Culture clash and identity loss: University mergers in Russia

The research encompasses six institutional cases in Russian higher education, integrating university organisational identity theory, approaches to understanding university culture, and studies of the human side of mergers and acquisitions.

It will highlight anxiety and perceived unfairness due to post-merger changes, the activisation of we-they opposition between students and professors from merged universities, the loss or transformation of organisational identity, and clashes of university cultures.

The cases were selected to illustrate different scenarios of university mergers and analyse the variety of student and professors’ experiences. 

This event will be particularly useful for those interested in higher education, university mergers and university culture.

Related links

• Centre for Global Higher Education
• Department of Education, Practice and Society