In a 2014 article published in Liberal Education Stephen Rowe provides a framework to help interpret the reasons for the rise of Managerialism in the contemporary university, the negative impacts of Managerialism, and some approaches that might rectify or at least mitigate the negative impact of Managerialism on the university. While striving for similar outcomes, I propose open and agile practice as an alternative to the reductionist and hierarchical assumptions of traditional strategic planning.

This posting is an edited text of the Residential Colleges Professorial Lecture delivered at the University of Southern Queensland on August 6, 2014. The lecture was intended to introduce the students to the nature of the corporatized university and the impact that commercialization has had on traditional university values including the rights and responsibilities conferred through academic freedom.