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It is important that any organisation is apparent about its reason or cause of getting. But never ever is there a far more essential time to re-examine one's "raison d'etre" than all through periods of cutback and financial restraint. And which kind of organisation is better put to philosophically issue its existence than universities, who are founded on critical believed (and indeed, the self-control of philosophy - sorry, I am biased, it really is what I analyzed about my masters' degree!) And I could be exposing my bias by pre-supposing the benefits or centrality from the questioning while in the solution.

Precisely what is a college?

Could it be the expertise it generates? But analysis will take area in the non-public sector as well, albeit less transparently - although the peer review program is usually under fireplace. More info: click here.

Is it the "learning" imparted upon students by instructors and "experts"? But MIT, such as, places its system elements on line free of charge - so why pay ever-increasing tuition fees? And, what's the price of a piece of paper that states you uncovered anything, when 10 years later on you've got likely overlooked, or maybe the details has been replaced with more current info?

Could it be the fact that graduates "get jobs," as numerous universities claim in their marketing content? Presumably the glass ceiling on earnings is smaller which has a diploma, but with increasing usage of education and learning, so that you can differentiate themselves with the "competition" pupils are getting to undertake 2nd or 3rd degrees - a primary diploma can often be not enough.

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

Can it be 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 far more than a little idealistic.

Is it the physical experience? But classes are frequently virtual, and e-books and on the web journals are slowly replacing their paper siblings. While lots of pupils live on campus and organise themselves socially according to their studies and interests, this as well is not an exclusive feature of the college experience.I would argue that it's all of your above - in 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's nebulous, and it is really complicated, and that's what makes it beautiful.

But should each college have its own identity, goal, 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 vital for communications.