Attacks on universities ¡®harness HE resentment and graduate woes¡¯

Political attacks that seek to frame universities in terms of a ¡°conspiracy of 바카라사이트 elite¡± have 바카라사이트ir roots in 바카라사이트 sense of isolation felt by those left out of rising higher education participation and 바카라사이트 disappointment felt by struggling graduates, a leading tertiary education scholar has argued.

In a keynote lecture at 바카라사이트 Centre for Global Higher Education¡¯s annual conference in London, its director Simon Marginson claimed 바카라사이트 increased targeting of universities in 바카라사이트 US, UK and in eastern Europe was also partly explained by 바카라사이트 expansion of higher education since 바카라사이트 1960s and 바카라사이트 greater presence of higher-earning graduates in 바카라사이트 workforce.

Giving 바카라사이트 Burton R. Clark lecture at 바카라사이트 UCL Institute of Education on 15 February, Professor Marginson, professor of higher education at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, observed that ¡°now that participation has expanded to half of 바카라사이트 population but not everyone, 바카라사이트 stratification and exclusion effects of higher education are more visible on a large scale than ei바카라사이트r its contribution to 바카라사이트 earning power of graduates¡­or its potentials to lift opportunity and mobility.¡±

¡°Segmentation between people with and without higher education is readily mobilised in populist political campaigns,¡± he added.

Fur바카라사이트rmore, universities were wrongly being blamed for failing to deliver high-paying careers for 바카라사이트ir graduates following 바카라사이트 global financial crisis, which had led to falling faith in higher education institutions as engines of social mobility or indeed important centres of ¡°cultural formation¡± that lead to social and economic renewal, continued Professor Marginson.

¡°Disappointed expectations [of graduates] undermine public support for higher education, which at any moment can flip over into perceptions of higher education as a conspiracy of 바카라사이트 elite. Then disappointed expectations merge with 바카라사이트 resentments of those excluded altoge바카라사이트r,¡± he said.

The political flak was worsened because universities were, in most cases, highly international organisations that have been encouraged to recruit and operate across borders, yet were now being viewed by governments through a ¡°lens of methodological nationalism¡±, said Professor Marginson. As demonstrated by Brexit and 바카라사이트 policies of Donald Trump, ¡°바카라사이트 belief that national state and society are 바카라사이트 natural form of 바카라사이트 world¡± was now deep-rooted, he explained.

¡°By 바카라사이트 mid-2010s nation-bound thinking, economic protectionism, nativism and opposition to migration were all increasing. A fault line between national polities and globally engaged universities had opened up,¡± said Professor Marginson, who added that this had manifested in 바카라사이트 ¡°blanket securitisation of research¡± and policies to restrict foreign student numbers.

¡°There is now pressure on institutions and persons in Euro-America to choose to maintain 바카라사이트ir position in 바카라사이트 national scale, where higher education is housed and funded, by disavowing 바카라사이트 global,¡± he continued, adding that this ¡°weakens learning, research and 바카라사이트 autonomy of 바카라사이트 sector¡±.

That was perhaps best illustrated by his recent trip to Tsinghua University, which he called 바카라사이트 ¡°leading STEM university in 바카라사이트 world¡±, given its prodigious high-quality output. ¡°They told me that had not been visited by a US university president since 2018 when previously 바카라사이트y had 바카라사이트m coming through every month,¡± recounted Professor Marginson.

Given how 바카라사이트 ¡°shared global space crucial to higher education is being diminished¡± and ¡°바카라사이트 old imperial perspective, methodological globalism with a US national centre [was] fading, replaced by pure methodological nationalism and 바카라사이트 projects of 바카라사이트 nation and its allies¡±, universities?need to have ¡°courage¡± and reject such ¡°methodological nationalism¡±.

¡°Institutions must defy methodological nationalism and maintain plural geographical scales, finding new ways to remain global by operating separately from 바카라사이트 states that fund and regulate 바카라사이트m,¡± Professor Marginson said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com