University Autonomy as the Core of Social Responsibility

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University Autonomy as the Core of Social
Responsibility

• Forum on Social Responsibility in Higher
  Education

Bastian Baumann, Magna Charta Observatory Bogotá,
13 August 2009
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Magna Charta Universitatum

• Signed by 388 rectors in Bologna on 18 September
  1988
• 670 signatories as of September 2009
• 17 signatories from Colombia
• Worldwide geographical coverage
• Currently more than 80 countries

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Content

• Fundamental values and principles of the
  university
• Institutional autonomy
• Academic freedom
• Link between teaching and research

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Reasons

• 900th anniversary of the University of Bologna
• Iron Curtain
• Emphasis on Europe
• Common heritage of universities
• Worldwide acceptance
• New trends

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Magna Charta Observatory

• Founded in 2000 by University of Bologna and
  European Rectors Conference (now EUA)
• Based at the University of Bologna
• No membership

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Activities

• Monitoring function
• Convenor
• Advisor
• Think tank
• Worldwide scope of activities

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Social responsibility towards whom?

• Externally
• Individuals
• Society at large
• Internally
• All members of the academic community

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Functions of Universities

• Teaching, research Innovation
• Truth
• Meaning
• Order
• Welfare

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Welfare and order functions

• For individuals Reason to enrol and climb the
  social ladder
• For society More educated citizens
• Increase participation
• Widening access
• Social, economical and cultural growth
• Knowledge society

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Main purposes of higher education

• Personal development
• Preparation for life as active, constructive and
  critical citizens in a democratic society
• Preparation for the labour market
• Maintain an advanced knowledge base

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Personal development

• Broad education
• Inter- / trans- / multi-disciplinarity
• Transmission of values
• Awareness of ones own cultural norms

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Preparation for life as active, constructive and
critical citizens

• Active informed and self-assured
• Constructive knowledgeable and inventive
• Critical Reflective and open-minded
• Citizens Sense of citizenship responsibilities
• Pedagogical approaches that do not just teach one
  response to one particular question

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Preparation for the labour market

• Skills / competences / knowledge
• Subject-specific and generic
• No short-sightedness
• Sustainable employability

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Advanced knowledge base

• Forefront of knowledge
• Link between teaching and research
• Basic and applied research
• Not only MST
• Continuous search for truth

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Autonomy as a prerequisite

• Free from political, economic and religious
  interests
• Code of conduct
• Drivers of change
• Change as a prerequisite for development
• Both public and private universities

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Prerequisites

• Notion of higher education as a public good
• Institutional autonomy
• Academic freedom

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Requirements

• Accountability
• Efficiency and effectiveness
• Capacity to act and decide
• Integrity
• Awareness of needs
• Continuous development

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Dialogue

• Externally
• Build consensus
• Prevent attacks on institutional autonomy
• Internally
• Mission
• Avoid tensions between institutional autonomy and
  academic freedom

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Systemic incentives

• Need to reward socially responsible missions and
  acting
• Both for universities and individuals
• Rankings

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Conclusion

• The answer to the question which kind of
  education do we need is to be found in the
  answer to the question which kind of society do
  we want?
• Chilean Sociologist Eugenio Tironi in El sueño
  chileno (2005)

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Contact

• www.magna-charta.org
• magnacharta_at_unibo.it
• Via Zamboni 25
• 40126 Bologna
• Italy