Satellite university campuses and economic development in peripheral regions

Abstract

Satellite university campuses-whereby established universities decentralise part of their activities, often to areas previously lacking a university-contribute to the diversification of university systems. While satellite campuses, due to their small scale and limited resources, might perform some activities less efficiently than their larger parent universities, we argue that they are uniquely placed to serve the needs of their localities. Based on the case of a satellite campus in NorthWest Italy, we show that: (i) the campus' main contribution lies in widening access to higher education to residents who would not attend university in the absence of local provision; (ii) the campus contributes to local development also through research and business and community engagement, and by stimulating local demand for knowledge-intensive services; (iii) research and engagement are more effective for local development where local firms possess relevant absorptive capacity and where there is a favourable institutional framework.

CAMPUS UNIVERSITARIO PARA EL DESARROLLO LOCAL Y REGIONAL: PLAN MAESTRO PARA EL FUTURO DE LA UNIVERSIDAD DE CONCEPCIÓN EN LA AGRO-REGIÓN DEL ÑUBLE/ University campus for local and regional development: Master plan for the future of the University of Concepción in the agro-region of Ñuble

“…El campus constituye la expresión física de la universidad y opera como instrumento de relación entre ésta y el medio urbano (Behm Rosas, 1969citado en Fuentes, 2007. De hecho, los campus universitarios son valiosos agentes de desarrollo local, estimulando la demanda de bienes y servicios, desarrollando capital humano, mejorando la productividad de negocios aledaños y ofreciendo nuevos espacios y servicios para la comunidad (Rossi y Goglio, 2020).…”

“…Potencialidades del campus para el desarrollo futuro de Chillán La historia del campus Chillán deja en evidencia su vocación agrícola, que ha estado articulada desde los inicios con las potencialidades de desarrollo de la ciudad y el desarrollo local de su región (Dalton et al, 2018;Rossi y Goglio, 2020). No obstante, las dinámicas de crecimiento urbano contemporáneo están amenazando las potencialidades agrícolas de la zona y segregando socialmente a sus habitantes y espacios de encuentro (Anabalón, 2006;Soto y Escobar, 2016).…”

“…Todo lo anterior respalda la posibilidad de concebir el Campus Chillán como una nueva centralidad para la ciudad, rescatando los principios fundacionales del masterplan de Brunner y Duhart en Concepción y generando un sello institucional donde todos los campus de la Universidad de Concepción ofrezcan espacios comunes y colectivos para el uso de la ciudad (Fuentes, 2007), contribuyendo a la identidad regional y a la mejora en la calidad de vida y economía local (Dalton et al, 2018;Rossi y Goglio, 2020).…”

The role of the organisational dimension in university positioning: a case-study approach

“…However, even if a peripheral position naturally provides fewer opportunities supporting positioning, this assumption cannot be taken for granted. Indeed, University A shows how this negative condition can be partially reversed over time if universities act as "agents of local development" (Rossi and Goglio 2018), in other words, by becoming themselves a new centre of development for the surrounding environment. University A has become an important centre for the creation of spin-offs, patents and start-ups, by fostering entrepreneurial opportunities within the region.…”

A retrospective analysis of the interrelated development of science and higher education in the world

“…It combines different typological zones: study area, research area, area of social infrastructure structure, administrative area, residential area, research area, a recreation area. Examples of the formation of such complexes are the Massachusetts Institute of technology, Harvard University, Yale University and others [5,6].…”