CHER 2017 Conference, August 28 - 30

• The initial programme has been published. (May 17th)
• Register for the conference by August 18th (June 1st)
• The detailed schedule of the sessions has been published (June 13th)
• Full paper template available on 'Guidelines for papers' (July 4th)
• Where to eat? Update on 'Travel & local info' (August 14th)
• Please check the updated programme and rooms from here, changes are possible! (August 26)
• The keynote presentations are now available online (August 31st)

Universities as political institutions - HEIs in the middle of academic, economic, and social pressures

The 30th Annual Consortium of Higher Education Researchers (CHER) conference will focus on multiple and often complex relations and relationships, internal and external, to higher education institutions. In this context, political refers not only to definitions, uses, and users of power but more broadly to a variety of relationships among different actors and agencies responsible for making, executing, or resisting decisions concerning HEIs.

The conference aims to open fresh perspectives to HEIs as political institutions consisting of a variety of conflicting definitions and practices on how to organise, plan, and implement academic and managerial decisions and processes. Similar variety may occur with the multiple relationships HEIs have in their networks, formal agreements, and practical cooperation with the actors and agencies of surrounding societies.

The conference tracks will include the following ones: academic work and workers; leadership and management; teaching and learning; students - experience, admission and outcome; HEIs in society.

Scientific committee of the conference:

• Professor Jussi Välimaa, Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä
• Professor Simon Marginson, UCL Institute of Education, University College London
• Docent Terhi Nokkala, Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä
• Docent Sakari Ahola, Research Unit for the Sociology of Education, University of Turku. 
• Docent Oili-Helena Ylijoki, Research Center for Knowledge, Science, Technology and Innovation Studies, TaSTI, University of Tampere. 
• Dr. Mervi Friman, Häme University of Applied Sciences. 

The conference will be organised by the Higher Education Studies Team (HIEST) at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research, the University of Jyväskylä, in cooperation with CHER.