POLITICAL PORTRAIT OF A UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR: SOME TENDENCIES IN THE GLOBALIZATION ERA

Abstract

The article explores political and social characteristics of such a professional layer in higher education as university professoriate. Some changes in roles and political attitudes of a university professor are traced during the last decades of globalization in various types of states, Ukraine included. The author states that university professoriate constitutes the elite of higher educational establishments and exerts considerable impact not only onthe development of scientific knowledge and education but on power relations in society as well. By way of illustration, an imaginative simulated portrait of a professor with singling out the main characteristic features is provided. The articletraces the impact of introduction ofmarket relations onprofessorial activity at higher educational establishments and characterizes it on the basis of general tendencies of development at universities and in society.An imaginative simulated portrait of a professor with description of the main characteristics is suggested. The introduction of market relations into professorial activity at higher educational establishments is investigated and characterized on the basis of general tendencies of development at universities and in society.

It is noted that the core of professor’s political portrait stems from political orientations and values which in their turn affect the formation of public opinion.  The author points out that  the main reasons of political preferences of professors are rooted in a character of a political regime, forms of government, existence or  banning  democratic rights and freedoms, changeability  of ideologies in this or that country, etc. At the same time examples that illustrate different approaches of scholars to behaviorare referred.As they are a little studied, it is important for political scientists to pay attention to researchingpolitical attitudes of professoriate as this professional layer exerts great influence on young generation.