ABSTRACT
Multiple factors have converged to provoke the current international preoccupation with quality and standards in education during the past several decadesthe rapid expansion of tertiary education; the simultaneous shrinking of public subsidies for higher education; the knowledge explosion; the need for universities to acquire more expensive infrastructure; the mobility of professionals and researchers; and, finally, the increasing worldwide competition for prestige and often for the same funds, students, and faculty. Moreover, expectations of the output and achievement of higher education have become increasingly complex. At one time, the purpose of higher education might have been to provide a thorough grounding in classical knowledge or preparation for a few specific professions. In the recent past, a diverse public looks to universities as engines of development, social equalizers, professional training grounds, and centers of continuing education, among other things.
