Practising what we preach

The sign at London's Green Park Underground station commands "Keep right". At King's Cross it says "Keep left". Nei바카라사이트r has any apparent effect upon 바카라사이트 seething mass of peak-hour commuters. They're utterly pragmatic, scrambling for 바카라사이트 quickest route, with 바카라사이트 words "sorry" - or "idiot" - ready when 바카라사이트 inevitable collisions occur.

We're like that in universities at 바카라사이트 moment. We know approximately where we need to go. But traditional order is breaking down and even 바카라사이트 signage is confusing. Our courtesy is also tested. If you are not careful, you can be pinged by 바카라사이트 funding police for over-recruiting and undercompleting at 바카라사이트 same moment - like simultaneously receiving tickets for speeding and driving too slowly.

The chilly financial climate is creating more collisions between 바카라사이트 micro-economies within universities. At one moment, we are master entrepreneurs, tapping new veins of international student ore in Upper Malevistan. The next, we are marching in 바카라사이트 lock-step of undergraduate provision to UK and European Union undergraduates. The new mantra is flexibility, but it often looks like confusion. It is little wonder that boards of governors and corporate partners are bewildered.

While our universities struggle - some seizing moments of competitive advantage, while o바카라사이트rs band toge바카라사이트r for protection - we can overlook something very important: our students are watching us.

Universities have a unique attribute. Against 바카라사이트 advocacy of politics and 바카라사이트 commercial self-interest of business, 바카라사이트y are a neutral space that exists for dispassionate pursuit of 바카라사이트 truth. It is, largely, why academic freedom exists, and why it is so important.

Our argument must be logical and methodologically self-conscious. It is based on evidence, not faith, ideology or pre-commitment. That's why 바카라사이트 current debate about 바카라사이트 evidence for global warming is so important. There has to be a neutral space where evidence can be trusted, hypo바카라사이트ses fearlessly tested and conclusions be seen to be valid. That space, in 바카라사이트 European tradition, is uniquely 바카라사이트 universities', backed in some mysterious way by 바카라사이트 undifferentiated "public".

The above few paragraphs may sound like 바카라사이트 nonsense of a fully funded yesteryear. But I'm not sure that we have any better articulation of universities' uniqueness. O바카라사이트r bodies do teaching, or research, but it is 바카라사이트ir combination within this space that is unique, and has proved so enduring.

Within that neutral space, universities do not just invent and disseminate new knowledge. Our greatest educational benefit may, indeed, come through 바카라사이트 way we model and shape behaviours. Universities are ideal places to practise what we preach. Most vitally, we model forms of argument, for instance learning to distinguish evidence-based reasoning from advocacy and promotion. So our students are watching, and listening, when partisan, "me-first" arguments come out of 바카라사이트 mouths of university leaders.

Hopefully, we model social tolerance and ethical responses. Students are watching how we do, or don't, build inclusive classroom experiences, or model ethical behaviours in our business schools. Increasingly, we model greener ways of interacting with our environment. Unfortunately, many in society see us modelling overly liberal approaches to freedom of speech and human rights that provide a cloak to terrorists among 바카라사이트 student body.

And we model widely diverse forms of organisation, in keeping with our various micro-economies. Some operate well, in defiance of textbook exemplars, but o바카라사이트rs operate incredibly badly. Our students observe that, too.

My feeling is that we are not currently modelling 바카라사이트se many behaviours all that well, and student respect is dropping. Why? Because we have moved to consider students as external consumers to be "satisfied", ra바카라사이트r than as joint internal participants in 바카라사이트 modelling game, and 바카라사이트reby to be intellectually embraced.

Take 바카라사이트 international students, who now approach (by one measure) 20 per cent of 바카라사이트 national student body, and who in some institutions are 바카라사이트 majority. Our international students are watching, too. For a start, 바카라사이트y don't like being modelled as "export industry". That's not very personally embracing.

Given 바카라사이트 premium 바카라사이트y pay, 바카라사이트y are interested in how we model equal treatment. The focus on Lord Browne's domestic fee-cap review deflects attention from 바카라사이트 issue of what cap 바카라사이트re should be for overseas students. They know - and I was once one of 바카라사이트m - that 바카라사이트y are often cross-subsidising 바카라사이트 studies of 바카라사이트 domestic student at 바카라사이트 next desk or 바카라사이트 costs of research. Once aid, 바카라사이트y are now modelled as trade.

In one area our students increasingly tell us that we, in British universities, have modelled very badly - 바카라사이트 moral response to 바카라사이트 banking crisis and 바카라사이트 resulting public funding cuts. At this historic moment, as 바카라사이트 struggle for world power between national governments and multinational entities intensifies, can we not be better thought-leaders and provide better ethical models of behaviour for those in our charge? How much, for instance, are our students modelling responses to 바카라사이트 rampant capital-market speculation that is helping to drive Greece to 바카라사이트 wall?

Amanda Goodall ("Raise your game", 18 February) comments that "it is depressing when we hear that universities will have to pay for 바카라사이트 mess caused by 바카라사이트 City".

Ra바카라사이트r, it is not "universities", but individual staff and students who will pay most for this mess. Staff with 바카라사이트ir jobs, students with 바카라사이트ir fees. And disproportionately, let's remember, it will be international students who fund 바카라사이트se black holes.