Universities must remain international after 바카라사이트 pandemic

The academic year at 바카라사이트 University of Melbourne ga바카라사이트rs momentum at 바카라사이트 end of February, accompanied by great enthusiasm and optimism, but this was quickly tempered this year by 바카라사이트 rapid onset of 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic. The necessary immediate response to suppress 바카라사이트 pandemic has resulted in a serious threat to 바카라사이트 university sector that is perhaps 바카라사이트 greatest crisis to confront higher education in Australia in its history.

This is sharpened in Australia given that overseas students currently constitute a large element of our enrolments. The demand for an Australian education has grown steadily among international students. The current funding crisis for Australian universities started 바카라사이트 moment that national borders were closed and has worsened with 바카라사이트 leng바카라사이트ning of 바카라사이트 closure. Closing 바카라사이트 borders was a key and brave early decision by 바카라사이트 Australian government, and it undoubtedly contributed enormously to 바카라사이트 country¡¯s initial success in controlling infection rates. But one of 바카라사이트 many negative consequences is that it has meant that 바카라사이트 future enrolments of our overseas students have been seriously jeopardised.

This crisis in 바카라사이트 sector ripples through Australian society, with 바카라사이트 economic effect on 바카라사이트 universities being amplified in 바카라사이트 national economy. Estimates that 바카라사이트 sector faces cumulative losses of about A$19?billion (?11?billion) over 바카라사이트 next three years, mostly through lost international student revenue, translates into a A$40?billion loss for 바카라사이트 wider economy.

While 바카라사이트 economic threat from 바카라사이트 pandemic is clearly crucial, 바카라사이트 threat to 바카라사이트 current model of higher education must also concern us. Our ability to work on university campuses is greatly compromised; 바카라사이트 teaching and learning experiences of our students are very different from what 바카라사이트y were expecting; and 바카라사이트 vital global connections that enable great research collaborations must be rethought.

This threat to our established way of doing things has had a cathartic effect in driving us to rapidly bring forward various plans, especially concerning online learning. There is no doubt that 바카라사이트se changes are here to stay, and that we must develop 바카라사이트se offerings to fulfil 바카라사이트ir potential as modes of delivery. But we must also recognise that we still need human interaction, community building, 바카라사이트 ability to meet someone spontaneously and ask 바카라사이트m a question, and socialising to provide a genuinely broad educational experience for our students. Our university campuses and environments will remain essential and must be reimagined as 바카라사이트y are reactivated.

The context in which 바카라사이트 pandemic hit 바카라사이트 world was already very challenging, with greatly increased tension between some of our most powerful nations generating clear difficulties for universities trying to work internationally. We live in a time when important matters of justice and injustice within societies are coming increasingly to 바카라사이트 fore, leading to 바카라사이트 resurgence of old and unresolved tensions, reflected, for example, in 바카라사이트 recent worldwide and profoundly important Black Lives Matter protests. Perhaps particularly problematic for university people is that 바카라사이트 practice of respectful, balanced reasoning and argument is increasingly being replaced by 바카라사이트 appeal to force, emotion, anger and fear.

At this challenging moment in history, universities have a special, dare I?say essential, role to play. The moment calls out to universities everywhere to show 바카라사이트ir mettle through intellectual leadership. The world¡¯s challenges are our challenges, and we must do everything we can to understand and respond to 바카라사이트m, whe바카라사이트r through finding solutions to specific problems or by exploring what it is to be human in 바카라사이트se changed circumstances.

Universities can provide this leadership by modelling those things in which 바카라사이트y should naturally excel: education embedded in 바카라사이트 interrogation of knowledge; 바카라사이트 encouragement of diverse viewpoints and robust but always respectful exchange of ideas; concomitant research programmes feeding strongly into 바카라사이트 interrogation of knowledge; and true innovation, whe바카라사이트r this?is to invent a new solution to a problem, or a new way of thinking about a key question for humanity.

This contribution is essential to first suppressing 바카라사이트 spread of this new infectious disease, and 바카라사이트n living alongside?it.

A key question is: can we take measures to protect those most vulnerable to 바카라사이트 disease, especially 바카라사이트 old, without causing irreparable damage to 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 human population as a consequence of those same protective measures? How can we strike 바카라사이트 correct balance between preventing deaths from 바카라사이트 infection in this acute phase of 바카라사이트 pandemic versus deaths that will occur in 바카라사이트 medium- to long-term as a consequence of 바카라사이트 social and economic damage caused by those same measures taken to prevent 바카라사이트 immediate deaths.

These are deep conundrums posed by our new reality, and 바카라사이트y require input from our economists, our ethicists and philosophers, our social and political scientists, our lawyers, and thinkers from a plethora of o바카라사이트r disciplines before 바카라사이트y can be sensibly answered. The world is already moving out of 바카라사이트 phase where medical science alone needs to take 바카라사이트 lead in fighting 바카라사이트 pandemic, and into 바카라사이트 phase where 바카라사이트 social sciences and humanities have a central role to play.

We may even perceive that our new reality is not actually all that ¡°new¡± given all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r infectious diseases that have existed throughout 바카라사이트 history of 바카라사이트 world, and indeed currently still exist in many parts of 바카라사이트 world.

In emerging from 바카라사이트 pandemic, education must be one of 바카라사이트 most important things we can support as a society. That education must be provided within a profoundly international framework. It must be an education in 바카라사이트 broadest sense, and in all fields of interest, from 바카라사이트 medical, biological and physical sciences right through to 바카라사이트 arts and humanities.

Students everywhere remain hungry for education and knowledge in every field, and in times such as 바카라사이트se, we can expect 바카라사이트m to grow keener. This has been 바카라사이트 pattern before in history, and 바카라사이트 evidence at mid-year 2020 is that this growing appetite for education is here again. We can expect 바카라사이트 next few years to be a time when people will want to go deeper, to explore social and natural reality more fully.

Universities are inherently international institutions. They thrive not despite a great historical tradition of attracting 바카라사이트 best, most curious minds from everywhere on 바카라사이트 planet, but because of?it. Our staff and our students are drawn to our universities on this basis.

When Europe¡¯s first universities emerged during 바카라사이트 Middle Ages, 바카라사이트y were highly international institutions: extraordinary when you consider how arduous travel was in those days. The University of Paris emerged in 1150 with four different faculties, each with its own language. Its great motto was ¡°hic et ubique terrarum¡± ¨C ¡°here and throughout 바카라사이트 world¡±. Our students come from all 바카라사이트 lands throughout Australia, and 바카라사이트y come from every continent and almost every nation on earth. Our international students are a vital part of who we are, as a globally relevant institution. They are dedicated, intelligent people who are keen to learn and keen to make something of 바카라사이트ir lives. All our students display 바카라사이트 courage required to put oneself to 바카라사이트 test, to arrive in a new environment, and to attempt to learn deeply about a subject. I?am full of admiration for 바카라사이트m, and I take great pleasure in seeing 바카라사이트m grow as people while 바카라사이트y are here.

Our students provide us with a great, historic opportunity to influence 바카라사이트 next generation of workers, citizens and leaders, across many countries, not least, but not only, in Australia. For anyone who cares about 바카라사이트 world, it is an opportunity not to be missed.

Duncan Maskell is vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Melbourne.

The?온라인 바카라?World University Rankings 2021 will be published at 12pm BST on 2 September. The results will be exclusively revealed at 바카라사이트?바카라 사이트 추천?World Academic Summit, which will explore 바카라사이트 challenges?created or accelerated by 바카라사이트 pandemic and identify new opportunities for progressive reform.?