Explaining the Characteristics of the Third Generation University and Examining their Achievement in Iranian Higher Education Case: Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman

One of the areas for development in higher education is moving toward the use of university systems with features of the third-generation. Accordingly, the main purpose of this study was to explain the characteristics of the third generation university and to explain their achievement from administrators and faculty members of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman’s point of views. The current study was a qualitative and descriptive research and its research design was surveying the point of views through interview. The population was comprised all of the administrators and faculty members of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman (629 people) that 15 people was selected through purposeful sampling method. The categorizing method was used for data analysis. Results showed that from interwees’ point of views, the five main characteristics of the third generation university include: 1. skill training, 2. entrepreneurship, 3. inclusive autonomy, interaction between university and the society, and 5. creativity and idea production. They argued that university should consider some factors to achievement these characteristics, including: 1. establishment of entrepreneurial thinking, 2. political and economic university autonomy, 3. cooperation between university and industry, society, 4. supporting knowledge based enterprises and increasing academic visiting, and 5. updating. Results showed that none of the characteristics of the third generation university are fully integrated in Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman and it could be said that this university is still in the first generation (knowledge-based) or at the transition to the second generation university (research-based). However, in some of the characteristics, including the attribute of the university-based network and interdisciplinary and interadisciplinary research, it is somewhat closer to the third-generation university, although it is weak in other characteristics, including independency, utilization of knowledge and internationalization.