Introduction: Challenges of the Twenty-first Century

Summary

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Until fairly recently, only a minor percentage of Europeans enjoyed university education or were involved in academic research. The main purpose of universities, apart from training clergymen, physicians and lawyers, was the pursuit of knowledge in its own right.

Within a very short time span this situation has changed dramatically. Society's views on universities have altered substantially over the past fifty years. Politicians as well as the general public now seem to feel that the goal of university research should be to resolve sharply defined industrial, medical, economic and societal issues. Direct applicability of research results appears to be a prerequisite. The same applies to the universities’ educational programmes. Employers demand that students are prepared to meet the present needs of industry, ignoring the fact that these needs will change considerably during the graduates’ active careers.

Universities need to do their utmost to comply with the ever-changing requirements imposed on them by society. It is because they have succeeded in adapting to change that they have continued to exist over the centuries. Over the past four decades the number of students has grown exponentially while the cost of training them has decreased considerably. In this sense universities have become ever more efficient, although unfortunately this has proven to be at the expense of the pursuit of basic knowledge. Universities are now also much more active in transferring the knowledge they create to those within society who are able to put it to good use. Universities are strongly aware of their responsibilities and accountability towards society.

The nature of industry in Europe is changing rapidly. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries our economic activities evolved from farming and heavy industry such as smelting and shipbuilding to production processes requiring highly specialised knowledge and skills; the provision of a wide range of services has also become more important. Competition from recently developed or still developing countries is forcing Europe to raise average levels of education considerably in order to meet current and future demand from various sectors of society and also to preserve its relative advantage over other world regions. A number of European governments have already set targets for participation in higher education as high as fifty percent. This necessitates further growth in and diversification of the higher education system, the establishment of professional schools and the expansion of existing institutions.