VC’ s corner
What
Universities are in a state of change, but it’ s now time to put the needs of students first. By S. Bruce Dowton
In pondering the future of higher education, one wonders if universities are akin to Einstein’ s view of mathematics –“ as far as the laws of mathematics( read,‘ the trajectory of universities’) refer to reality, they are not certain; in as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality”.
The 18th century Scottish philosopher David Hume identified a similar conundrum in what he called the“ is-ought” problem: that by examining what is( let’ s say in a university) then we should be able to come up with what ought to be( say, Arnold-esque dreaming spires, languid but hardworking aesthete students and wise be-gowned dons, and unlimited funds for teaching, research and slick infrastructure).
Hume declared it absurd to derive“ ought” from“ is” and this insight became known as the“ naturalistic fallacy”. Looking around a university today we can see that Hume was correct: we have a good idea of what our institution is, but we struggle to imagine what it might become.
This is not a case of lacking vision – it is simply that external conditions change so quickly. Who could have imagined five years ago that today 48 hours of video would be uploaded to YouTube every minute?( Kevin Allocca, TED Talk Feb 2012) Or, that a massed choir of solitary individuals could be aligned to perform over Skype? Was the media frenzy and institutional angst about MOOCs predictable? How far back did we foretell the acceleration of non-Western societies investing in higher education in their own countries?
Hume’ s philosophical insight need not render us immobile. A central question in higher education is, how can we be creative, insightful and proactive about our most important assets – our students and our staff( academic and professional alike)? How can we ensure for them a vibrant experience brimming with human interaction, friendship, challenges, and opportunity along with an abiding satisfaction that their stay with us will have been worthwhile?
Ignoring Hume, it is tempting to envision a future( what ought to be) that is not unlike what we have already( what is). If we really care for our students and staff we know this cannot be.
32 | May 2013