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Re-Inventing the University - Creating a New Vision
16 June 2010
DCU and Arizona State University hosted a joint two-day conference in the Helix which was attended by over 100 delegates from the US and Ireland. The conference debated whether the traditional model of the university can survive and prosper, or whether fundamental reform is needed. Developments in Ireland and globally were examined, as well as prospects for higher education in the future.
Below are the abstracts of the guest speakers. For further details please contact Eileen Colgan, Public Affairs and Media Relations Office at: 00 353 1 7005656, Eileen.colgan@dcu.ie
Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski, DCU
“The existing university model is now unsustainable, because funding cuts and government controls have made it impossible to maintain traditional practices.
Universities are fighting constant (and largely unsuccessful) battles to protect their funding, and faculty are being asked to accept new burdens that will soon become impossible to carry. The time has come to look at new models both of education and of resourcing models. The relationship between universities and the state will also need to change, in part because bureaucratic demands are threatening to swamp the institutions.
Rather than universities being seen largely as state agencies with ambiguous levels of autonomy, they should become institutions that enter into independent contracts with the state to provide education in return for complete autonomy as to how they are organised and governed, and with the ability to charge for their services while protecting the interests of the less wealthy.”
Professor Michael Crow, ASU
“In assuming the task of pioneering the foundational model for the New American University—an egalitarian institution committed to academic excellence, inclusiveness to a broad demographic, and maximum societal impact—Arizona State University seeks to become a comprehensive knowledge enterprise committed to discovery, creativity, and innovation. As the youngest of the roughly one hundred major research universities in the United States, ASU focuses on transforming the quality of life and economic competitiveness of Arizona and the American Southwest even as the academic community searches for solutions to the grand challenges confronting humanity. ASU seeks to assume responsibility for the constituencies it serves, transcending frontiers in areas as broad as social justice, national security, religious conflict, healthcare, renewable energy, complex adaptive systems, and sustainable economic development. In order to maximize its potential for global engagement, ASU collaborates with leading universities worldwide as well as business, industry, and governments.”
Mr Tom Boland, HEA
“Access to higher education is the reasonable expectation of the majority of school leavers, while growing numbers of older people recognise how important for their future prosperity are the skills that higher education provide. Universities are firmly in the mainstream of society and the economy, but do their culture, organisation and structures reflect this new reality or are they still beholden to a time when access to higher education was largely the preserve of a social elite. In this presentation the rationale for the development of a co-ordinated “system” of universities, institutes of technology and other HEIs will be explored; as well as the objective for the creation of such a system; the processes by which such a system might be achieved and the benefits and risks associated with it”
Professor Debra Friedman, ASU
“At the core of an embedded university is sustainability: designing and honoring commitments to local and global communities for economic, social, educational, and environmental advancement for the long-run. As ASU systematically marshals its expertise to take on urgent challenges in the global community - building resilient communities, promoting economic opportunity and security, addressing health disparities and the like - the challenge is to do so in the context of sustained partnerships for the public good”.
Mr Graham May, Leeds
“Education has always been concerned with the future but the future and how to deal with it has seldom featured in the curriculum. In a rapidly changing world in which knowledge and skills are soon outdated the past and present become an increasingly inadequate guide to the future. Both governments and business have recognised the value of Foresight and it is the responsibility of education to develop the abilities and skills required.”
Dr. Bill Harris, Ex SFI
“A modern university education -- at its highest level -- is about discovery and new knowledge. This has been the historical role of the university as well. Society invests in the university first and foremost to educate its children; but now it does so as well because of the importance of speed and brainpower to economic prosperity. Given the economic challenges facing Ireland and the world, it may be tempting to cut back on education and research expenditures. Now is the time to build the bridge to the future by distinguishing Ireland as a place for modern enterprise because of its focus on use-inspired research. Importantly, as well, Ireland encourages the exploitation of intellectual property for the benefit of society and can streamline its system for even greater performance”.