Introduction: why the civic university?

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Over the last decades, the role, scale and mission of higher education has been transformed, from institutions which were attended by a small intellectual or social elite to a situation where attendance is more or less obligatory for the vast majority of people in order to successfully sustain most occupations and uphold democratic civil society. New institutional models have evolved and are still evolving in response to a myriad of drivers, including understanding of knowledge and modes of creation and dissemination, and societal and labour market requirements. Indeed, the positioning of knowledge as the foundation of economic, social and political power has put greater focus on higher education institutions (HEIs) placing them at the centre of policy-making. And because higher education is one of the most internationalised sectors of society, global factors are increasingly paramount. Thus higher education is, of necessity, becoming increasingly complex, combining attributes of being a peopleprocessing institution with a knowledge-producing mission (Gumport, 2000), with national and geopolitical characteristics and implications. Within the European Union many actions and deliberations are focused on mobilising and harnessing the full potential of universities to underpin Europe's economic recovery, and future economic and social development. Because higher education has become a barometer of national and institutional competitiveness, global rankings of universities have assumed disproportionate significance (Hazelkorn, 2015). Universities are continually measured, and funded, according to indicators based primarily around academic prestige. In doing so, higher education policy has unwittingly promoted a model of university disconnected from the nation-state and constituent cities and regions as it concentrates on diversifying and privatising its funding base, recruiting talent internationally and engaging globally.

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“…Another important dimension that has recently gained traction puts an emphasis on an extended understanding of HEIs' social role, resulting in "civic (or engaged) universities" (see, e.g., [Goddard, 2009;Henke et al, 2015]). The fundamental starting point here is that HEIs are seen as providers of public goods, hence the results of research and education should not solely be assessed in terms of quantity and excellence, but in terms of their social significance and relevance.…”

Developing ‘process pragmatism’ to underpin engaged research in human geography

“…However, the move to encourage 'impact', knowledge exchange and public engagement is helpful in this regard. Many universities are revisiting their civic inheritance and exploring ways to reposition themselves in their local community (Goddard, 2009). As such, there are major opportunities to develop the sustained community relationships from which to develop new forms of research that deploy process pragmatism.…”

Het hoger onderwijs en Brussel

“…Daaronder wordt niet alleen een economische, maar ook maatschappelijke dimensie verstaan die verder gaat dan de "maatschappelijke dienstverlening" die traditioneel de derde pijler vormt van de missie van de universiteiten. 4. In dat opzicht zijn IHO actoren die (a) naast aan onderzoek en onderwijs ook belang toekennen aan publiek engagement; (b) die expliciet een brede economische en maatschappelijke rol voor zichzelf zien, die verder gaat dan technologie-en kennistransfer; (c) die een regionale rol opnemen, naast hun nationale en globale ambitie; en (d) die hierbij deel zijn van een governance en financieringssysteem dat dergelijke activiteiten en kwaliteiten ondersteunt [Goddard, 2009]. De vraag rijst of deze herpositionering ook van toepassing is op de West-Europese IHO in het algemeen en de Belgo-Brusselse universiteiten en hogescholen in het bijzonder.…”