大学評価を考える視点

特集にあたって

抄録

　 When reflecting on higher education evaluation initiatives, one discovers shifting relationships between universities, the government, and the market (and society outside the university). Universities in Japan have long enjoyed a collegial culture in which professors are not disturbed by various demands outside the academy ; the government and market has effectively respected university autonomy.

　 With the massification of higher education and the growing importance of scientific research, universities are no longer able to exist without support from the government and the market. Accountability has become a key word for us to understand in this current situation. Universities in Japan should have strong ties with the market if they are to positively reform themselves. The reality, however, is that universities have failed to get support from the market and must now passively react to the allied forces of government and market. Various policies for university reform have thus been implemented by the government with strong support from the market, not the universities.

　 The public’s dissatisfaction with the current quality of university activities has pushed the government to establish a new national institution for university promoting and monitoring evaluation strategies. The new institution is expected to contribute to university reform and resource allocation initiatives. While the future of this evaluation system is still uncertain, we must understand that it will fundamentally change of the relationship between universities and society at large.