esATI Public Health Initiative (PHI); with UNISA, in offering B. Ed courses; with UNP and Fort Hare in implementing web-based education.

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Sasolburg Technical College in Sasolburg and Kroonstad Technical College in Kroonstad; (iv) Inc of Bloemfontein College of Education in 2000; (v) Negotiations for incorporating Qwaqwa branch of University of the North into UFS are well underway; (vi) Representations to Working Group on the establishment of a National Institute for Higher Education in the NC; (vii) Joint offering of an engineering degree with FS Tech.

and the FS. TSA has been contracted to deliver study material for TLS and the facilities of technical colleges, TSA, Community Centres and private training institutions are being used for group discussions. An agreement with a private provider, the Open Learning Group, exists for delivering certain learning programmes countrywide and in Namibia. Commitment to working with both the UNW and TNW on a stronger provincial model of collaboration signaled.

capacitybuilding, development and research.

Mode Distance and contact

Contact and open learning

Contact Contact andtelematic/distance

Contact and distance

Contact Contact

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UCT Stellenbosch UWC North Pretoria Venda Medunsa

Mission UCT’s mission is to be a leading teaching and research university, educating for life and addressing the challenges facing our society, committed to academic freedom, rational and creative thought, and free enquiry.

SU views itself as creating and maintaining an environment in which knowledge can be discovered, shared and utilized to the benefit of the community maintaining a commitment to the academic ideal of excellence in scientific and scholarly practice. Rooted in WC with predominantly Afrikaans-language community (58% of the population), SU has now established itself as a comprehensive, research-oriented institution with a strong postgraduate component, serving the broad SA community.

UWC views itself as a national university, alert to its African and international context as it strives to be a place of quality, a place to grow. It is committed to excellence in teaching, learning and research, to nurturing the cultural diversity of South Africa, and to responding in critical and creative ways to the needs of a society in transition. Drawing on its proud experience in

The mission of the University is to achieve distinction in scholarship, professionalism and community renewal amongst staff and students in order to improve the Quality of life of the community it serves.

The University’s mission is to be an internationally recognised academic institution which provides teaching, undertakes research and renders community service. Further, it aims to fulfill the educational, cultural, social, economic and technological needs of the South African and Southern African communities; and strives to be a member of the international scientific community.

The university aims to provide, through a problem-oriented, project-designed curriculum, a science and technology education to which the human and social sciences provides a social context and an African perspective for the empowerment of the community it serves, and for the cultivation of humanity in general.

The University’s mission statement states: “We empower the educationally disadvantaged community of Southern Africa by providing excellent community oriented tertiary education, training, research and services in the health and related sciences” is reflected in the composition of our student body.

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the liberation struggle, the university is aware of a distinctive academic role in helping build an equitable and dynamic society.

Student numbers

17 878 17 125 (2000)

18 731 contact 18 090 (2000) 3 982 distance 3 666 (2000)

10 731

9 050 8 676 (2000) (include incorporation of colleges for 2001)

30 212 contact 27 300 distance 28 093 contact 26 833 distance (2000)

Ave 6000 students.over 5 yrs

3 940

% p/g 30% 31% (2000)

32% contact 53% distance

22,6% 11% 19% (2000)

29% 28.1% (2000)

12% 10%

Racial/Gen split

52% White, 27% African, 14% Coloured, 7% Indian

33% total Black students

49% African, 42.1% Coloured, 6% Indian and 2.5% White

99% African 31% contact Black 28,7% contact Black (2000)

84% African,10% Asian, 1% Coloured, 5% White

Student intake (geog)

Just over half are from WC, 12% Gauteng, 8% KZN, 6 % EC. Approx 5% SADC countries, 1% from other African countries, and

65% WC, 9% Gauteng, 7% EC and 5% from outside the borders of the Republic. Distance students are drawn mainly from the EC (30%), KZN (23%) and the NP and NW (19%)

6839 WC, NC 432, EC 1927, FS 69, KZN 276, NW 139, MPU 119, Gauteng 260, NP 188, Other Countries 482.

Large number of students from Gauteng and Mpumalanga

63% Gauteng, 8% NP, 12% Mpumalanga and 7% NW

Most from Mpumalanga and the NP, increasing students from SADC

Educationally disadvantaged sector, mainly township and rural schools, SADC, other African countries and the Caribbean

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5% from outside Africa.

