This book examines the role of the university governing council and the changing nature of university governance using a case study from a South African university.

The book considers the key challenging features of South African higher education in relation to current competing international trends in higher education governance. It shows how major decision-makers within the university operate within competing governance knowledge domains to exercise good practice within turbulent institutional contexts. These diverse institutional cultures are examined in terms of their contribution to various governance practices, presenting an emerging model of university governance known as the structural–systemic–cultural model.

Throwing light on the nature of challenges associated with the governance of universities in the post-apartheid era, this book will be of interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the fields of higher education, comparative education and education governance. Also, it will appeal to university councils and management across Africa.