university autonomy as the core of social responsibility forum on social responsibility in higher...
Post on 13-Dec-2015
213 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
University Autonomy as the Core of Social Responsibility
Forum on Social Responsibility in Higher Education
Bastian Baumann, Magna Charta Observatory
Bogotá, 13 August 2009
Magna Charta Universitatum
• Signed by 388 rectors in Bologna on 18 September 1988
• 670 signatories as of September 2009– 17 signatories from Colombia
• Worldwide geographical coverage– Currently more than 80 countries
Content
• Fundamental values and principles of the university– Institutional autonomy– Academic freedom– Link between teaching and research
Reasons
• 900th anniversary of the University of Bologna
• Iron Curtain– Emphasis on Europe
• Common heritage of universities
• Worldwide acceptance
• New trends
Magna Charta Observatory
• Founded in 2000 by University of Bologna and European Rectors Conference (now EUA)
• Based at the University of Bologna
• No membership
Social responsibility towards whom?
• Externally– Individuals– Society at large
• Internally– All members of the academic community
Welfare and order functions
• For individuals: Reason to enrol and climb the social ladder
• For society: More educated citizens– Increase participation– Widening access
• Social, economical and cultural growth– Knowledge society
Main purposes of higher education
• Personal development
• Preparation for life as active, constructive and critical citizens in a democratic society
• Preparation for the labour market
• Maintain an advanced knowledge base
Personal development
• Broad education
• Inter- / trans- / multi-disciplinarity
• Transmission of values
• Awareness of one’s own cultural norms
Preparation for life as active, constructive and critical citizens• Active: informed and self-assured• Constructive: knowledgeable and
inventive• Critical: Reflective and open-minded• Citizens: Sense of citizenship
responsibilities• Pedagogical approaches that do not just
teach one response to one particular question
Preparation for the labour market
• Skills / competences / knowledge
• Subject-specific and generic
• No short-sightedness
• Sustainable employability
Advanced knowledge base
• Forefront of knowledge
• Link between teaching and research
• Basic and applied research
• Not only MST
• Continuous search for truth
Autonomy as a prerequisite
• Free from political, economic and religious interests
• Code of conduct
• Drivers of change
• Change as a prerequisite for development
• Both public and private universities
Prerequisites
• Notion of higher education as a public good
• Institutional autonomy
• Academic freedom
Requirements
• Accountability– Efficiency and effectiveness– Capacity to act and decide
• Integrity
• Awareness of needs
• Continuous development
Dialogue
• Externally:– Build consensus– Prevent attacks on institutional autonomy
• Internally:– Mission– Avoid tensions between institutional
autonomy and academic freedom
Systemic incentives
• Need to reward socially responsible missions and acting – Both for universities and individuals
• Rankings
Conclusion
The answer to the question “which kind of education do we need” is to be found in the answer to the question “which kind of society do we want?”
Chilean Sociologist Eugenio Tironi in “El sueño chileno“ (2005)
Contact
www.magna-charta.org
magnacharta@unibo.it
Via Zamboni 25
40126 Bologna
Italy
top related