The Role of University Governing Boards in Canadian Higher Education - Sociological Perspectives on the Form and Functioning of Boards

This book explores the gap in knowledge which exists around the social composition and informal social practices of Canadian university boards, despite them playing a significant role in the bicameral model of governance in Canadian higher education. By examining rich empirical data from a sociological perspective, it offers unique insight into the structures, practices, and norms which determine the work of Canadian university boards and their role in the strategic management and societal integration of universities. A structural-functionalist approach is taken to understanding how boards, institutions, and individual board members perceive the board’s responsibilities in relation to university policy, accountability, and public interest. Comparison is also drawn to emergent structures of governance in European higher education. The authors draw on and synthesis the work of Jones as others to provide an interpretative historical summary of governance over the last century, with the addition of a unique sociological gaze. An important and original contribution to the field which paves the way for future and much-needed research around understanding of how Canadian university boards work, it will appeal to scholars and researchers with interests across higher education, international and comparative education, and the sociology of education.