What's Happening With Transnational Branch Campuses?

The current issue of the journal, International Higher Education, has a selection of articles about "Branch Campuses & Transnational Higher Education. In case you, like we, have been wondering what's happening in that realm of higher education recently, the four articles provide a good brief with varying perspectives. Below is a quote from Philip G. Altbach's contribution, "Why Branch Campuses May Be Unsustainable." The other three articles are titled "International Branch Campuses: Trends and Directions," by Rosa Becker; "Gulf State Branch Campuses," by Spencer Witte; and "Transnational Higher Education: Who Benefits?" by Vik Naidoo.

Many of the growing mushrooms [campuses] may only hold a limited life span and a few might be poisonous. Let us be honest about branch campuses. With a few notable exceptions, they are not really campuses. They are, rather, small, specialized, and limited academic programs offered offshore to take advantage of a perceived market. Not surprisingly, the most popular programs offered are in business management and information technology—with fairly low setup costs and significant worldwide demand. Except where generous hosts—such as in the Arabian Gulf, Singapore, and a few other places—provide facilities and infrastructure, branch campuses become rather spartan places, resembling office complexes rather than academic institutions.

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Regional SCUP Events! Enjoy the F2F company of your colleagues and peers at one of three SCUP regional conferences this spring:

• March 14–16: Baltimore, MD
• March 24–26: Cambridge, MA
• April 5–7, San Diego, CA