Vision of Higher Education System Functions with Regional Management Approach

The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the functions of higher education system with a regional management approach. To achieve this goal, a qualitative approach and phenomenological approach were used. The statistical society of the study consisted of general managers and senior experts of educational and research departments, who were interviewed face to face based on theoretical data saturation. In-depth interviews were used for data collection and inductive content analysis was used for data analysis. The research findings showed that the higher education system's assignable functions to future areas are in research functions (including: organizing regional research projects, organizing research facilities, setting up and developing research units and technology centers, selecting top researchers, licensing and validation of scientific journal, licensing and evaluation of scientific associations, establishment and development of regional laboratories and monitoring of output quality), educational functions (including: higher education macro planning, creation, integration and deletion of disciplines, creation, integration and deletion of higher education centers, supervising the quality of programs in Higher Education Centers, monitoring the programs' outcome, etc.), student cultural functions (including: planning, approving and executing student mobility at the regional level, identifying and directing student talent at the regional level, etc.) and staffing functions (including: formation of special case committees at the regional level, recruitment and transfer process of faculty members, review and approval of special support policy for faculty at the regional level, selection of students and staff, and faculty at the regional level and etc).