International Higher Education I Nurnber 53 |

D T a b t eo f C o n t e n t s

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I n t e r n a t i o n aH
l i g h e rE d u c a t i o n

I nternationalization

NUMBER53, FALL2OO8

T h e P r i v a t e N a t u r e o f c r o s s - B o r d e rH i g h e r E d u c a t i o n
Jason .hl..I.,aneand Kevin K.*nse:r
Jtls*ltLttneljscsstsItrnfprc1fssorintl*I}eput"fnentoJ'EtltLcutianulAt!tnirrrslratjorardPolitySt
Albttny " S{,/hY. Keuln Kin.ser i.sa PitOPffE colkrborating sch*tar undsssnciufe ;:ralessor in tit-eI}eparin*nt
EducrttionalAdrnintsfraftcnand Poliry Slrrdies, llniuersity *tAl.lsr-n.y,SrI-ry-!:.
E-mail: ilane(dalbaiu.edu;
kkinser@albanu.edu.

of"

frr ct eontrihutionfram PRAFFIE,ffte .Ilrogrnnrlfoi'Rri.senrchon l\.iuate Highe.r

lHE deuatesa cttluntn fn encJtts.st..tr
Iiiduc*ljcn, headquttrlered"st the Unrrrersir.V
a{ Al{unq. Se.ehttn:/huu;utfilbarLu.eilul.

Many obstrn'ershaveno-tedlflRt the relativelyeas"y

internationalrnobility nf sluelerrls,fhculty,11ncl
curriculum facilitates
the growth of cross-borderhigirer educzrtitxr.lJqualiy irnportant, ner,v{oieign provirlers are inc,ruraged in rnarry
countries by a polirl'environmcnt that supports ilrivate-sectoririvolverneni in education. Private higher oclucaiiou
ins1'i|utitrns'.especiall'v'ftrr:-prcftprovideI's,arecIearlyin|erestedintJrecross.lrorc]ernrar]re:.stl,
instltrt:tiorlshave beeu and contirru.eto be signilicant parlicipants in r:rosr-Lrordelhigher eriucatiol" 14r]re1abroacl,
honevor, these public institutisns nearly alr.va;'soperateanil are legally recognize<las prir..ateentities. Intieecl,mrxt
firreign opcr:afiotrsare suplro*ecl primar:ily tlrrough tuition and feei antl t.vpicall.vclonit receivcfirrrling froni either tle
horneor the host governments.
lVonerrdpmfc Aeradernic Insfifirfions
In ecology,au endetnicorg,anisulis the uative inhabitanlof a unlclueand ollen ger:graphically
ccnstrainecl
euvironrnert.In a sinilar way, pu.blicinstitLrtionuare endemicto ;r particularpclicy erivironrirentdefineclby state
bortlers. Ilowever. crcrss-horder public higher:eclucation,by establishingli:catiixs outside of its native political ancl
l'inancialhotne,existsapa* fictn its home enl'ironment.This intrr:ducres
sontci:hingnew into the hr:stiountry ancl
estalllishesnonetltlernk:acacl<lmic
institirtionsin c:rnss-borcler
higlrereducalir:n.
I'Vctirst used endemism as a way to cl*:scribeclomesticcross-bcrderaetjvitr"within the Unitecl States.I:r a littl.e noticecl
phetxrmenon,many ptrblic, state*supportcdinstitltions such as f,entral illichigan LrniversityanelTroy lJniversity
{Alabam.r)have establishedcarnpusesoutsicletheir hume state.'I"heseeducationalorgatrizaiionsare iegulateclai
private-sectorentitjes in the nei.r'state,rvhile experiencingahnost no or,'ersightfrom the home slate. This regulator-v
ciispnrilv nloalls that it is often easiel f.ora public inslitution to pursnc ncw irrarketsin the private*sectoreniirolmi:nts
of nther statesi.hanwithirr tireir nativesl;rleenvir*nrnent.
Sinrilar activity seemsto bt occurrhi; with cross-horclolhigher educatiiln irtcrnsti$nally. R"atherthan expandingin
theit: owrr envirotttnent.s,instittrtious li:om devclnpednaticrirsnre mol'ing into the less-rcgulatetiand less-con:p*iit'it*
environrnerts of <]evelopitgnatious. As DarrielC. Levy"has long noted, the private sector of rnost countrjes hnve lirnited
regulaticrns.and gor.'erntnetttscften dn not anticipate groi.rth of the private sector.This trond makesit clifficult to
predict ho'wthe entr.vof a ntlw nctrsntlemic institritiarial |,3pewill affect exisfir:g eriucational$tnlctil]:es,policies, and
ci*paci[ies.
Indeeri, countries actively encouragefrireign institutions to offer higlrer educationrvithin their borders rvithaut rnaking
a policy distinction betr,vee:rpublic or privatc institutions. Th* Ilrrhii lnttlrlationrrl AcatlernicCit1, {:orexarn;rle,r**r,1rj[
prrlrlic iilstituti<us frorrr olher countrieii to open pragrftrnsin llubai, and those prograrl$ are being a:.rthorizerito
operdte as aLuttlnoruous
p*vate entitics. The impact of thesi: foreign institutions on existiirg regulatary framewo;k$ in
the emirate is uncertain, hut the,r'-trravirerald the unanticipated consequencesof ernelging nei.r,institirtional fr;rrrrsin
cther cr:untries.
"Regrulnfion in the C.r.nss--S$rri{rr -drrudrnnrnent
Ir cross{:nrder education,foleign organizationsmay *}so tiistlrt the existing pr:licy *nvironrnrpt and thrnry nnt af
balancetheregulat*ryn:eclranisrnsintlrelrostcottttit1'.As'intheI.hrbaicase,rjrnss*barcler

