TY - JOUR
T1 - Organizing the university-industry relationship: a case study of research policy and curriculum restructuring at the North-West University in South Africa
AU - Boersma, F.K.
AU - Reinecke, C.
AU - Gibbons, M.
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - A major requirement for transformation contained in the new education policy in South Africa is that the graduate outputs of the higher education system should match the needs of a modernizing economy. This paper addresses the organizational aspect of university-industry relationships that is an element of the transformation. In empirical terms, it reflects upon the policy of the North-West University in South Africa, as embodied by means of the introduction of the Business Mathematics and Informatics (BMI) curriculum and research. Empirical results indicate that the number of students who opted for mathematics had increased dramatically. The majority of graduates delivered by the BMI programme are employed in the financial sector, both nationally and internationally. This paper indicates that the organization of university-industry relationships enforces a difficult institutional balancing act that attempts, on the one hand, to meet the benchmark of international scientific indicators, and on the other hand, fitness for purpose in the local context.
AB - A major requirement for transformation contained in the new education policy in South Africa is that the graduate outputs of the higher education system should match the needs of a modernizing economy. This paper addresses the organizational aspect of university-industry relationships that is an element of the transformation. In empirical terms, it reflects upon the policy of the North-West University in South Africa, as embodied by means of the introduction of the Business Mathematics and Informatics (BMI) curriculum and research. Empirical results indicate that the number of students who opted for mathematics had increased dramatically. The majority of graduates delivered by the BMI programme are employed in the financial sector, both nationally and internationally. This paper indicates that the organization of university-industry relationships enforces a difficult institutional balancing act that attempts, on the one hand, to meet the benchmark of international scientific indicators, and on the other hand, fitness for purpose in the local context.
U2 - 10.1080/13583880802228216
DO - 10.1080/13583880802228216
M3 - Article
SN - 1358-3883
VL - 14
SP - 209
EP - 226
JO - Tertiary Education and Management
JF - Tertiary Education and Management
IS - 3
ER -