Niche/Focus Area

Faculty-specific niches, institution-wide programmes of excellence in Biotechnology, Environmental Studies, Development-directed Social Science, Information and Communications Technology, Peoples’ Health, Film and New Media, Entrepreneurship, Performing Arts and Science and

- Mathematics and physical sciences, including statistics, actuarial science, risk analysis, applied mathematics and computer science; - biological and agricultural sciences, including biotechnology with particular ties to the wine, fruit and sugar industries - earth sciences including the geological and soil sciences; - engineering sciences with particular strengths in electrical and electronic engineering, including signal processing; - management and business sciences including private as well as public sector business processes; - language studies

Facilitation of access and lifelong learning as well as areas of concentration: - Transformation studies, including Governance, Labour & Management; - Information Management; - Business Law and Financial & Economic studies; - Development studies, including Land & Agrarian and Water studies; - Heritage, including Museum & Heritage studies, Tourism, Cultural Studies; - Language,

Aquaculture, biodiversity of arid zones, biotechnology, development leadership and management, pharmacy, optometry, materials modeling, foundation courses, science, maths and technology, adult education, microfinance, centre for cultural tourism, water and sanitation management, media and African studies, technology management

The University covers a full spectrum of programmes and is a research and teaching institution.

Focus on science and technology

Health professional education, especially medical and dental education.

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Mathematics Education.

including lexicography, automated speech recognition and production and literary studies; - performing and fine arts including music and drama.

Multi-lingualism and Literary studies; -Education, including Professional Educator Development and Science & Mathematics Education; - Health, including Public Health, Community-Based Rehabilitation, Youth Development, Dentistry and Pharmacy; - areas of Technology, including Biotechnology & Bioinformatics, Applied Physics, ICTs and Applied Chemical Sciences.

Participation in humanities,

32: 41: 28 (Humanities incl law and

45: 38: 17

63.4: 24.3: 12.3%

23: 37: 39 37:45: 18. (2000)

Enrolments in science and technology have

2001: 10.8% in Dentistry, 73.4% in Medicine,

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science and commerce

education)

increased from 7% in 1996 to 33% in 2000

10.6% in Science and 5.2% in Public health

Staff quals (% PhD)

61%

51 % 42%. 36% 43% 30%

Anticipated growth areas

1% pa u/g growth, 5% pa p/g growth (particularly in select post grad programmes. Overall 2% pa. Higher than ave growth in Science and Law. Graduate School of Humanities and postgraduate programmes in business administration and science to boost postgraduate numbers

2% overall growth, firmer growth in SET and economic and management sciences enrolments.

2% pa over next five yrs. Up to 10% growth in areas listed above.

Increased enrolment of science students

Possibly restrict growth in u/g contact due to physical constraints, in favour of increased quality and an increased focus on postgraduate student development.

Structural target of 70% (enrolment and qualification balance) for science and technology is expected to be achieved by 2005

Proposed new programs are, natural progression and expansion within the fields in which MEDUNSA is already established (health and sciences)

Access Undergraduate access at

SU introduced, in all faculties, a number of

Initiatives include:

The University has established a reputation for

Committed to providing access

Essential role in providing access

Open admissions

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UCT is co-coordinated by a Recruitment & Enrolment Management Office. Alternative Admissions Project which tests applicants who may then be offered academic places despite not meeting normal entrance requirements. Other strategies to increase access include an extensive financial aid programme, expanded student housing system, extensive academic development

academic development programmes which are integrated as fully as possible with its mainstream academic programmes. These consist of bridging programmes, presented before the start of the academic year, foundationprogrammes including extended studyprogrammes, mentor programmes utilising the support skills of senior students and staff members, and language development programmes in both English and Afrikaans. In 2001 SU also introduced, with generous support from private funds, a programme called Scimathus, which prepares at least 40 matriculants annually in mathematics and science for admission to university programmes for which these sub

jects are

alternative admissions practices, RPL, foundation and bridging programmes and various academic development activities, including a recently developed tracking and mentoring system.

its access innovations, particularly in the sciences.

to underrepresented groups and to continue increasing the number of students in business and commerce, science, engineering and technology. Academic development initiatives integrated into the curriculum, encompassing foundation courses and extended programmes, provision of core skills in language, information management and computer literacy.

to higher education to the majority of the rural poor who would otherwise not afford it.

policy, gives preference to educationally disadvantaged applicants regardless of race.

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programme in all faculties which allows students who do not meet conventional entrance requirements to enter into extended programmes.

required.

Collaboration initiatives

UCT is both willing and eager to collaborate with its regional sister higher education institutions and with cultural institutions such as museums, performing arts centres and organisations, as well as the city and the province in which it is

SU undertakes joint projects with many other universities and technikons all over South Africa, including mutually beneficial partnerships with historically disadvantaged institutions, as well as with the major science councils and national facilities, among which the NRF, CSIR, MRC, ARC, NAC and SALT. At the regional level, it has entered into collaborative agreements with its tertiary education partners in the WC, participation in

UWC is cautious about thepossibilities of regional collaboration and argues for collaboration backed bystructural arrangements, where it seems likely to lead to qualitative improvement of programmes, or maintain quality in an institution, which has downscaled its activities in a

The University has realised the importance of looking at the regional context in terms of collaboration and linkages.