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sti*e-sponsoredentitiesas if the3"r"-er'*:f\:lly
private,nongove]:nmental
organizatious.1l fact, fnreignacadernic
institutions reutain at a competitive aclvantafieto tlreir true private-sectorcolleaguestteeausenithi,lr p,rt
ii"-i*rto.
connectionse* home' Even with firewalls to prwent state fun*ls sr othcr r*rrru.*I. to <lirecti-vsupport crcss-h*rder
actir4ties,such as with manyAus*:aiian nniversities,the carrrprincan her:efit i'on bland rec,:g,,,iticrn
of tl1elome
cnmpusattcithe existing ad[rinistrative support structure of tire horne rarnpu$. Ii'urt]rer,t]reiiassociatilu with a
recognizedgovernment plcvides a lelel af credibility ar:d pr:rceivedquality asslralcc (whether true or lot) of which
privatesnraynot benefit"
Cross-borde:":'e8iulations
Inay-a$$urne
that fbr"eignacar{emicinstitutiont, as pu},rlic-sectoreutities, }ravehome
govel'nnlorltendorseineutcf their cross-borcleractivities. In reality, though, such olganizalions ran complete
international callaharatiansand eonrmitrnentswith little gnvernnient ovir:sight, espicially in t]re vast nrajofity of cases
wirere Do Sovermllert fesource$are at risk. lVe ftrunelthis occurring irr our siruiy'of US <iornesticcross-Lrrlrrieractii'iiy,
and anecdotalevider"rce
{iilggoststhis can be trrtc in interuational efforts as r.r'eli.'These
crcrss-bgrdercampuse$*uo foil'
thr:oughthe.cracksof qualitl'-assuratteercgulations, with both g$vel:trnre)tts*.ssumingthe pther (or some entity ra,it6ip
the eountrl') is providing oversighl,bui neithel a*tivelyengagirigin *ucli a n'a'.
Agreemeilts betweenthe host country and the foreign r:rganizationnta),not consiclerthe ability of tle hgrne
govenlnleilt to assertits authority o\,'erirny cross-bordnr,?ctivity,r.r'hetheror not state funds are directly involvecl.The
host country is allorving-anagercy of n different governrnentto opelate within its bolriers, while treating it as a private$ect$rnongovernmetrtalorganization. Participation in a fcreign country rnay have domestic politicralconcernsthlt
ccntr:adictthe ostensiblyprivatelnatrrre of the cr:oss*bolderactivity. Foi examplc,the horrre
for.enrmelt nray qqgstion
thepr:oprielyofstatehigher:edr"rcatiorrj'nvoIvenrentirrt'lreca;:ac'itytulln*lg
cotrld ga s,olar as to restt"istor ftrrce redesignof the type of ciu'riculurrrdelivered,r:ut if t'earfoi natiaral security <11
aidin.ga globalcornpetitor.
Neur (luestinns
Thinking of cross-border:highel education as a private enterprise in the traditional selso oversimplifiesthe true nature
ofthe nrgnnizations.Hventhough thcy nperatein the private sector alld are regulated as private eirtities, as extelsions
afaprrlrlicgovernmeut,matrycrss.borclerencleavot'elraisenewquestir:rrsaIroirttlrerole^att
instittttior:s. Are such institutions trulv inclependerrtirrstitutio:rs?T'owhat extent doesa horrre[gr,'emment'spolitical
agendaaffect operations ofthe cross-borderactivity? As researchcontinues irr this arena, nuchqnestionsoeo.l tn be
further investig,atecl
ilr order to providea lnore robustunderst.ancl.ing
of this phenofitenon.

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