With the increasing importance of higher education worldwide, an emphasis must be placed on the mission of the institutions Dan Rich, professor and former provost, said.
Rich presented the lecture “Changing Public Role of Universities in the Age of Globalization” to the university on Wednesday.
In the lecture, he evaluated the changing role of public universities and the necessity for a transformation not only in growth, but also in character.
Rich said the biggest challenge being faced by U.S. universities is what is happening globally. U.S. universities have been the dominant force and are now being challenged by other nations.
“In 2006, China had twice as many college graduates as the U.S. and India combined,” Rich said.
The problem is embedded in a long history of tradition and lies in the way Americans think about education.
“U.S. universities are at somewhat of a disadvantage,” he said. “Global institutions without embedded structure can create newer [more efficient] institutions.”
He said two models must be implemented for U.S. higher education institutions to become globally competitive. Both models are being advocated in the university’s strategic plan.
The “engaged university” is the first model. Rich said this plan of action takes the existing administrative components of universities and expands their involvement in the surrounding communities. The goal is to transform classroom learning into more public-service based work.
The second model is the “entrepreneurial university.” Under this plan, universities become much more self-reliant and in-tune with the environment. They recognize primary public contribution to economic development.
Bakry El Medni, a doctoral student in the college of Education and Public Policy, received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees outside the U.S.
“I absolutely agree with Rich,” El Medni said. “Universities in the U.S. need to restructure to contribute to the global economy. If they cannot do that, they will be hurt.”
Michael Gamel-McCormick, dean of the College of Education and Public Policy, said this restructuring has already begun in other parts of the world.
“India, China, Australia and Thailand are creating universities from scratch,” Gamel-McCormick said. “In India, private companies are creating universities that start with a global perspective that is engrained in their culture.”
He said another important issue is the future of endowments of research institutions.
“We have not subsidized education like Europe and Southeast Asia. In India, costs are underwritten by industry,” he said. “This trend is important to focus on when discussing the future of higher education in a quickly merging global economy.”
Rich said the university is one of 200 research universities in the country. Where public institutions previously received a substantial amount of funding from the state, they now only receive somewhere between 17 and 18 percent. The majority of money now comes from uncertain federal research grants and most likely will continue to do so.
Both Rich and Gamel-McCormick stressed the importance of moving away from Newsweek and Princeton Review rankings and moving towards a global view of competition.
Gamel-McCormick said as higher education begins to compete more readily on a global level, the business and industrial competition between nations will be influenced.
The university has plans to make itself marketable and competitive in a global sphere, but those changes take time. Rich said the overall mission of universities will not change drastically.
However, the influence these universities have on the surrounding world will transcend existing boundaries, seemingly minimizing the world, he said.
To be successful, American universities will have to alter their present day character, Rich said.
“How we rate among our peers is similar to Ford, GM and Chrysler,” Rich said. “They convinced everyone America built all the best cars and fixated on how they could compete with each other while automakers in other parts of the world drove right by them.”
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