Fit for the Future:
Towards differentiated higher education

CHEPS is 30 years old this year, and on 25th June we will celebrate this with an Anniversary Conference. We will focus on the themes of diversity and profiling in higher education and explore the impacts upon higher education institutions of the increasing spread of functions and missions imposed upon them.

Higher education institutions must manage a delicate balancing act – finding creative ways to meet increasingly diverse and potentially conflicting demands and expectations – in teaching, research and services to society. This has clear implications for institutional leadership and simultaneously demands supportive policies and smart regulatory frameworks to stimulate and encourage appropriate responses via concentration, specialisation and profiling. The big question this raises: How can a differentiated higher education system that is fit for the future be achieved?

Our overall theme – which we refer to as ‘Mission Stretch’ – explores two key questions:

• Has the traditional multifunctional university – combining activities including teaching, research and social engagement – had its day?
• Can higher education institutions still serve their various clients’ demands without compromising teaching and/or research quality?

The conference will consist of invited keynotes, a panel discussion and an interactive policy strategy game based on the CHEPS’ U-Map tool. We are delighted to invite you to join us in celebrating 30 years of CHEPS: after the conference you are most welcome to join our CHEPS Anniversary Party.

For the conference programme, registration and further details, please click http://www.utwente.nl/mb/cheps/cheps30thanniversaryconference/introduction/.

On behalf of the CHEPS team,

Prof. Dr. Hans Vossensteyn
Director CHEPS

Center for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS), University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, the Netherlands,
T. +31-(0)53-4893263, E. k.m.w.vandertuin-wagenvoort@utwente.nl, E. cheps@mb.utwente.nl, I. www.utwente.nl/mb/cheps