University Autonomy as the Core of Social Responsibility

Forum on Social Responsibility in Higher Education

Bastian Baumann, Magna Charta Observatory

Bogotá, 13 August 2009

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

Content

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

Reasons

• 900th anniversary of the University of Bologna

• Iron Curtain– Emphasis on Europe

• Common heritage of universities

• Worldwide acceptance

• New trends

Magna Charta Observatory

• Founded in 2000 by University of Bologna and European Rectors Conference (now EUA)

• Based at the University of Bologna

• No membership

Activities

• Monitoring function

• Convenor

• Advisor

• Think tank

• Worldwide scope of activities

Social responsibility towards whom?

• Externally– Individuals– Society at large

• Internally– All members of the academic community

Functions of Universities

• Teaching, research Innovation

• Truth

• Meaning

• Order

• Welfare

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

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

Personal development

• Broad education

• Inter- / trans- / multi-disciplinarity

• Transmission of values

• Awareness of one’s own cultural norms

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

Preparation for the labour market

• Skills / competences / knowledge

• Subject-specific and generic

• No short-sightedness

• Sustainable employability

Advanced knowledge base

• Forefront of knowledge

• Link between teaching and research

• Basic and applied research

• Not only MST

• Continuous search for truth

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

Prerequisites

• Notion of higher education as a public good

• Institutional autonomy

• Academic freedom

Requirements

• Accountability– Efficiency and effectiveness– Capacity to act and decide

• Integrity

• Awareness of needs

• Continuous development

Dialogue

• Externally:– Build consensus– Prevent attacks on institutional autonomy

• Internally:– Mission– Avoid tensions between institutional

autonomy and academic freedom

Systemic incentives

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

• Rankings

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)

Contact

www.magna-charta.org

magnacharta@unibo.it

Via Zamboni 25

40126 Bologna

Italy