The Traditional Mission of the University – How Should It Be Understood in Our Times?
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Abstract
The traditional mission of the university, founded on an academic ethos whose primary value is “truth,” assumes a balance between three types of university activity: research, teaching, and direct social service. While taking into account the needs of the environment, especially the labor market and various levels of administration, is necessary, the differences in the fundamental values of these spheres can lead to a degradation of service to truth in research and teaching, and jeopardize the freedom of research and teaching, as well as the institutional autonomy of the university. This is evident in the different characteristics of a research university and an entrepreneurial university, as well as the differences in the motivations for action of the academic community and administration (especially the Bologna Process). A new understanding of the traditional mission of the university assumes that the university should not yield to the demands of the environment, but rather be responsible for its successful development – diagnosing and solving its problems in a manner appropriate for a higher education institution.
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