1. The Governance and Missions of Universities; Lars Engwall -- 2. The Idea and Role of Universities in Society; Jürgen Mittelstrass -- 3. Medieval Universities and Empirical Research; Wim Blockmans -- 4. Universities and their Missions in Early Modern Times; Hilde De Ridder-Symoens -- 5. Humboldt’s University: The History and Topicality of a German Tradition; Johan Östling -- 6. Building Knowledge: The Research Mission in American Universities, 1890–2018; Roger L. Geiger -- 7. Universities in a ‘Mode 2’ Society; Peter Scott -- 8. Universities and ‘Accountability’: Lessons from the UK Experience?; Stefan Collini -- 9. The Socially Embedded American University: Intensification and Globalization; Francisco O. Ramirez -- 10. The European University as a Multiversity; Georg Krücken -- 11. The Idea of a Global Market for Universities; Linda Wedlin -- 12. The Future of Universities; Lars Engwall.

This book provides an analysis of university missions over time and space. It starts out by presenting a governance framework focusing on the demands on universities set by regulators, market actors and scrutinizers. It examines organizational structures, population development, the fundamental tasks of universities, and internal governance structures. Next, the book offers a discussion of the idea and role of universities in society, exploring concepts such as autonomy and universality, and the university as a transformative institute. The next four chapters deal with the development of universities from medieval times, through the Renaissance, towards the research universities in the nineteenth century in Europe and the United States. The following five chapters analyse recent developments of increasing external demands manifested through evaluations, accreditations and rankings, which in turn have had effects on the organization of universities. Topics discussed include markets, managers, globalization, consumer models and competition. The book concludes by a discussion and analysis of the future challenges of universities.