Collaboration initiatives with the University of Venda and Medunsa

In 2000, 335 collaborative projects or programmes with other institutions (universities, technikons and national colleges). 93 with HDI’s. Proximity of institutions in the region facilitates collaboration but it is not possible to discern the extent to which these agreements have impacted on programme planning and delivery.

There are cooperation agreements with foreign and SADC region universities

MEDUNSA has partnerships with other public higher education institutions. For example, the undergraduate pharmacy program is offered in collaboration with Technikon Pretoria. The Postgraduate Diploma in HIV/ AIDS Management in the workplace is offered in a

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seated. The Adamastor Trust provides a useful facilitatory “honest broker” for academic and infrastructural co-operation among higher education institutions in the WC region.

numerous joint teaching and research programmes and in providing a common platform of infrastructural strengths

activities in a particular discipline by regional agreement. In this framework, clusters of strengths in regions are built up over many years and cannot easily be redistributed. Also, excellence in HE has to be seen in national and global contexts, not primarily regionally. Cooperation is operationally expensive and extremely vulnerable to ambition in a competitive environment. If there are not manifest cost,

collaborative partnership with the University of Stellenbosch. MEDUNSA has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of the North and the University of Venda.

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quality and access advantages, no structural change need be anticipated.

Mode Contact Contact and distance Contact Contact Contact anddistance

Contact Contact

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Appendix 3

Regional Summaries: Proposed Fields of Study by

Qualification Type for the Period 2002–2006

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Exploring Collaboration and Mergers 75 SAUVCA November 2001

TABLE 1A: CONTACT PROGRAMMES: PROPOSED MAJOR FIELDS OF STUDY BY QUALIFICATION TYPE FOR THE PERIOD2002-2006

Undergrad General 1st Prof 1st Postgrad Postgrad Honours Masters Doctoral

MAJOR FIELDS OF STUDY diploma or bachelors bachelors diploma or bachelors degree degree degree

BY CESM CATEGORY certificate degree degree certificate degree

1 AGRICULTURE AND RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCES1a Agricultural economics unitra ufh ufh ufh ufh ufh1b Agriculture ufh unitra ufh ufh ufh ufh1c Fisheries ufh ufh ufh1d Forestry ufh ufh ufh ufh1e All other agriculture ufh, unitra ufh, unitra ufh ufh ufh ufh ufh2 ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN2a Architecture & building science upe upe upe upe2b Quantity surveying upe upe upe upe upe2c Building management upe upe upe upe upe upe2d Town and regional planning unitra2e All other architecture

3 ARTS, VISUAL AND PERFORMING3a Music upe,ufh,ru,unitra ufh,ru upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe ufh,ru upe,ufh,ru upe,ufh,ru3b Drama ufh ufh,ru ufh,ru ufh,ru ufh,ru3c Fine arts ufh,ru ufh,ru ufh,ru ufh,ru ufh,ru ufh,ru3d All other arts, visual and performingufh ufh ufh ufh ufh

4 BUSINESS, COMMERCE AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES4a Accounting upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe,ru,unitra upe,ru upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe,ufh,ru,unitra4b Banking and finance ufh ufh4c Busi data systems & busi quant met ufh ufh ufh ufh4d All other busi ru unitra,ufh,ru,upe upe,ru ufh,ru upe,unitra,ufh,ru upe,unitra,ufh,ru upe,ufh,ru,unitra

5 COMMUNICATION5a Journalism and media studies upe,ru upe,ru ru upe,ru upe,ru upe,ru5b All other communication ufh ufh ufh ufh

6 COMPUTER SCIENCE AND DATA PROCESSING6a All computer science & data procesunitra upe,unitra,ufh,ru upe,nu,ru upe,ru upe,ufh,ru upe,ufh,ru upe,ufh,ru

7 EDUCATION7a Primary upe,ru upe,ru ru ru upe,ru upe,ru upe,ru7b Secondary ru,unitra upe,ufh,unitra,ru ufh,ru,unitra ru,unitra upe,ufh,unitra,ru upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe,ufh,ru,unitra7c Special upe7d All other education ufh,unitra upe,ufh upe upe,ufh upe

8 ENGINEERING AND ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY8a Chemical engineering8b Civil engineering8c Electrical engineering 8e Mechanical engineering ufh8h All other engineering.. ufh ufh ufh

