Explaining the characteristics of the third generation university and examining their achievement in Iranian higher education: Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman case

One of the areas of development in higher education is the move towards benefiting from the third-generation university systems. Accordingly, the main purpose of this study was to explain the characteristics of a third generation university and to examine their achievement from point of view of administrators and faculty members at Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman. The current study was a qualitative and descriptive survey research design.  The population was comprised all administrators and faculty members at Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman (N=629). Fifteen individuals were selected through purposive sampling method for interviews. The categorizing method was used for data analysis. Results showed that from interviewees’ point of views, the five main characteristics of the third generation university included skill training, entrepreneurship, inclusive autonomy, interaction between university and the society, and creativity and idea production. The founding also indicated that the university should consider characteristics such as establishment of entrepreneurial thinking, political and economic autonomy, cooperation with industry and society, supporting knowledge based enterprises and increasing academic sabbatical, and updating activities. Results showed that none of the characteristics of a third generation university is 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 interdisciplinary research is somewhat closer to the third-generation university and it is weak in other characteristics such as autonomy, utilization of knowledge and internationalization.