The Challenge of Bologna: What United States Higher Education Has to Learn from Europe, and Why It Matters That We Learn It (review)
Buy Issue for $25 at JHUP- The Challenge of Bologna: What United States Higher Education Has to Learn from Europe, and Why It Matters That We Learn It
Huisman, Stensaker, and Kehm (2009) stated, “The many meetings, discussions and deliberations taking place under the Bologna umbrella have created a new space for policy-making which indeed is unprecedented in higher education” (p. xv). Paul L. Gaston’s book, The Challenge of Bologna: What United States Higher Education Has to Learn from Europe, and Why It Matters That We Learn It, provides readers with an opportunity to understand what this new space might look like and its larger implications on both sides of the Atlantic. Paul L. Gaston III serves Kent State University as its sole Trustees Professor. He is an experienced scholar with a focus on higher education reform, public policy, and the humanities.
With a masterly approach, Gaston presents an understanding of the Bologna Process and its challenges for U.S. higher education. He offers two perspectives: one chronological and one thematic. Gaston’s study focuses on the three Bologna priorities that are most critical to American higher education: access and mobility, structure, and effectiveness. The book’s 11 chapters reflect Gaston’s deep knowledge of the Bologna Process and express his worries about higher education in the United States. Ultimately, he proposes a process of reform tailored to U.S. higher education needs.
Gaston’s preface familiarizes readers with the Bologna Process and addresses frequently asked questions: What is the Bologna Process? What are its precedents? Structurally, how does it relate to the European Union, the Lisbon Agenda, and countries outside of Europe? What has it accomplished, and what are its goals for the future?
Chapter 1 begins by highlighting the edifying importance of Bologna. Like Halls (1990, p. 23), who suggested that “we study the phenomenon of foreign education with the intention of improving our own education system,” Gaston sees it as providing a valuable resource for American policymakers.
The chapter next outlines Bologna’s beginnings: On June 19, 1999, ministers responsible for higher education from 29 European countries signed a declaration agreeing on important joint objectives for the development of a coherent and cohesive plan, known as the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Apart from some regulated professions, most roles of the EU Directives concerning the recognition of diplomas and professional qualifications were taken over by recognition elements included into the Bologna Process, such as the Diploma Supplement and the implementation of national qualification frameworks.
Chapter 2 looks at the road to Bologna in greater detail, while Chapter 3 explores issues of chronological sequence. Here, the author cites the studies of Terry (2008) and Adelman (2008, 2009), which, Gaston, states, show that the EU’s efforts “offer a strong beginning” (p. 37).
Chapter 4 focuses more precisely on the decisions made during the ministers’ meetings up through 2003. Gaston provides unique details about these meetings and about the development of the Bologna Process in general. He also provides additional information concerning formal documents that informed or resulted from the process, clarifying the references for his readers.
Chapter 5 explores meetings in Bergen and London that took place in 2005 and 2007 respectively. In Bergen, the ministers from EU countries agreed upon European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance. Additionally, monitoring the progress among the signatory countries was stepped up by a “stocktaking” exercise, which demanded that all participant countries produce national reports to inform citizens about their country’s progress toward compliance.
Further meetings are covered in Chapter 6, where Gaston describes the 2009 Leuven/Louvainla-Neuve meeting. Gaston’s work familiarizes readers with European priorities and strategies such as lifelong learning, employability, teaching and learning, research, international openness, geographic mobility, data collection, transparency, and funding. U.S. readers will readily recognize these concerns as among those shared by domestic colleges and universities.
The book’s remaining chapters deal with the Bologna Process’s current...
