The university is one of few institutions surviving the changes that have affected society over the past 800 years. Stemming from a period which was dominated by the church and feudal lords, it successfully negotiated the Renaissance and Enlightenment, the industrial revolution of the 19th century, and the profound societal …
Traditional universities: challenges and opportunities
What is at stake? Never before has there been such a huge choice of providers of higher education as today. As this sector grows in reach and impact, it is also becoming more international. OECD data show that the mem -ber countries host more than 3.5 million international students; 6% …
The Global and the Local: Constructing a Distinctive Role for Universities in Shaping the Future
We are meeting on the eve of your colloquium, which is why — when I was kindly asked to kick-start our discussion this evening — I thought it would be constructive to take a step back and begin with more of a bird’s-eye view. Specifically, I would like to start …
Universities as drivers of societal development?
Research and teaching have always been the two core missions of uni-versities. But, central as they are, they only cover part of the spectrum of activities of modern universities. Indeed, urgent global challenges and the ongoing transformation of societies from agricultural to industrial to knowledge-based economies, have increased the public …
The role of a rising university in an emerging international metropolis
THE UNIVERSITY AND THE CITY IN THE AGE OF KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY. Colleges and universities are among the oldest type of organization, orig-inating from the medieval age. In the long historical trajectory of this social institution, it is commonly recognized that colleges and universities evolved through three stages — from the …
The Geopolitics of Higher Education
Today, Higher Education Institutions are not only globalized but also globalizing entities. This evolution has gradually formed over the last three decades, changing profoundly the world landscape of academic institutions, which has become a competitive market.Academic globalization most often refers to the increasing openness of universities to exchanges, student and …
The Future of the University – Preparing for Change: Building a Nimble and Responsive University
The research universities represented by the Glion Colloquium have been responsible for many of the greatest discoveries and intellectual breakthroughs in history. I am proud to lead one of these universities. For the last 800 years in Cambridge, new discoveries have been forged to transform the way we live and …
The Story of the Cambridge Taxi Driver and the Future of the University
The research universities represented by the Glion Colloquium have been responsible for many of the greatest discoveries and intellectual breakthroughs in history. I am proud to lead one of these universities. For the last 800 years in Cambridge, new discoveries have been forged to transform the way we live and …
The Evolution and Missions of Universities in China
The research universities represented by the Glion Colloquium have been responsible for many of the greatest discoveries and intellectual breakthroughs in history. I am proud to lead one of these universities. For the last 800 years in Cambridge, new discoveries have been forged to transform the way we live and …
The evolution of globalized higher education
This essay is intended to elicit discussion around current thinking aboutthe globalization of higher education (from a U.S. point of view inparticular) in the context of proposing a new model we are attempting to develop at the University of California, Berkeley. We begin with a brief narrative of the historical …
Global Diversity in Higher Education Systems
A persistent theme of the Glion Colloquium, almost since inception,has been the impact of globalization on higher education worldwide. Indeed the sixth colloquium, which took place in 2007, was devoted to this topic. (Weber Duderstadt, 2008).
Creating shared value through open innovation
“For a company to be successful over the long term and create value for shareholders, it must also create value for society. At Nestlé, this begins with the creation of superior long-term value for shareholders by offering products and services that help people improve their nutrition, health and wellness.” Peter …
Adapting the university to the constraints. Responsibilities and opportunities of a new age
During the years following the Great Depression and World War II,the United States launched a massive effort to provide educationalopportunities to all Americans. Returning veterans funded through the GI Bill (Serviceman’s Readjustment Act of 1944) tripled college enrolments. The post-WWII research strategy developed by Vannevar Bush transformed our campuses into …
Cities, research universities and the economic geography of innovation
Within the past decade, an increasingly pervasive view argues that“the world is flat”, and that location matters less and less whenit comes to economic activity (Friedman, 2005). Information and communication technologies are said to be the key to understanding this trend, since they dramatically reduce the cost and increase the …
The university in the 21st century
The University is one of the greatest inventions of the second millennium (Rhodes, 1998). Europe can be particularly proud of this, given that the University is first and foremost a European institution which — while keeping its essential characteristics — has since spread worldwide (Rüegg, 1992). Universities have shown themselves …
Intellectual change – creating the university of the 21st century
Change has typically come so slowly to higher education that someeducators have been known to tell a joke about a man, similar toRip Van Winkle in the classic Washington Irving short story by the same name, who woke up after being asleep for hundreds of years to find that the …
The role of universities and social needs in times of great change
It goes without saying that universities are social entities, and the very meaning of their existence is directly related to whether they can serveand benefit society. Although this may vary widely among universities, and an institution may place more importance on one philosophy over another, almost all universities are founded …
Global research questions and institutional research strategies
Two years ago, one of the authors (PJP) was at a conference in Seoul on“The Role and Responsibilities of Research Universities”, moderatinga session on “Higher Education and Strategic Knowledge Creation”. It was an intensive session, with ten papers, in which university presidents and senior academic officers from around the world …
Preface to university priorities and constraints
Since its launch in 1998, the Glion Colloquium has established itselfas both a key international forum and a highly influential resource inaddressing the challenges and responsibilities of the world’s research universities. Held every two years, the forum brings together leaders of research universities, often joined by key figures from business …
University research comes in many shapes
In “The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge”, written in 1937, (Flexner, 1955) Abraham Flexner described a conversation with George Eastman:tured to ask him whom he regarded as the most useful worker in science in the“I venworld. He replied instantaneously, ‘Marconi’. I surprised him by saying: ‘Whatever pleasure we derive from the …