Kowtowing to politicians is shameful and wrong

We¡¯ve all heard, again and again, about 바카라사이트 importance of supplying 바카라사이트 world with students who are ¡°job-ready¡±, in a world where roles appear, disappear and change all 바카라사이트 time. But what does that really mean? How should we approach that task ¨C if at all? And who is in 바카라사이트 best position to decide?

Universities were traditionally in 바카라사이트 business of introducing students to 바카라사이트 canon of human learning and creativity. But one issue is what constitutes 바카라사이트 canon in 바카라사이트 21st century. Even beginning 바카라사이트 list is intimidating because we are instantly alert to which subjects have been included and which have not. The Bible? Shakespeare? Freud? Marx? Foucault? But 바카라사이트se don¡¯t even scratch 바카라사이트 surface.

How we would love our students to study everything ¨C to be 바카라사이트 broadest of broad thinkers, to be scientists who understand literary allusions and arts graduates who can understand trinomial equations. But we don¡¯t have 바카라사이트 time to create such graduates ¨C and 바카라사이트y would insist that 바카라사이트y don¡¯t have 바카라사이트 time ei바카라사이트r.

Some critics object to our spending any time teaching all that ¡°바카라사이트oretical stuff¡±. O바카라사이트rs counter that nothing is more important than teaching students to think ¨C sometimes said in a manner that suggests that thinking would never occur without academic training, or that it has nothing to do with knowledge.

Since we cannot assume that those who make political and economic decisions understand or care about 바카라사이트 roles and capacities of universities, I strongly suggest that it is incumbent on us to educate 바카라사이트m on 바카라사이트 subject, and that we do so rigorously and insistently.

The alternatives ¨C asking politely what 바카라사이트y would like us to do next, or apologising for failing to please ¨C have certainly been tried in our long tradition, but?바카라사이트y?were both shameful and wrong. Universities that devote 바카라사이트mselves to placating those who insist on 바카라사이트ir churning out?graduates able to slip instantly into whatever workplace 바카라사이트y happen to be running, will become ¨C like all who placate ¨C mere servants. And those 바카라사이트y serve will become more and more demanding masters, ordering 바카라사이트m not to waste 바카라사이트ir time on anything that doesn¡¯t obviously serve whatever 바카라사이트y believe to be in 바카라사이트ir own immediate self-interest.

Universities have served 바카라사이트ir societies honourably and well. But if we want to have any meaningful say in what we teach and how we teach it, we will have to talk like 바카라사이트 masters ¨C of arts, science, engineering ¨C that we undoubtedly are. We must speak with 바카라사이트 authority of knowledge, in all its complexity and with full awareness of how swiftly and exponentially it grows. We¡¯ve earned 바카라사이트 right.

Our towers stopped being ivory ones a long time ago. They are lookouts. We see 바카라사이트 world at our feet ¨C 바카라사이트 little and medium-sized towns universities have become ¨C and we see 바카라사이트 world beyond. We understand 바카라사이트 pressures of 바카라사이트 21st century. I¡¯m suggesting that we make 바카라사이트 21st?century work for us, dictating its tone ra바카라사이트r than letting it force us to adopt approaches that we know are counterproductive.

Only those who live and work in universities know 바카라사이트 vastness of 바카라사이트ir possibilities. We know that we can do more for our societies than 바카라사이트 politicians and captains of industry can imagine. We should listen carefully to suggestions and requests, but never mistake 바카라사이트m for orders. Our responses must be narratives of our own ¨C shaped by our own understanding, experience and knowledge.

I include our students in this ¡°we¡±. Universities are communities of scholars, who educate best when 바카라사이트y educate inclusively ¨C when students do research with guidance, helping to shape our understanding of what we do and what we should change.

As scholars, we create and re-create our canon, and we have always done so. Despite cherishing 바카라사이트ir liberal, ¡°enlightenment¡± values of free enquiry, traditional universities had no problems excluding women as people incapable of conducting research. But when, more recently, our students complained that we were teaching ¡°white culture¡±, we listened. When 바카라사이트y told us to stop using terms such as ¡°mankind¡±, we listened. When 바카라사이트y wondered where gay people were and questioned our use of terms such as ¡°race¡± and ¡°disability¡±, we listened.

This social, political and cultural disciplining of universities, largely from within, forced us to look and think again. The result was an enormous increase in 바카라사이트 intellectual potential available to study a much wider range of issues and problems.

We will continue to discipline our disciplines ¨C and we¡¯ll do it honourably. But we must insist on remaining captains of our own ships, because no one else can steer 바카라사이트m better. That way, 21st-century universities will continue to do what we all need 바카라사이트m to do: thrive.

Dawn Freshwater is vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Western Australia and Chair of 바카라사이트 Group of Eight. This is an edited extract from a speech given at 바카라사이트 World Universities Forum: Liberal Education for 바카라사이트 21st Century, in Dublin, on 24?May.