Recent literature has highlighted the increasing use of a corporate approach in higher education, specifically, the corporatization of higher education. Literature notes business-like models in higher education bring in private sector ideals to emphasize efficiency and competition. The corporate model effects campuses in different ways. The case study I have conducted is of a public multi-campus school located in Portland, Maine—The University of Southern Maine. The University is one out of seven schools in the University of Maine system. I draw on an in-depth interview, newspaper articles, and scholarly literature to investigate what has become known as the financial crisis that occurred at the University of Southern Maine in 2014. I aim to answer, what are the effects of the corporatization of higher education? More specifically, at the University of Southern Maine?
Comments:
Thanks for your abstract, Hannah. I really liked the opening sentence of your abstract. It is a good way of introducing your topic. But I think you could have had a follow-up sentence that would elaborate on your idea in the first sentence.
It is great that you are describing your methods in the abstract. But I wish that part was followed by the research questions that you want to explore in your paper. This will be important when you write your final paper as well. What are your research questions? Do you want to look at the effects of corporatization on high education?
A short note on terminology: commodification and corporation do not necessarily mean the same thing. In the US, education (like healthcare) was always commodified (unlike in some European countries). I think what you are doing in your paper is that you are looking at how higher education has begun to be managed based on “business model” and cost-benefit analysis. This of course further justified (and even intensified) commodification of education. But I think it is important to keep this distinction in mind. Please let me know if you want to talk to me about this point.