This book is about the post-Soviet context and the countries within it. The work was written between 2000 and 2022. We are finishing this book at the very beginning of the Russian military assault of Ukraine. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union three decades ago, no other single action has the potential to reshape this part of the globe.

We ground this book in the dissolution of the Soviet Union and what that political change meant for the fifteen countries with newfound independence and for their universities. The book repeatedly references the Soviet Union and treats it as an artifact of the past from which to look forward from. The Soviet Union colonized much of this region and left a lasting imprint, much positive but also like other colonial efforts, much of it negative, negating local language and culture, and impacting individual lives. However, it established a common university system, and from this point this book begins.

Before 1991, the now independent nations had a common university system, structure and philosophy guided by the ideas of a planned economy and direct State control. The dissolution of the Soviet Union brought about a unique opportunitie for post-Soviet universities. However, they had to face if not overcome the Soviet legacy. This chapter explores that legacy. To understand univeristy governance’s current structure and the extent to which these structures evolved in common and uncommon ways, it is crucial to understand the Soviet context and its legacies impacting higher education. History shapes organizational structures but also organizational identities.