What Is the Purpose of a University

It's important that any organisation is clear about its purpose or reason for being. But never is there a more crucial time to re-examine one's "raison d'etre" than during times of cutback and financial restraint. And what type of organisation is better placed to philosophically question its existence than universities, who are founded on critical thought (and indeed, the discipline of philosophy - sorry, I'm biased, it's what I studied up to my masters' degree!) And I may be exposing my bias by pre-supposing the importance or centrality of the questioning in the answer.

What is a university?

Is it the knowledge it generates? But research takes place in the private sector too, albeit less transparently - but the peer review system is also under fire.

Is it the "learning" imparted upon students by teachers and "experts"? But MIT, for example, places its course materials online for free - so why pay ever-increasing tuition fees? And, what's the value of a piece of paper that says you learned something, when 10 years later you've likely forgotten, or the information has been replaced with more current information?

Is it the fact that graduates "get jobs," as many universities claim in their promotional material? Presumably the glass ceiling on earnings is lesser with a degree, but with increasing access to education, in order to differentiate themselves from the "competition" students are having to undertake second or third degrees - a first degree is often no longer enough.

Is it the impact universities make on the economy & within the community? But arguably so does industry of any form, although undoubtedly this is a somewhat unidirectional argument as one feeds the other.

Is it the preservation of "freedom of expression," (although not a widely referred to concept in the UK) whereby both students and staff feel that they can tackle the tough questions without reproach? I think most people would agree this is more than a little idealistic.

Is it the physical experience? But classes are often virtual, and e-books and online journals are slowly replacing their paper siblings. While many students live on campus and organise themselves socially according to their studies and interests, this too is not an exclusive feature of the university experience.I would argue that it's all of the above - in the way that these pieces are intertwined, and cannot truly exist without one another - although such an ambiguous, large-scale "creature" is challenging to "sell" to politicians and the general public. It's nebulous, and it's complicated, and that's what makes it beautiful.

But should each university have its own identity, purpose, stakeholders? Or should they be tied together in reaching common goals? How can their success be evaluated? In an era of classifications, rankings, and "tagging," clarity and differentiation is important for communications.