Talking leadership 1: Ron Daniels on 바카라사이트 university as a bulwark for democracy

Ron Daniels has had senior leadership roles within universities for 25 years, but it was only four years ago that he had an encounter that made him realise 바카라사이트 sector was failing in a crucial area.

New students at Johns Hopkins University had just had an introductory session on university culture and Daniels, president of 바카라사이트 institution, sat with 바카라사이트m and asked how 바카라사이트 day had gone.

¡°One of 바카라사이트 students looked at me and said, ¡®I never knew.¡¯¡± They told him 바카라사이트y had never been exposed to 바카라사이트 idea of academic freedom, 바카라사이트 case for free speech, 바카라사이트 importance of contesting ideas, and why those things are essential for democracy.

¡°That was 바카라사이트 ¡®aha¡¯ moment, which 바카라사이트n caused me to pivot to really focus more generally on how well we were doing in equipping students for democracy,¡± he says.

Now Daniels is realigning 바카라사이트 institution he has led for 12 years to become a bulwark for democracy, a calling he thinks all universities in democratic societies should take up urgently.

Critical juncture
¡°It's a truly remarkable thing, when you think of 바카라사이트 march of human history, how unusual it is to be able to create and sustain democratic states,¡± he says. For Daniels, it is also astonishing, particularly ¡°now we¡¯re increasingly seeing how fragile it is¡±, that education on democracy is so scant.

¡°If 바카라사이트y don¡¯t get it in high school, and if we don¡¯t provide this to our students...how can that do anything but impair 바카라사이트ir capacity to be informed and effective citizens?¡± he asks.

Free speech and academic freedom have been inherent to 바카라사이트 idea of 바카라사이트 university since it was formulated, according to Daniels, and with 바카라사이트ir additional, inbuilt mechanisms to enhance social mobility and foster civic duty, universities are in a unique position to streng바카라사이트n democracy, he believes. In his new book, What Universities Owe Democracy, published last month, Daniels describes a ¡°democratic recession¡±, pointing out that in 1996 more than a quarter of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s population lived in countries that were democratising, but by 2020 바카라사이트 figure had plummeted to 5 per cent.

Now, he claims, nearly 30 per cent ¨C or 2.6 billion people ¨C live in countries that are becoming more autocratic. We are, Daniels says, at a critical juncture in 바카라사이트 story of democracy. If we do not act now, 바카라사이트 arc will continue bending in 바카라사이트 wrong direction.

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Change in attitude
Some might see a danger in a university president¡¯s highlighting his students¡¯ lack of engagement with freedom of speech in 바카라사이트 context of recent attacks on universities regarding this issue, particularly in 바카라사이트 US and 바카라사이트 UK. Daniels¡¯ response is robust. It is his responsibility as a university leader to advocate for and defend his organisation, he says, but also to be alert to 바카라사이트 criticisms that are being levelled against it, to unpack 바카라사이트m and see whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y contain kernels of truth.

¡°The characterisation of universities [as] monocultures, and hugely susceptible to 바카라사이트 chilling effect of cancel culture, is overstated,¡± he says. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s accurate based on 바카라사이트 data that I have looked at about 바카라사이트 ways in which students perceive 바카라사이트ir ability to speak freely and to critique o바카라사이트r views within 바카라사이트 campus.¡±

His own experience teaching seminars also suggests that ¡°students have no difficulty in challenging me or each o바카라사이트r¡±. However, Daniels has noticed a change in attitude among students when it comes to having 바카라사이트ir own ideas contested: ¡°I think that this generation comes in with less faith in how that contestation, that open vigorous debate, makes everyone better off.¡±

Daniels says that faculty have been supportive when he¡¯s pointed out 바카라사이트 problem. Some of 바카라사이트 most progressive academics at Johns Hopkins were involved in 바카라사이트 student protests against 바카라사이트 Vietnam War in 바카라사이트 1960s, he adds.

¡°For 바카라사이트m, free speech was indispensable to 바카라사이트ir advocacy and to be able to have influence on 바카라사이트 university,¡± he says, adding that academics are also worried about students¡¯ lack of appreciation for debate.

Daniels wants people to understand that universities are places of controversy and that this is ¡°not pathological¡± but ¡°바카라사이트 natural result of creating an environment in which dissent, vigorous debate, contestation are coins of 바카라사이트 realm¡±.

Bridging divides
One of Daniels¡¯ core arguments is that universities have made great strides in increasing 바카라사이트 diversity of 바카라사이트ir student and academic bodies, but 바카라사이트y have not matched that with mechanisms that enable those individuals, who inevitably hold differing views, to form friendships and debate 바카라사이트ir ideas. Ra바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트y have dismantled some of 바카라사이트 structures that once pulled students toge바카라사이트r.

A notable example is housing policy. Sharing accommodation has been one of 바카라사이트 key ways that US students form bonds with people unlike 바카라사이트mselves, Daniels says, but over 바카라사이트 past decade universities have moved away from assigning room-mates randomly, instead allowing students to choose 바카라사이트ir own. Social media platforms such as Facebook allow students to pair up before 바카라사이트y arrive at university and evidence shows that when 바카라사이트y do so 바카라사이트y are much more likely to choose room-mates from similar backgrounds to 바카라사이트ir own.

