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It is important that any organisation is obvious about its intent or reason for staying. But never is there a more essential time to re-examine one's "raison d'etre" than during instances of cutback and money restraint. And what type of organisation is best put to philosophically concern its existence than universities, who're started on important considered (and in fact, the discipline of philosophy - sorry, I am biased, it truly is what I researched as many as my masters' diploma!) And I could be exposing my bias by pre-supposing the relevance or centrality from the questioning during the remedy.

What is a university?

Could it be the expertise it generates? But exploration can take put from the private sector much too, albeit much less transparently - even so the peer overview method is additionally beneath fireplace. More info: click here.

Is it the "learning" imparted upon college students by instructors and "experts"? But MIT, as an example, areas its program materials on the web for free - so why shell out ever-increasing tuition expenses? And, what is the price of a bit of paper that states you uncovered anything, when ten several years later on you have probable overlooked, or maybe the facts may be replaced with more latest information?

Can it be the truth that graduates "get work," as a lot of universities claim inside their promotional material? Presumably the glass ceiling on earnings is lesser by using a degree, but with raising access to training, in order to distinguish on their own from the "competition" college students are owning to undertake 2nd or third degrees - a first diploma can often be not plenty of.

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

Could it be the preservation of "freedom of expression," (although not a widely referred to concept during the UK) whereby both 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.

Could it be the physical experience? But classes are frequently virtual, and e-books and online journals are slowly replacing their paper siblings. While quite a few college students live on campus and organise on their own socially according to their studies and interests, this too is not an exclusive feature in the college experience.I would argue that it truly is all in the above - while 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 complicated, and that's what makes it beautiful.

But should each university have its own identity, function, 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.