The visible and invisible crises in Israeli higher education in the 90s

Abstract

This study focuses on the Israeli experience of developing higher education as part of the expansion of a nation-building economic project. Educational development and the current crises are examined in the context of a particular history and a unique socioeconomic, political, and cultural experience. Nevertheless, the purpose of this research is to allow the drawing of meaningful inferences, so that researchers into other national cases might profit from the insight into the sources, both visible and less visible, for the "break in equilibrium" (Bourdieu's term) in the Israeli academy. At stake is the most characteristic feature of the old Israeli academic model, namely the conflation of the missions of teaching and research. To discover the present state of the research-teaching nexus, we examined faculty perceptions as reflected in a recent (1993) survey. This survey was part of the first Carnegie International Survey of the Academic Profession, and its international scope allowed us to undertake some comparative analyses. The Israeli case-study, as well as the analysis of the International survey, shows that devotion to research and meeting teaching obligations, collaboration on research with others, obtaining funds for research, and scholarly publication have strong disciplinary relevance in the day-today shaping of academic life in all post-industrialized countries, Israel among them. A unique small systemEvery higher education system thinks of itself as unique. One of the reasons the Israeli system can claim uniqueness is the disproportionate national and international visibility of the Israeli academic profession relative to its actual size, which can be explained by the vigor with which Israeli academics have participated in the transnational marketplace of knowledge production and dissemination.The philosopher Zvi Lam (1987) has noted that the homogenized and standardized nature of the Israeli academy results from a basic fact -its small size. There are several universities in the world which have a larger student body and faculty than those of all Israeli higher education institutions combined. Israel is not only a small country, it is also a very irregular one. Conflicts and wars, frequent migrations of populations in and out, international involvements, traditional high regard for learning, economic decline and internal political tensions make it an uncommon case. Nevertheless the purpose of this research is to allow the drawing of meaningful inferences, so that other case studies might profit from the precedent of Israeli policies and strategies. Case studies of particular countries (even somewhat anomalous countries) are crucial for anyone engaged in strategic planning and policy making. This is because the basic questions regarding the nature and consequences of educational development are less accessible to scrutiny through macro-educational analysis than they are in specific national contexts.

Higher Education in a Global Market: The Case of British Overseas Provision in Israel

“…Since the minimum (rather than 'minimal') qualification was the Bagrut (school matriculation certificate), which was achieved only by about 20% of the 18 year-old cohort in the 1980s, the argument was tautologically true, but hardly proved that access was open (Guri-Rosenblit 1990, p. 323). Responding to such figures, many Israeli educationalists were committed to change in the HE system (Gottlieb and Chen 1995).…”