Academic Entrepreneurs in Higher Education: New Demands, Old Manners?

Over the last decades, education has been gradually permeated by economic, mainly neoliberal logic of relationships prompting academic subjects to new responsibilities and ways of behaviour. The main change is the shift towards an academic entrepreneurism, an output-oriented practice of constant self-exploitation, accountability, and competition. This logic has intensified in the course of the digital transformation of education, which opened the gate to global academic and knowledge markets. Consistently, academic subjects have developed a series of practices and strategies to cope with the changing nature of education and the academic profession. In the following article, we seek to dismantle processes of academic subjectivation under the neoliberal imperative in the context of a specific educational institution, the Aalto University. Conceived in recent years as one of the main drivers of the Finnish reform aimed at fostering an entrepreneurial shift to Higher Education, Aalto presents itself as an innovative and edge-cutting institution “shaping a sustainable future” by training “the game changers of tomorrow”. It thus appears as fitting context where to observe contemporary modes of academic subjectivation. The article is organised in in three main sections: First, we present the debate on the changing academic nature under the neoliberal economic models. Second, based on qualitative research with academics at Aalto University, we analyse the process of their subjectification as academic entrepreneurs through their expectations toward the academic institution they enrolled in. Third, with the results of the analysis we forward the critical debate on the new forms of subjectivation within the academic domain. You have full access to this open access chapter, Download chapter PDF Similar content being viewed by others Neoliberalism in academia: reflections from a parasitologist Article Open access 24 November 2024 Searching for Authenticity and Success: Academic Identity and Production in Neoliberal Times Chapter © 2017 Corporatization of Higher Education and Student Affairs Chapter © 2021 Explore related subjects Discover the latest articles, books and news in related subjects, suggested using machine learning. Academic Spin-Offs Education Education Economics Entrepreneurship Higher Education Management Education Introduction Research on Higher Education (HE) has evidenced a series of global transformations with far-reaching implications for academic systems and stakeholders that shape how research and education are enacted and framed (Leišytė et al., 2023). One of the implications is the pressure on cost-efficiency and competitiveness of institutions and individuals alike. For both of them, metrics and key performance indicators (e.g., monthly research activity, annual research outputs, prizes and patents, funding, global networks and alliances etc.) figure prominently as a sign of success and attractiveness and have become an undisputable part of the academic life. Equally, the marketized educational outputs are being increasingly measured and valued by learners based on their practical use (e.g., competencies, credentials, qualifications, learning outcomes) in reaching career goals (Brunila et al., 2024). In the criticized academic capitalism (Jessop, 2017), the conditions are now ripe for the rise of the so-called ‘academic entrepreneurs’ (Peter, 2017). Academic entrepreneurialism resembles a way of performative self-conduct that views HE as a competitive field where no one is spared from insecurities and threats of exclusion. Those who want to stay in the game must conform to the societal imaginary of excellence and innovation (Sørensen & Traweek, 2022) that transcends their disciplinary and national boundaries and celebrates high-risk/high-gain, world-class research, as is the case with European Research Council (ERC) grants or other competitive national funding schemes (OECD, 2021). The self-proclaimed mission of academic entrepreneurs is to concentrate on their capacity to outperform other competitors and gain prestige through scientific breakthroughs. While this is not a completely new development, as the drive for excellent scientific advancements has always characterized academic life (Blackmore, 2016), the subjectivationFootnote1 of academics as entrepreneurs signals a more radical change of individual self-perception and challenges the way academics relate to their profession, their disciplinary and institutional affiliation, and, more generally, to the future of academia as such. In the chapter, we analyze the subjectivation of academics as entrepreneurs and reflect on the side-effects and extremes of the academic entrepreneurial selves. The chapter evolves in three steps: First, we contextualize the debate on the changing academic nature under the neoliberal economic project. Although academic entrepreneurialism represents only one approach to the academic work, it is often hyperbolized as the ideal academic practice. We therefore aim to disentangle the assemblage of what we term the ‘illusory’ figure of academic entrepreneurs. Second, based on qualitative research with academics at an entrepreneurial university, we analyze the process of their subjectivation as academic entrepreneurs in order to reveal how it exploits their resources, disrupts their academic practices, and installs performative behavioral norms. Third, we open a discussion on the side-effects and (possible) futures of the academia driven by the business model of academic entrepreneurs.