21st Century Societal Pressures on the University
Given that a college degree or two is considered in many developed nations as a basic requirement of most working adults, the roles of the University are particularly key in helping to provide an economic foundation to most countries. Calculating the trajectory of the University in the 21st century, researcher John Brennan of the Open University in the UK, along with a multinational team, have produced a report of the Higher Education Looking Forward Project that considers how institutions of higher learning no longer enjoy the geographical and cultural isolation that they once had and must contend with globalization like many other industries.
Brennan is quoted as saying:
“Universities are constantly rethinking their strategy in the light of globalisation. But the expectations of universities are growing all the time and there are some pressures that are hard to balance. For instance, higher education institutions are being asked to produce more research, and also to teach more students in a more personal way. Perhaps more importantly, universities do not exist just to produce economic benefits. They are also important in providing equity, social cohesion and social justice. How can they do this on a world scale?”
Brennan and his team conclude that further research is required to clarify the ways in which higher education meshes with modern societies:
“…the purpose of researching higher edu-
cation is not just to make higher education ‘better’
– although hopefully it will also do that – but to enhance
our understanding of contemporary societies and the
futures that are available to them. The parts that learn-
ing, knowledge and science in all their forms and in
all their organisational settings have to play in achiev-
ing such understandings and in shaping such futures
deserve, we believe, to have a central place in social
science endeavours.”
Two reports of the HELF Project can be found at the European Science Foundation in PDF format.
A review of the research is also provided here.