Anyone interesting in debating the future of the (European) universities may be interested in knowing about a symposium on “The University as a Business: Disaster or Necessity?”:http://www.fondationuniversitaire.be/en/forum9.php#prog. This will take place on the 18th of November in Brussels. I will be there, with some of my students.
On the same topic, Chris just posted a link on FB to a paper by Bruno Frey, called “Withering Academia”:http://www.iew.uzh.ch/wp/index.en.php?action=query&id=512, which is well worth reading too.
{ 6 comments }
John Quiggin 10.18.10 at 7:50 pm
Australia is, I think, past the worst of this process, and on the whole the news is good. While there have been plenty of negative outcomes, the universities have survived as has the idea of a university. A lot of the worst reforms (for example, a proliferation of degrees that appeared to offer vocational training for particular jobs) are being repealed. There was even, until the GFC, some hope for a new era of prosperity from the Labor government. That hasn’t happened, but the future looks brighter than the recent past.
John Holbo 10.18.10 at 11:20 pm
Disaster or Necessity? Why can’t I have both? (Just a thought.)
Dave 10.19.10 at 12:33 am
a symposium on The University as a Business: Disaster or Necessity?
The University as a Death Cult: Doom or Necessity? The University as Chernobyl: Misfortune or Opportunity? The University as a League of Vampires: Systemic Parasitic Injustice or Image-Building Enterprise? The University as Auto-Erotic Asphyxiation: Humiliating Way to Die, or Exciting Way to Die? The University as the Trail of Tears: Forcible Dispossession or Exciting Adventure?
Christopher 10.19.10 at 1:50 am
Disaster or Necessity? Why can’t I have both? (Just a thought.)
A Disastrous Necessity sound like a good title a book, or a movie, a music album … or anything, I think.
Somebody should make a note of that.
piglet 10.19.10 at 1:59 pm
My university just conducted a survey asking faculty what they thought of the marketing slogan “the university is in the life improvement business”. The next question was, if you don’t like the slogan, what business do you think we ARE in?
Keith 10.19.10 at 7:21 pm
Piglet: that slogan makes the university sound like a self help 12 step program. Gag me. My university doesn’t have a slogan, but we do have a brand spanking new logo and a new football team, so we’re good.
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