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The government's reforms to higher education last year were an attempt to fundamentally shift the value and purpose of universities.
If the purpose of universities is to promote knowledge, Coursera and other ventures like it are an incredible step forward.
If one considers Winston Churchill's thoughts on the purpose of universities, the "Toadies," faculty, students and the rest of the nation might well be shocked.
As the higher education budget faces a squeeze, Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, says vice-chancellors must focus on the core purpose of universities.
But, if we want to look at the purpose of universities in truly economic, rather than accounting terms, the relevant concept is one elaborated in a recent book by the economist, John Kay: the notion of obliquity.
English needs this remedy more than most.Masha BellWareham, DorsetExtra-curricularSIR – The fact that American colleges are rushing to build spectacular new buildings illustrates how nothing has really changed since Adam Smith made the observation some 230 years ago that the primary purpose of universities is to serve as an enclave of privilege for faculty and staff ("Just add cash", December 1st).
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They maintain the occupation is an attempt to change the "profit-driven and bureaucratic business model of higher education" that has locked students into debt and perverted the purpose of university.
But finding and nurturing the talented people who can advance our knowledge must surely be one of the primary purposes of university.
For the purposes of university admissions in Austria, the IB diploma is considered a foreign secondary school leaving certificate, even if the IB school issuing the diploma is located in the country.
Nowhere does the report suggest the purpose of providing universities a low-cost labor pool for grant-supported research or teaching undergraduates.
There needs to be a dialogue with policy thinkers, policy makers and the public around what the purpose of a university is, how we want to fund university education in the future, and how we want universities to behave – both with each other and with industry – going forward.
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Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak
CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com