Reclaiming the Idea of the University as a Possible Solution to Today’s Crisis
Keywords:
(idea of the) university, (economic) crisis, identity, legitimacy, purpose, values
Abstract
Higher education has always been associated in one way or another with crisis. One could even argue that the university has always faced one type of crisis or another. The one debated the most is the economic crisis; however, there are many debates focusing on other types of crisis. Furthermore, all major reforms in the history of higher education (from Humboldt’s reform in 19th century Prussia to the views promoted by Y Gasset against the background of the Spanish revolution, or even the Bologna Process) have arisen as a result of a crisis. Today, the global economic crisis has yet again highlighted the fact that the idea of the university, the very foundation on which it was built, is no longer present when addressing contemporary issues in higher education. Our paper argues that there is an imperative need to reclaim and reconsider the idea of the university, as this could provide a possible solution to today’s crisis in higher education. Furthermore, we will attempt to show the reasons why this should occur, as well as the manner in which it could be achieved. The focus today is on too many minute, detailed aspects of higher education institutions, which are managed, evaluated, quality assured, ranked, assessed and so forth, while the global perspective on the university has been lost/ignored. Today’s crisis could be used as an opportunity to reassess and re establish a relevant idea for today’s university.Downloads
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References
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Fallis, G. (2004). The Mission of the University. Higher Expectations for Higher Education, Government of Ontario.
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Liessmann, P. K. (2008). Theorie der Unbildung. Wien: Zsolnay Paul Verlag.
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Marga, A. (2006). The Cultural Legitimacy of the European University. Cluj-Napoca: Cluj University Press.
Maxwell, N. (2007). From Knowledge to Wisdom: The Need for an Academic Revolution. London Review of Education, 5, 97–115.
Münch, R. (2009). Globale Eliten, lokale Autoritäten: Bildung und Wissenschaft unter dem Regime von PISA, McKinsey & Co. Frankfurt a.M.: Suhrkamp.
Perkins, J. A. (1973). Organisation and Function of the University. In J. A Perkins (Ed.), The University as an Organisation (pp. 3–14). New York: McGraw Hill
Rothblatt, S. (1989). The Idea of the Idea of a University and its Antithesis. Conversazione, Bundoora: La Trobe University.
Rothblatt, S. (1997). The Modern University and Its Discontents: The Fate of Newman’s Legacies in Britain and America. New York and Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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Rüegg, W. (Ed.) (2004). A History of the University in Europe, Vol. III: Universities in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries. New York: Cambridge University Press.
von Humboldt, W. (1970). Über die innere und äußere Organisation der höheren wissenschaftlichen Anstalten in Berlin. In E. Müller (Ed.), Gelegentliche Gedanken über Universitäten (pp. 267–283). Leipzig: Reclam.
Published
2014-06-30
How to Cite
Pavlenko, S., & Bojan, C. (2014). Reclaiming the Idea of the University as a Possible Solution to Today’s Crisis. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 4(2), 91–104. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.206
Section
FOCUS
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