www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto

Future of Universities

Thomas Wilhelmsson

Chancellor, University of Helsinki

Seoul, 1.11.2017

12.10.2017 1 Thomas WIlhelmsson

www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto

Elite on the top:

ARWU (2017):

Nordic 7/100

US 50, UK 8, Australia 6

Copenhagen (30)

Karolinska (44)

Helsinki (56)

Uppsala (60)

Aarhus (65)

Oslo (67)

Stockholm (81)

The Nordic Perspective: Elitism

and Equality

12.10.2017 2 Osasto / Henkilön nimi / Esityksen nimi

www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto

Small variations in

employability between

universities

Relatively equal

recruitment

Tuition-free education

The Nordic Perspective: Elitism

and Equality

12.10.2017 3 Osasto / Henkilön nimi / Esityksen nimi

www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto 12.10.2017 4 Osasto / Henkilön nimi / Esityksen nimi

The 4th Industrial Revolution – a

Challenge for All

How about Universities? Are We Prepared?

• “If universities fail to rethink their strategic situations and business models, they may well fall to the coming educational “tsunami.” (Gary King & Maya Sen 2013).

• MOOCs: “I’ve seen wonderland” (Sebastian Thrun)

• E-commerce and “Netflix-university”?

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Challenges for Universities

• ‘Business Model’

• Pedagogical

Approach

• Usefulness of the

Product

Business Model

• Missing Commercial

Logic: ‘Low Touch’

Universities

• But:

• Role of Public Support

• Importance of the

Brand/Networks

• The Third Mission:

Social Responsibility

Towards a New Pedagogics

• The advent of the

“touchpad generation”

• Changed

Understanding of

Time and Place

What Do the Students Demand?

• Virtually available

content

• Social media

• Less constraints

related to time

• Cooperation

• Multilingualism and

internationality

• Labour market

relevance

The Value of Locality

• Attracting the ‘creative

class’ (Richard Florida)

• Supporting local

community

• Research infrastructures

and the unity of research

and teaching

• Meeting of generations

Essential: Surplus Value

• Active use of virtually available educational

content

• Goal: capacity to find, process and create new

knowledge

• Intertwinement of research and teaching

(Humboldtian ethos taken seriously)

• Branded locality: interaction and networks

• New level of flexibility

The Product: Education for an Uncertain Future

• Analytical and critical

skills

• Research skills

• Creativity

• Learning skills

• Flexibility

Flexibility: Down With the Silos!

• Working across the

boundaries of disciplines,

educating real problem-

solvers

• Working together with

schools and other

institutions of secondary

education to provide new

and flexible learning

paths

Flexibility: Down With the Silos!

• Interacting with social

institutions and the labour

market for a flexible

oscillation between work

and study

• Accepting the

relativization of locality

and temporality by

including the virtual and

the global in the local

• Broader autonomy

• Legal person – but still public

• Economy; indicator-based

model

• Buildings and endowment

• Administration

• Employer status

• No public servants

• Collective agreements

• New leadership structure

• Incentives for branding,

fundraising and societal

interaction

The Finnish University Reform: University of Helsinki 1.1.2010

15

• Recruitment

• Coaching

• Support

• Responsibility

• Means

• Integration

Goal of the Reform: Taking Academic Leadership Seriously

- Required by an Uncertain Future

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