The lost identity? Universities of applied sciences in Poland

Abstract

The subject of this article is universities of applied sciences (UOAS), whose institutional identity is shaped by conflicting ideas, aspirations, social functions. On the one hand, they carry out the teaching and professional missions on the other hand, many of them are drifting under the influence of changes in the law, financial constraints, pressure from the social environment. In the text, we present the circumstances and goals of the establishment and location of UOAS in Poland, which significantly resonate on their functioning in the local environment and determine the social egalitarian, teaching and professional functions they carry out. We also identify the key factors (drivers) that push universities toward academicism in the broadest sense, or steer them toward professional education for the social and economic needs of the region.