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This supplement to the European Review is based on a conference on the topic ‘Academic Freedom in the Twenty-first Century’ held at the Wenner-Gren Centre in Stockholm on 15−17 May 2024 with the economic support of the Wenner-Gren Foundations. The conference was part of a series arranged by the Higher Education, Research and CULture in European Society (HERCulES) group within Academia Europaea.

The paper focuses on the working conditions of top university leaders. In this way, it stands on earlier research on executive behaviour from Sune Carlson in the 1950s to the present time. It is also a continuation of an earlier study where thirty Swedish Vice-Chancellors responded in structured interviews. Empirically the paper presents a close-up analysis of a six months diary of Stig Strömholm, Vice-Chancellor of Uppsala University, between 1989 and 1997. The results are in line with Sune Carlson’s work as well as the previous survey study. In the latter, Vice-Chancellors expressed preferences for dealing with long-term strategic issues. However, when asked about their daily work, it turned out that short-term issues dominated their days. In the same way, various kinds of social contacts dominated Strömholm’s working days. The most common words in the diary were thus Visit, Meeting, Reception, Lunch, Conference and Gathering. In two thirds of the cases, the counterpart was external, while about half of the meetings took place within the university. In conclusion, the paper points to the role of university leaders as boundary spanning liaison actors as well as internal trouble-shooters.

This article analyses academic publishing in modern society by means of a governance model focusing on three groups of governors: Regulators, Market Actors, and Professions. It demonstrates how these three groups have interacted and how this interaction has put pressure on faculty members to produce publications for top journals. It also points to the strong position of publishers, which leads to high profit margins. The article therefore also discusses different possible measures to change the publishing system.

This volume is the outcome of an Academia Europaea conference in Uppsala in the spring of 2022. After an introudction by the editor to the topic and the volume, Hans de Wit, Simon Marginson and Ellen Hazelkorn provide perspectives on internationalization. In a second part Ravit Mizrahi-Shtelman and Gili Drori, Marijk van der Wende, Mette Ginnerskov-Dahlberg and Karen Valentin, elaborate on obstacles to internationalization such as language, security concerns, barriers in labour markets and climate effects. In a following third part, Robert J. Coelen; Ashley Gunter, Markus Roos Breines, F. Melis Cin and Purvati Rahuram, and Christine T. Ennew discuss three alternative modes of internationalization: internationalization at home, distance education and branch campuses. A final chapter by the editor draws conclusions from the earlier chapters and provides some thoughts for the future.

This is the final concluding chapter in an edited volume on internationalization of higher education and research. The chapter brings together the conclusions from the three earlier sections of the book. As for Perspectives, the chapter elaborates on definitions of internationalisation, role models and the role of rankings. In terms of Obstacles, it points to the significance of language, challenges of mobility and environmental concerns. Regarding Alternative Modes, the chapter discusses internationalisation at home, distance education and bransch campuses. Looking ahead, the chapter points out that internationalization of higher education and research is in flux not least as a result of political changes in the world towards more authoritarian and nationalistic leadership challenging openness and academic freedom.

This is an introductory chapter to an edited volume on the internationalization of higher education and research. It points out differences between scientific fields regarding the conditions for international publishing. The chapter also elaborates on different modes of internationalization in education, its drivers and possible issues. Finally, the chapter presents the chapters of the volume.

Higher education is a complex and diverse industry dominated by a centuries-old organization, the university. It is an industry in which the forces for change have been both global, pulling towards certain models, and locally differentiated across countries and regions. Its dynamics over the centuries have been strongly influenced by an array of diverse and often demanding external regulators and stakeholders. This chapter traces the university from its emergence in medieval Europe to its institutionalization and global spread, and then discusses three challenges confronting the contemporary university: (1) tensions between its longstanding missions and the pressures of modern markets; (2) the interacting pulls of the global and the local; and (3) the challenges of governance in an increasingly complex external environment. The chapter concludes with some issues that may influence future dynamics in higher education.