Published in Hirsch, W. Z. & Weber L. E. (eds) Governance in Higher Education, Economica, Glion Colloquium Series Nr. 1, London, Paris, Genève, 2001
The participants in the first Glion Colloquium agreeed that the governance of universities makes it in general too difficult for them to make the important decisions that they should make if
they are to adapt to the changing environment. In other words, the decisionmakinq system is not responsive enough and thus does not allow the institution to assume in an optimal way its responsibility towards society. The identification of the most critical decisions to be taken and of the bestplaced potential decision makers is a crucial analytical step towards the improvement of university governance. This is the purpose of this contribution, which will be more strongly influenced by the European environment, at least with regard to the decision makers.