Entrepreneurship and Image Management in Higher Education - Pillars of Massification

Oct 15, 2026

Mass higher education has taken hold in developed nations, commonly framed as a “right,” and driven by revenue-cost squeeze from reduced and realigned government funding alongside heightened entrepreneurial emphasis. At the same time, institutions pursue differentiation through “Image Management” and even “Branding” to stand out in the postmassiﬁcation era. The paper analyzes this evolution in the university sector, described by some as a “revolution.”

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages16

Reading Time40 min

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Abstract

Résumé

Introduction

The Canadian Journal of Higher Education La revue canadienne dʼenseignement supérieur Volume XXXIV, No. 2, 2004 pages 125–140 Special Feature/Contribution Spéciale Entrepreneurship and Image Management in Higher Education: Pillars of Massiﬁcation JOAN MOUNT Laurentian University CHARLES H. BÉLANGER Laurentian University ABSTRACT Mass higher education has taken hold in the developed nations, and a widely held belief exists that higher education is a “right.” With massiﬁcation have emerged two notable trends: an entrepreneurial emphasis fuelled by the revenue-cost squeeze ensuing from reduced and realigned government funding; and a quest for differentiation through “Image Management” and even “Branding,” given the multitude of institutions and offerings present in the “postmassiﬁcation” era. This paper examines this evolution, some say“revolution,” in the university sector. RÉSUMÉ Lʼenseignement supérieur de masse sʼest imposé dans les pays industrialisés et est largement considéré comme un « droit » . 126 Joan Mount & Charles H. Bélanger Cet accès universel a entraîné deux phénomènes notables : dʼune part un accent sur lʼentrepreneuriat justiﬁé par la réduction du ﬁnancement gouvernemental et lʼobligation dʼassumer les coûts de fonctionnement; dʼautre part, la nécessité que le grand nombredʼétablissements et de programmes qui ont facilité cette universalité se distinguent individuellement en recourant à la « gestion de lʼimage » et même à la création dʼune « marque de commerce » . Cet article examine cette évolution, ou même « révolution » comme certains la qualiﬁent, dans le secteur universitaire. INTRODUCTION The last three decades have seen an increasing responsiveness to contextual imperatives in the higher education sphere, in many cases market-centered. Have they really brought what Kerr (1987) has cast as “the greatest critical age for universities on a worldwide basis in eight centuries”(p. 184)? The author of The Idea ofa University (1852), Cardinal John Newman, would no doubt chastise the university of today as having sold out for mammon. For him, as for many others still, it would be, and is, inconceivable that the university become other than a community of thinkers deliberately distant from the vortex of the world. On the other hand, Krachenberg (1972) asserted that “As with all social institutions … a university must be alert to the danger of being so far removed from society that it ceases to be a viable entity in that social system”(p. 373) . Some have described the present shift as a “revolution”(Jencks & Riesman, 1968; Kirp, 2003) . This paper attempts to unpack some key facets of this shift and to pose some timely questions. From a socioeconomic perspective, the history of higher education in the twentieth century constitutes a transposition from The Canadian Journal of Higher Education Volume XXXIV, No. 2, 2004 Entrepreneurship and Image Management in Higher Education 127 education for a privileged few, primarily males, to broader access under the pressure of the post-war consumer economy. The rhetoric over time has highlighted both the public good, and the private good. Increasingly, the goal is seen to be that of providing a countryʼs citizens—all of its citizens—with the ability to realize their full potential (Dobson, 2001) . Social justice and the principle of equal opportunity aside, proponents of the human capital theory have argued that open access to tertiary education optimizes the available talent pool and with it, a nationʼs economic competitiveness. If education is broadly available, either free or at an affordable price, there will be more people gainfully employed to support the national economy and, not to be overlooked, the national tax base. Educational policies became the preferred [government] weapon for raising the general qualiﬁcations of the national working population as well as its mobility and for producing an adequate labour force with certai

FAQs

What trends emerged with mass higher education in developed nations?

The paper highlights two trends: an entrepreneurial emphasis driven by funding squeezes and the pursuit of differentiation through image management and branding.

How does the paper describe the role of entrepreneurship in higher education?

It links entrepreneurship to revenue-cost squeeze resulting from reduced and realigned government funding, shaping institutional priorities.

What is meant by “Image Management” or “Branding” in the postmassiﬁcation era?

The paper explains that institutions seek differentiation by managing their image and, in some cases, creating brands to stand out among many providers and programs.

Oct 15, 2026

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