Chairman of NTNU´s Board, Marit Arnstad, says that the presentations at NTNU’s centennial conference mirror the debate in university´s board room. “We are right in the middle of discussions on our strategy, and today’s events have provided quite a lot of insight – without necessarily providing any answers,” she says.
Challenges. Professor Frans van Vught of the University of Twente (left), Professor John Wood of Imperial College, UK, and Dr. Sybille Reichert of Reichert Consulting, Switzerland were among the star attractions at NTNU's centennial conference on Wednesday, Sept. 15.Sølvi W. Normannsen
Attentive audience. From left, Pro-rector Berit Kjeldstad, Pro-rector Johan Hustad, Pro-rector Kari Melby, Board Chair Marit Arnstad and Rector Torbjørn Digernes. Far left: State Secretary Kyrre Lekve, the only representative of government who had time to attend NTNU's centennial celebration.Sølvi W. Normannsen
First there was anniversary cake at the office, then breakfast at Lerchendal Gård. Then it was straight to Realfagbygget for the Rector, NTNU’s board chair, the university’s leadership and invited guests. There, they were served several tough-to-digest challenges. The day’s theme: “The challenges facing universities in an increasingly globalized world.”
Internationalization, specialization.
“Internationalization is a problem. It’s one that doesn’t allow us to choose whether we will respond to it immediately or not – it is just is there,” NTNU chair Marit Arnstad said to UA.
Four speakers were invited to examine the challenges of globalization from various perspectives. Several raised the issue of specialization versus breadth.
“This is an ever-recurring theme at the university. No one today had an unequivocal answer to this dilemma. Specialization is important, but so is the need to be interdisciplinary. And to be interdisciplinary, we also need breadth. There are many issues here that have direct relevance to the board’s debate over strategy,” says Arnstad.
Outgoing versus contemplative?
NTNU's chair also highlighted the comments of Dr. Sybille Reichert, an analyst whose speciality is higher education, and who discussed the conflicting demands facing researchers.
She described the tension between society's increasing requirement for aggressive sociability and active participation in many arenas – which is in contrast to an academic’s need for calm, contemplation and reflection. Great scholars throughout history have regarded quiet and reflection as necessary and essential in allowing them to develop new ideas.
“These are also interesting tradeoffs,” said Arnstad.
Becoming more European
Professor Frans van Vught of the University of Twente spoke about the challenges facing European higher education in a world of explosive growth.
“We are in a situation now that suggests an increasing Europeanness in higher education after 2020,” said van Vught, who described globalization as having three important dimensions.
Increased economic openness is the dominant dimension. The emergence of transnational partner institutions such as the EU, the UN and others represents the political dimension. Finally, the fact that American TV series are seen in every corner of the global, and that McDonald's food is available everywhere are examples of the socio-cultural dimension.
Trading with ourselves
The last 20 years have seen tremendous growth in the volume of trade for a number of countries, but van Vught pointed out that fully two-thirds of the EU’s enormous trading volume takes place within the union itself.
“We still trade mostly with each other,” said the professor, who also sees the same trend in terms of individual countries’ arrangements for research and innovation.
However, globalization in the 1980s spurred countries to develop their own national innovation policies.
Duplication of efforts
At the same time, there was an increasing awareness of the importance of interacting with science, and that science and technology could lead to the creation of new products and services. Universities played a very important role in this development. Today, more and more money, astronomical sums, are being spent on research and development in the EU. van Vught pointed out that only five per cent goes through the EU’s Framework Programmes and other common funding mechanisms. The rest is fed through the individual countries’ organizations and institutions, based on national strategies.
“The result is that many different academic communities are doing the same things, have the same types of research facilities, are building the same laboratories and are developing the same kinds of infrastructure,” van Vught observed.
In response, the European Union began an innovative strategy in the 1990s, which emphasized a greater exchange of knowledge between countries and institutions.
Commonality and differences
“What now, what can we expect in the future?” asked the professor, and then answered himself:
“More sharply focused institutions that are more intent on highlighting their disciplines when they profile themselves. More benchmarking, multiple comparisons, multiple constraints, and increased competition between universities. There will be more focus on who should pay for the education people are taking. We will have more exchanges of knowledge, and a number of universities that are committed to developing what makes their particular environment attractive from a global perspective.”
“We will also see increased growth in global partnerships, networks of universities working together. This in turn will increase student mobility. ‘Youth on the move’ is already an established concept, but more people will move between institutions,” he said.
The idea of Europe
The professor envisions an increasing ‘Europeanness’ in higher education after 2020. He referred to George Steiner's essay, ‘The Idea of Europe’, which he said described the essence of the factors that will affect future growth.
The essay refers to the elevated discussion in the European cafe, in contrast to what takes place in American bars. Europe is characterized by a human-scale landscape and geography, which is easy to move around in.
“You will always see a church spire sticking up on the horizon, no matter where you are in Europe – it's never far to the next town.... We have a publicly shared intellectual history, common reference points and a common foundation,” said the University of Twente professor.
He believes that all this will lead us to a future with a common European model for higher education based on shared values. At the same time, this will still allow for diversity among universities, which will continue to develop their individual profiles.
“And, based on its history, in this world, NTNU will be a major role playing institution - you have one of Europe's leading universities,” van Vught concluded.
Inhuman requirements
Sybille Reichert of Reichert Consulting spoke of crumbling ivory towers and rising knowledge hubs, in which the researcher's universe contains so many demands from the outside that the old image of the unapproachable academic at the top of ivory tower no longer is real.
She presented a long list of factors that have changed circumstances for universities, and that challenge them, including requirements for efficiency and profitability. Students come with ever more complex skills, meaning that old-school teachers are not good enough anymore - because they cannot respond to the diversity that some students exhibit.
“We need a very active approach to this. The big challenge is how to come up with an intelligent way to make the European educational landscape more transparent,” she said.
Defining productivity
She added that concern over European competitiveness has led to a growing awareness of global challenges.
“We need new research methods, new orientation and teamwork,” said Reichert, who also warned universities not to be too one-dimensional in measuring productivity.
At the end of her presentation, Reichert presented a long list of expectations that face today’s academics: He/she will be international, a highly specialized expert. She will be open to and interested in other disciplines and be willing to compete with colleagues who work 24/7. She will work and produce without interruption in order not to lose funding; will be a good networker, an excellent communicator, and a valuable team player. And last but not least, a good teacher and a sympathetic supervisor, who will work with students from different backgrounds and with individual needs in an interactive learning environment.
Time for contemplation?
“This person simply does not exist,” said Reichert, who also wondered what had happened to the conditions that were once considered fundamental to the work of many brilliant researchers. In a world where we all must show how prolific we are to get new grants, what about the opportunities for quiet, reflection and contemplation that have been essential to great scholars throughout history?
“How much time do have we for this?” asked the analyst, who concluded by referring to one of the world's most innovative companies: Google.
“Their scientists have a day off a week. They can use it for whatever they want, without having to explain anything to anyone. The only requirement is that they use that day for something they find meaningful.”
NTNU and Europe
Rector Torbjørn Digernes summed up the day’s conference by saying that we are in a paradigm shift and that the contract between academics and society must be rewritten. He also said that we must work within the European model of research, with a starting point in Norwegian culture and then adapting it.
“Global challenges are complex in nature. They cannot be met through a mono-disciplinary approach. The combination of the researcher's strong focus and Reichert’s list of what is expected of a top academician; this is where the challenge lies,” Digernes said.
