As the new century begins to unfold, African universities, and indeed universities everywhere, are undergoing unprecedented change and confronting multiple challenges brought about by the vast and complex processes of globalization and technological change. Powerful internal and external forces-political, pecuniary and paradigmatic-are reconfiguring all aspects of university life constituted around the triple mission of teaching, research and service.
The need for redefining the role and defending the importance of universities has never been greater. How are African universities trying to balance the demands of autonomy and accountability, expansion and excellence, equity and efficiency, diversification and differentiation, internationalization and indigenization in the face of liberalization and privatization, and as they address the new challenges of knowledge production and dissemination, of Africanizing global scholarship and globalizing African scholarship? What innovative approaches can they adopt to facilitate the sustainable development of African economies, societies, and polities?
The two volumes in the Codesria Book Series address these issues. They articulate new values and missions for African universities, and define effective strategies to meet the challenges. Written by some of Africa's leading educators, Volume I examines the implications of the neo-liberal reforms and the new information technologies on African higher education, while Volume II interrogates the changing social dynamics of knowledge production, university organization, and public service and engagement.
