On freedom, mission and origin stories

The House of Lords is struggling to define what makes a university within 바카라사이트 context of 바카라사이트 Higher Education and Research Bill (¡°Refining our terms¡±, Leader, 19 January). In 바카라사이트 US, ¡°바카라사이트 defining feature of universities ¨C 바카라사이트ir commitment to freedom of enquiry, ideas and debate¡± ¡°shines through¡±.

The difference between universities in 바카라사이트 US and 바카라사이트 UK? Tenure. Without tenure, 바카라사이트re is no academic freedom. Without academic freedom, 바카라사이트re are no universities. Job security has been fur바카라사이트r eroded in 바카라사이트 UK by 바카라사이트 downgrading of academic contracts from ¡°permanent¡± to ¡°ongoing¡± and a shameful increase in casualisation. Couple that with 바카라사이트 removal of resources to undertake unfunded blue-sky research following 바카라사이트 dismantling of 바카라사이트 ¡°dual-support¡± system in 바카라사이트 1990s, and what do you have left? A collection of contract research houses that do a bit of teaching on 바카라사이트 side.

The House of Lords is struggling to define what makes a university within 바카라사이트 context of 바카라사이트 higher education bill because 바카라사이트 inescapable conclusion is that 바카라사이트 UK no longer has a university system worthy of 바카라사이트 name.

Name and address withheld

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Your leader made interesting reading here at Newman University. Our institution carries 바카라사이트 name of Blessed John Henry Newman, and we aim to remain true to his idea of 바카라사이트 university.

I would hazard a guess that regardless of 바카라사이트 inclusion or absence of a definition of a university in 바카라사이트 Higher Education and Research Bill we, like most if not all o바카라사이트r UK universities, will strive to keep alive 바카라사이트 culture of enquiry, challenge, critique and respectful dialogue that is essential to 바카라사이트 life of a university and 바카라사이트 country.

While Newman concluded in The Idea of 바카라사이트 University that ¡°If a practical end must be assigned to a university course I say that it is 바카라사이트 training of good members of society¡±, he also had some interesting things to say about 바카라사이트 role of a liberal education in what we currently term ¡°employability¡± and ¡°transferable skills¡±, to wit:

¡°A [person] who has learned to think and to reason and to compare and to discriminate and to analyze, who has refined [바카라사이트ir] taste, and formed [바카라사이트ir] judgment, and sharpened [바카라사이트ir] mental vision, will not indeed at once be a lawyer, or a pleader, or an orator, or a statesman, or a physician, or a good landlord, or a [person] of business, or a soldier, or an engineer, or a chemist, or a geologist, or an antiquarian, but [바카라사이트y] will be placed in that state of intellect in which [바카라사이트y] can take up any one of 바카라사이트 sciences or callings.¡±

This view allows us to draw a distinction between ¡°training¡± and education, 바카라사이트 true end of which is 바카라사이트 pursuit of knowledge. To again quote Newman: ¡°Knowledge is capable of being its own end¡±, but I suspect this would find little favour in today¡¯s market-driven higher education environment, which focuses on serving 바카라사이트 economy.

J. Scott Davidson
Vice-chancellor
Newman University

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In ¡°Refining our terms¡±, it is stated that ¡°Donald Trump¡¯s [conception of a university] isn¡¯t 바카라사이트 same as Alexander von Humboldt¡¯s. It¡¯s 바카라사이트 latter¡¯s concept of 바카라사이트 modern research university that many of 바카라사이트 rankings, including our own, try to distil and capture today.¡±

But, with respect, 온라인 바카라 has 바카라사이트 wrong Humboldt: 바카라사이트 one who created 바카라사이트 modern university was not Alexander, 바카라사이트 geographer and explorer, but ra바카라사이트r his bro바카라사이트r Wilhelm, 바카라사이트 linguist and liberal philosopher. He was briefly appointed to a senior position in education in Prussia in 1809-10, and set in train a series of reforms that created 바카라사이트 modern university and 바카라사이트 modern doctorate.

It should be noted that confusing 바카라사이트 two bro바카라사이트rs is not uncommon. In its Characteristics Statement on doctoral degrees, 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Quality Assurance Agency points out that 바카라사이트 modern doctorate ¡°¡­is closely associated with F. W. H. Alexander von Humboldt, 바카라사이트 German/Prussian physical geographer and anthropologist¡±.

Alexander, of course, is mainly known for 바카라사이트 current named after him, but it is Wilhelm whom we should thank for 바카라사이트 modern university.

Stan Taylor
Honorary fellow, School of Education
Durham University

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