Abstract
This chapter focuses on the role of universities in cultivating students' capabilities to sustain their careers in the changing world of work and to flourish in life through their personal becoming. First, the chapter outlines the ecosystems of universities. Next, it presents the challenges and opportunities society and the world of work pose to universities. This chapter introduces a novel framework that shows how the academic and operational competencies lead to the life-world becoming of students and contributes to the existing university ecosystems theory. Based on the explored literature and the authors' long-term experience in higher education, this chapter also outlines the implications for educational researchers, practical implications for educational practitioners, and broader society.
TopIntroduction
The aim of this chapter is to summarize the different views on the functions and roles of universities in a complex and rapidly changing world. The burning economic, social, and environmental issues create new situations for higher education (HE) worldwide. The roles and aims of universities change dynamically over time. Medieval universities focused on teaching and scholastic methods, and scholars studied liberal arts, theology, medicine, and law. Latin was the universal language of education. In the 19th century, in Germany, the focus shifted to research, and it influenced HE globally. Today, the prominent role of HE is a mixture of various features of the historical models of universities.
The mission and roles of universities in a rapidly changing society were first outlined in the Great Charter of European Universities, the Magna Charta Universitatum (MCU), in 1988. The document defined the roles of universities as to spread knowledge among the young generations, to teach them and thus serve society as a whole, and to be centers of culture, knowledge, and research on which mankind depends. The document laid down four principles: (1) the university is an autonomous institution; (2) teaching and research are inseparable, and tuition should not lag behind the needs of society; (3) freedom in research and training; and (4) the university is the trustee of the European humanist traditions. In 2020, a new version of the MCU was adopted due to the contemporary challenges and phenomena in the world of HE. It states that universities have a responsibility to respond to the challenges of the world to benefit humanity; they must have intellectual and moral autonomy and must encourage critical thinking; they are part of global, collegial networks of scientific inquiry and scholarship; they are non-discriminatory spaces of tolerance and respect; and they serve diverse learners at all stages of their lives.
Discourses about the role of universities in a postmodern society have intensified during recent decades. Universities, as social institutions, are influenced by macroenvironmental forces, and they face challenges from their key stakeholders. As Engwall (2022) pointed out, different actors influence the university: (1) local, national, and international political bodies as regulators who set up the rules; (2) competitors, providers, and users as market actors who are the benchmarks, and (3) professions, auditors, media, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as scrutinizers who stand up for norms. The challenges for universities from these three actors are: (1) regulators attack academic freedom and apply budget cuts; (2) market actors indicate recruitment problems, such as falling student demand and decreasing attractiveness of academic careers; and (3) scrutinizers threaten universities by critical assessments and research scandals (Engwall, 2020; Üsdiken et al., 2021).
Similarly, Fuller (2022) argues that
there are too many universities trying to do too many things for which they are not optimally designed … universities are more openly exposed to market forces … universities will need to return to fundamentals to determine their distinct or unique selling point among the competing organizations that are mounting challenges on many fronts (p. 1).
Fuller’s answer to these challenges is “to recover judgment as the core skill that is imparted by a university education” (p. 2). Due to the strong influence of the market forces of globalization on the university, there is the problem of losing the identity, the reason for the existence of the university. As Villa (2012) states
The university has ceased to be a place for public debate – agora or forum. … the place of critique and wisdom has been converted into a marketplace, subordinated to being a business scene of knowledge, ready to offer its clients the services and certificates they require for the labor market
(p. 62, emphasis original).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Types of knowledge: a) episteme , i.e., scientific knowledge; b) techné , i.e., craft, technique, skills, practical knowledge; and c) phronesis , i.e., practical wisdom, excellence of character, and habits.
Personal skills: Personality and behavioral traits (earlier called soft skills). They include but are not limited to how the person performs their work and how they interact with others (e.g., problem-solving, time management, adaptability, resilience, accountability, creativity, critical thinking, leadership skills, etc.). Such skills are usually highly transferable.
Magna Charta Universitatum (MCU): The Great Charter of European Universities, is a document that lays down the role, mission, and operations of universities.
Intellectual: A person who possesses a highly developed intellect, enjoys learning, and engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection.
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): The terms university and HEIs have mainly become synonymous. Universities of sciences are HEIs that are accredited to issue advanced academic degrees in a given field of study. Other types of HEIs include universities of applied sciences, and business schools where education is ‘higher’ (i.e., advanced).
Polity: It can be defined as an organized unit, something that is organized for governance (e.g., an organization, a state, or a group of people with a collective identity). It is one of the ecosystems of the university.
New Psychological Contract (NPC): An agreement of the minds of the employment parties, it describes the underlying relationship between employer and employee. NPC implies a series of mutual expectations, commitment, and satisfaction of needs arising from the people-organization relationship. It involves ‘reciprocal trading’ or giving and receiving by the individuals and by the organization.
Teacher: A person whose job is to guide and help students acquire knowledge, skills, and competencies. The job of a university educator involves teaching, mentoring, exploring students’ career motivations, training for professions, and being involved in research.