Neoliberalism and its effects on higher education in Lithuania

• Vaitkevičius, Sigitas
• Merkys, Gediminas

ENNeoliberalism is slowly becoming established in Lithuania's institutions of higher education. The effects of neoliberalism are already evident as is the organizational identity of higher education that is being created. This article surveys the experience of eight years during which the neoliberal model was applied to higher education. It shows how the management and organizational culture of higher education are changing. It examines questions such as: institutional neoliberalism in Lithuania, neoliberal management of Lithuanian higher education, the status of employees in the neoliberal university, legal immunity and neoliberal legitimacy, the neoliberal illusion of quality, and money in the neoliberal system of universities. The article presents the results of research into the opinions of instructors and scholars working in Lithuania's schools of higher education. These results empirically reflect the situation which has arisen with the application of a neoliberal management model to higher education. [From the publication]