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It is important that any organisation is distinct about its function or cause for getting. But under no circumstances is there a more crucial time and energy to re-examine one's "raison d'etre" than through times of cutback and financial restraint. And which kind of organisation is best positioned to philosophically query its existence than universities, who will be launched on essential imagined (and certainly, the discipline of philosophy - sorry, I am biased, it can be what I researched about my masters' degree!) And I might be exposing my bias by pre-supposing the importance or centrality on the questioning inside the respond to.

What on earth is a university?

Could it be the knowledge it generates? But research can take spot inside the private sector way too, albeit much less transparently - however the peer review procedure is likewise less than fireplace. More info: click here.

Could it be the "learning" imparted upon students by lecturers and "experts"? But MIT, as an example, areas its training course resources online totally free - so why pay out ever-increasing tuition fees? And, what is the price of a piece of paper that states you learned some thing, when 10 years later you have probable forgotten, or perhaps the facts has become changed with more existing info?

Could it be the reality that graduates "get jobs," as many universities state inside their marketing materials? Presumably the glass ceiling on earnings is reduced having a diploma, but with raising usage of education, in an effort to differentiate by themselves on the "competition" college students are getting to undertake 2nd or third degrees - a first diploma is usually no more good enough.

Could it be the impact universities make around the marketplace & within the community? But arguably so does industry of any form, although undoubtedly this is a somewhat unidirectional argument as one feeds the other.

Is it the preservation of "freedom of expression," (although not a widely referred to concept from the UK) whereby both college students and staff feel that they can tackle the tough questions without reproach? I think most people would agree this is extra than a little idealistic.

Is it the physical experience? But classes are typically virtual, and e-books and on the web journals are slowly replacing their paper siblings. While several pupils live on campus and organise by themselves socially according to their studies and interests, this way too is not an exclusive feature in the college experience.I would argue that it is really all in the above - from the way that these pieces are intertwined, and cannot truly exist without one another - although such an ambiguous, large-scale "creature" is challenging to "sell" to politicians and the general public. It really is nebulous, and it truly is complicated, and that's what makes it beautiful.

But should each college have its own identity, intent, stakeholders? Or should they be tied together in reaching common goals? How can their success be evaluated? In an era of classifications, rankings, and "tagging," clarity and differentiation is essential for communications.