Internal and external challenges in a private university

Abstract

Reviewing the development stages of higher education institutions is vital to understanding the present situation of universities. During the past two decades the higher education system has developed and moved from elite to mass to universal education system (Trow, 1973). One consequence of universal access to higher education sector is the "McDonaldization of education". Traditional university models are facing major challenges and external pressures shaping the entrepreneurial future of universities. The economic and social roles performed by current universities and the challenges faced are elaborated. Drivers of change in the higher education sector are identified. The current challenges in the Lebanese higher education sector are examined in general and in the particular case of study. The needed change could be done by looking at the complex administrative structure of the university through Socio-Economic Approach to Management (SEAM) lenses.