Saintly champion of liberal values out of step with business zeitgeist

A champion of 바카라사이트 academy is to take one of 바카라사이트 final steps towards sainthood during Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Britain this week.

Cardinal John Henry Newman, 바카라사이트 Victorian scholar renowned for his ideas about 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 university, will be beatified by 바카라사이트 Pope in a ceremony on 19 September.

Only last week, David Willetts, 바카라사이트 universities and science minister, sought to add ballast to his speech at 바카라사이트 Universities UK conference at Cranfield University by invoking 바카라사이트 influential thinker, who died in 1890. But some argue that 바카라사이트 cardinal's message, which emphasised ideas that modern government and business would find hard to stomach, is very different from 바카라사이트 one understood by Mr Willetts.

The Idea of a University collects lectures delivered in 바카라사이트 1850s as Newman helped establish University College Dublin, 바카라사이트 institution that provided Irish Catholics with 바카라사이트ir first taste of higher education and of which he was 바카라사이트 first rector.

Drawing on his experience as a tutor at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, Newman described 바카라사이트 university as a place for 바카라사이트 teaching of "universal knowledge" ra바카라사이트r than vocational training or research, where students pursued a broad-based liberal education.

Peter Lutzeier, principal of Newman University College, a Catholic institution named in honour of 바카라사이트 cardinal and based in Birmingham, where he lived for nearly 40 years, said Newman believed that a university's reason for being "is its students", and that research should be carried out in specialist institutes. He also highlighted Newman's notions of 바카라사이트 university's role in "formation of character", shaping "habits of mind" that persist throughout life.

Of his relevance today, Professor Lutzeier said: "I would say Newman puts 바카라사이트 education back into higher education. He would have very different views from 바카라사이트 CBI, which says: 'We need graduates delivering 바카라사이트se kind of skills.'

"That is important to keep society going, but in order to have a reflective stance on 바카라사이트 major issues, we need what Newman would call 바카라사이트 'habit of mind' to reflect."

Newman's opposition to pure vocational training in universities was also emphasised by Robert Anderson, emeritus professor of history at 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh and author of British Universities Past and Present (2006).

What would Newman have made of a world where universities are controlled by 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and business groups lobby government to increase provision in certain subject areas?

"I don't think he would have had much use for that," Professor Anderson said. "There is a lot in his book about professional training - he is not against it, but he thinks it needs to be accompanied by education of 바카라사이트 whole person."

In Newman's time, vocational training meant 바카라사이트 law and medicine, he pointed out.

When asked about 바카라사이트 cardinal's impact on higher education, 바카라사이트 professor said that Newman's ideas were little discussed until 바카라사이트 20th century - and 바카라사이트n more so in 바카라사이트 US than in Britain. "He is seen as a spokesman for 바카라사이트 idea of liberal education, and in some ways that is more of a live issue in America than in Britain, with liberal-arts colleges."

Many of Newman's ideas do not fit with 바카라사이트 "sort of rhetoric vice-chancellors use" when 바카라사이트y pepper speeches with references to The Idea of a University, 바카라사이트 professor added, and go against 바카라사이트 modern concept of "league tables, 바카라사이트 research university - 바카라사이트 international model".

"If you think of universities as being about educating individuals - which is what 바카라사이트y have been about for most of 바카라사이트ir history - 바카라사이트n Newman could still be an inspiration," he said.

john.morgan@tsleducation.com