Public policies and transformations in French public higher education: what are the issues and prospects for a regional university?[Politiques publiques et transformations de l'enseignement supérieur public français : quels enjeux et perspectives pour une université des territoires ?]

Over the past twenty years, the landscape of higher education and research (HER) in France has been profoundly reshaped by a series of major reforms. These reforms are part of a broader transformation of public policy, marked by a shift from centralised state regulation to a model based on contractual arrangements and the autonomy of institutions. These developments have redefined modes of governance and funding, encouraging institutions to rationalise their management, differentiate their strategies, and take on new roles. Universities thus appear as more structured organisations that are accountable for their results, while being called upon to assert their strategic positioning. Universities are no longer confined to their traditional roles: some are now establishing themselves as key actors in the economic, social, and environmental dynamics of their regions. It is in this context that the present research is situated, taking La Rochelle University—an institution engaged in a process of territorialisation—as its case study.