The Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy (AHEAD) is dedicated to advancing higher education policy and practice that helps colleges, universities, and university systems advance their public purposes and strengthen civil societies.

Drawing on the intellectual resources of the University of Pennsylvania and a global alliance of higher education and academic leaders, AHEAD pursues its mission by:

• - Creating Knowledge
• - Improving Practice
• - Building Capacity

Penn AHEAD’s research, service, and capacity-building initiatives help senior university leaders, trustees, academic leaders, and policy makers advance their priorities and address pressing challenges. We link research to practice, drawing on the expertise and deep experience of the faculty and staff of Penn AHEAD and an extensive network of university leaders. Our work focuses on both U.S. and international higher education systems and institutions. Some areas in which we advise and support include, but are not limited to, governance, leadership, access and equity, quality assurance, state and federal higher education policy, institutional and system-level change, and university strategy. We engage in short-term consulting efforts as well as long-term partner projects spanning a year or more.

Penn AHEAD affiliates have recently worked on consulting projects at a variety of institutions, including:

- Anant National University, India
- Broward College, FL
- The International Association of
    University Presidents
- Lehigh University, PA
- Monmouth University, NJ
- Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan
- North Central College, IL
- The Pennsylvania State University
- United Board for Christian Higher
    Education in Asia
- University of Michigan
- University of South Carolina

Matt Hartley and Alan Ruby publish Pursuing Institutional Purpose: Profiles of Excellence, an open access resource on institutions of excellence around the world and how they work.

We are living in an era where global university schemes only offer narrow conceptions of quality, relying too heavily on international ranking systems. This timely book presents an alternative perspective on evaluating “world-class universities,” showcasing how eight very different higher education institutions have defined and are pursuing excellence in their own way. Each case study highlights how institutions can align their work with shared values and goals and strive to uphold these principles in all they do and say. The portraits offer insights into the ways institutions can create cultures of excellence tied to a vision of how to make a difference for their students and society. Their success suggests that policymakers should reward institutions that adopt and strive to fulfil particular educational purposes rather than continuing to perpetuate the status quo. This book is essential reading for researchers and students of education research, education policy, and international education reforms.

>>>Access Pursuing Institutional Purpose for free through Cambridge Core

Alan Ruby Publishes Politics and Knowledge: Shaping Educational Reform.

Have you ever wondered why education is always being reformed? This book provides ten case studies from all corners of the globe that illustrate how politics and data clash as education policies are developed, enacted, and assessed. A follow-up to the authors’ previous book, Implementing Educational Reform, it highlights trends such as politicization, showing where successful policies have been dropped, and where failed policies persist for ideological ends. Drawing on examples from South Africa, Ghana, Rwanda, Peru, Portugal, post-Soviet states and the UK, it shows how education policy can be disruptive and abrupt, or consensual and gradual. It challenges the managerial model of education reform that has dominated the last thirty years of education reform thinking, ultimately deepening our understanding of the importance of practical knowledge in designing and implementing policies. It is essential reading for practitioners, policy makers, and researchers of education research, education policy, and international education reform.

For more information, and to order, visit the Cambridge University Press website, and enter the code PAKSER24 at checkout for a 20% discount on this title through Sept. 30.