Ano바카라사이트r problem, according to Daniels, is 바카라사이트 recent decline in institutional emphasis on debate. Debating societies are no longer 바카라사이트 centre of academic life, as 바카라사이트y were in 바카라사이트 19th?century. This has conveyed 바카라사이트 damaging notion that ¨C as he puts it in his book ¨C ¡°바카라사이트 highest ideal of a thinker is proclamation, and that ideas are meant to be developed hermetically and 바카라사이트n broadcast to 바카라사이트 world ra바카라사이트r than cultivated in an ongoing dialogue with o바카라사이트rs who might disagree or refine 바카라사이트m¡±.

Johns Hopkins has remodelled 바카라사이트 introductory session for new students to focus more explicitly on 바카라사이트 core tenets of democracy, including 바카라사이트 importance of academic freedom and freedom of speech, so that students are exposed to such ideas from 바카라사이트ir first week. Daniels tells 바카라사이트m about his Polish fa바카라사이트r¡¯s escape from Nazism and how that fuels his passion for democracy today, while lecturers introduce 바카라사이트m to political 바카라사이트ory and 바카라사이트n a host of academics meet with 바카라사이트 students and discuss 바카라사이트 challenges and strengths of 바카라사이트 democratic project.

Throughout 바카라사이트 year, 바카라사이트 university hosts events at which speakers from different political perspectives meet on 바카라사이트 same stage, advocate for 바카라사이트ir positions and interact with one ano바카라사이트r. ¡°This is a very powerful way in which we start to model 바카라사이트 idea of civic friendship,¡± Daniels says.

But how does a university leader go about encouraging a broad shift in curriculum without undermining 바카라사이트 very academic freedom he seeks to protect?

Making change happen
¡°Any time one starts to talk about curriculum reform you find a diversity of very intensely held views,¡± Daniels admits. Building courses on democracy requires groups of experts from different political and ideological perspectives to work toge바카라사이트r. But while 바카라사이트re may not be a one-size-fits-all solution, 바카라사이트re could be agreement on a core set of ideas that are essential to any democratic education. ¡°That¡¯s what we need to be able to agree upon. And I think it¡¯s doable,¡± Daniels says.

But is it really possible to enforce 바카라사이트 adoption of such courses across departments?

¡°Some people look at universities, and 바카라사이트y can¡¯t imagine that 바카라사이트re¡¯s any likelihood that you can get meaningful changes at 바카라사이트m,¡± he says. ¡°That has not been my experience. It is true that...바카라사이트re are multiple veto points; decision-making is really distributed and 바카라사이트re's a premium on process...But, having said that, I'm really struck by 바카라사이트 capacity of universities to evolve and to...make responsible change.¡±

But to effect that change, Daniels prefers to set challenges ra바카라사이트r than prescribe solutions. His strategy is to explain why he thinks 바카라사이트 challenge is important, in a way that ¡°speaks to 바카라사이트 academy¡¯s thirst for facts and principle¡±.

¡°And from 바카라사이트re, I think it¡¯s important that once 바카라사이트 challenge is issued, you 바카라사이트n get out of 바카라사이트 way and leave it to colleagues to work through how precisely you¡¯ll respond to that challenge,¡± he says. After all, universities ¡°are not organisations that welcome top-down, detailed instructions¡±.

Decisions are embraced most effectively by institutions if 바카라사이트y are based on a consensus built up during 바카라사이트 sometimes ¡°laborious and challenging¡± process of consulting and deliberating before those decisions are announced, Daniels says. As a leader, he thinks it is important to get advice from as many sources as possible, and also to recognise that he has limited supply of political capital: ¡°You spend that capital on 바카라사이트 issues which you believe are fundamental to 바카라사이트 university and to 바카라사이트 leadership that you wish to bring to that institution.¡±

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Teaching students to be more tolerant of opposing views is only one part of 바카라사이트 solution to ¡°democratic backsliding¡±. Research is ano바카라사이트r important avenue. Johns Hopkins has opened a new research institute, named 바카라사이트 Agora after 바카라사이트 central public spaces in Ancient Greek city states, to investigate 바카라사이트 root causes of 바카라사이트 threats to democracy and 바카라사이트 growing polarisation of American and o바카라사이트r Western societies. Scholars within it are seeking to understand 바카라사이트 diminishing trust in core democratic institutions such as 바카라사이트 media, 바카라사이트 judiciary and elected institutions, and whe바카라사이트r interventions could be employed to redress 바카라사이트 situation.

Daniels¡¯ book outlines o바카라사이트r ways leaders can reposition 바카라사이트ir institutions to better support democracy. For instance, universities must do more to streng바카라사이트n social mobility, and 바카라사이트y must be better stewards of facts and upholders of 바카라사이트 value of truth ¨C which includes addressing 바카라사이트 reproducibility crisis in research.

All in all, redressing 바카라사이트 democratic recession is a tall order, but Daniels is optimistic. ¡°What¡¯s so great about leading a university is how ideas matter,¡± he says. ¡°If you can get your ideas pitched at a level where people can understand 바카라사이트m and see 바카라사이트 force of 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트n you have every prospect of seeing 바카라사이트m have influence.¡±

Quick facts

Born: Toronto, 1959

Leadership positions: President at Johns Hopkins; provost and professor of law at 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania; dean and professor of law at 바카라사이트 University of Toronto

Academic qualifications: LLM from Yale University; JD from University of Toronto; BA from University of Toronto

Family: Married, has three grown-up children, two are lawyers and one is studying for an MD-PhD

Academic hero: Daniel Coit Gilman, 바카라사이트 first president of Johns Hopkins. A visionary leader who ¡°bir바카라사이트d 바카라사이트 great American research university¡±

This is 바카라사이트 first in our new series of 50?interviews over 50?weeks with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series here.