EASTERN CAPE

TABLE 1A (continued): CONTACT PROGRAMMES: PROPOSED MAJOR FIELDS OF STUDY BY QUALIFICATION TYPE FOR THEPERIOD 2002-2006

Undergrad General 1st Prof 1st Postgrad Postgrad Honours Masters Doctoral

MAJOR FIELDS OF STUDY diploma or bachelors bachelors diploma or bachelors degree degree degree

BY CESM CATEGORY certificate degree degree certificate degree

9 HEALTH CARE AND HEALTH SCIENCES9a Medicine/surgery unitra unitra9b Dentistry9c Nursing ufh,unitra unitra upe,ufh upe,unitra upe,ufh,unitra upe,unitra9d All clinical health sciences ufh unitra9e Pharmacy upe,ru ru upe,ru upe,ru9f Veterinary science9g Rehabilitation and therapy9h Hospital and health care admi ufh ufh ufh9i All other health care... ufh,unitra unitra unitra unitra unitra

10 HOME ECONOMICS10a All home economics

11 INDUSTRIAL ARTS, TRADES AND TECHNOLOGY11a All industrial arts, trades and tech

12 LANGUAGES, LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE12a Linguistics ru ru, ufh upe,ru,unitra upe,ru upe,ru12b Literary studies ufh ufh upe,unitra,ufh upe,ufh upe,ufh12c Afrikaans/Nederlands ufh,ru upe,ufh,unitra,ru upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe,ufh,ru,unitra12d English ufh,ru upe,ufh,unitra,ru upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe,ufh,ru,unitra12e African languages ufh,ru upe,ufh,unitra,ru upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe,ufh,ru,unitra12f Modern European languages ru upe,ru ru ru ru12g All other languages, linguistics… ru ufh,ru ufh ufh,ru ufh,ru ru

13 LAW 13a All law unitra upe,ru,unitra upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe,ufh ru,unitra upe,ufh,ru upe,ufh,ru

14 LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS14a All libraries and museums ufh,unitra unitra ufh,unitra ufh,unitra ufh,unitra ufh,unitra

15 LIFE AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES15a Life sciences ufh upe,ufh,ru ufh,unitra unitra,ufh,ru upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe,ufh,ru,unitra15b Physical sciences ufh upe,ufh,ru unitra unitra upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe,ufh,ru,unitra15c All other life and physical…

16 MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES16a All mathematical sciences ufh upe,ufh,ru upe,ru,unitra unitra,ufh upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe,ufh,ru,unitra upe,ufh,ru,unitra

17 MILITIARY SCIENCES17a All military sciences

EASTERN CAPE (continued)

TABLE 1A (continued): CONTACT PROGRAMMES: PROPOSED MAJOR FIELDS OF STUDY BY QUALIFICATION TYPE FOR THEPERIOD 2002-2006

Undergrad General 1st Prof 1st Postgrad Postgrad Honours Masters Doctoral

MAJOR FIELDS OF STUDY diploma or bachelors bachelors diploma or bachelors degree degree degree

BY CESM CATEGORY certificate degree degree certificate degree

18 PHILOSPHY, RELIGION AND THEOLOGY18a Philosphy ufh,ru unitra ufh,ru,unitra ufh,ru,unitra ufh,ru,unitra18b Science of religion unitra unitra unitra unitra18c All other philosophy, religion ... ufh ufh ufh ufh,upe ufh,upe

19 PHYSICAL EDUCATION, HEALTH EDUCATION, LEISURE19A All physical education, health… upe,ufh upe,ufh,ru ufh upe upe,ufh,ru upe,ufh,ru upe,ufh,ru

20 PSYCHOLOGY20a All psychology unitra unitra,upe,ufh,ru upe ru unitra,upe,ufh,ru unitra,upe,ufh,ru unitra,upe,ufh,ru

21 PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION21a Public administration unitra,upe unitra,upe,ufh unitra unitra,ufh unitra,upe,ufh unitra,upe,ufh21b Social work ru upe,ufh,ru ru upe,ufh,ru upe,ufh,ru upe,ufh,ru21c All other public admininistration…unitra unitra unitra unitra

22 SOCIAL SCIENCES AND SOCIAL STUDIES22a Economics unitra upe,unitra,ufh,ru upe,ru unitra upe,unitra,ufh,ru upe,unitra,ufh,ru upe,ru,unitra22b All other social sciences and … ufh upe,ufh,ru ufh,ru upe,ufh,ru upe,ufh,ru upe,ufh,ru

EASTERN CAPE (continued)