El repte de ser una bona universitat

Dues entrades recents del Times Higher Education fan referència al que es considera que és una bona universitat. A The Global Challenge, el THE hi fa una reflexió sobre el que els rànkings han de reflexar d’una institució d’educació superior, més enllà de la qualitat de la producció investigadora – creadora de coneixement, per exemple en l’impacte socioeconòmic en l’entorn territorial més immediat. Aquesta reflexio és força rellevant per al cas d’universitats vinculades especialment al territori com és el cas de la Universitat de Girona. Entre d’altres coses ben interessants, aquest post diu que:

A good number of universities around the world are well placed to bring together different disciplinary expertise to address societal challenges. They are getting involved in “solutions-oriented research”, with funding support from national and international agencies and foundations.

The studies report on universities’ contributions in areas such as the role of higher education in developing human capital; the role of university-based research in driving the economy through innovation and technology-transfer; their role in continuing education and preparing people for work in a changing world; and in building attractive communities.

The comprehensive articulation of the socio-economic impact of universities is a relatively new phenomenon, and there is no standard format yet available. Universities worldwide need to design a common framework to provide detailed information on their impact on the economy and society. They need to put in place more responsive systems to track and document a wide variety of information for longer periods. Such high-quality reports are necessary to meet the growing information needs and expectations of diverse stake holders, including policymakers, and to ensure sustained confidence in the academy.

Per un altre cantó, al post Leader: As one in search of excellence el THE comeant què fa que una Universitat sigui “gran” o “bona”. Entre d’altres opinions. aquesta és mé aviat estàndard:

Perhaps the right place to start is with the ideals that make an institution a university. For Nigel Thrift, vice-chancellor of the University of Warwick, it is simple: “the free and open communication of ideas, academic freedom, disinterestedness, working for the common good”. At the Managing University Reputation in a Competitive World conference last week at the University of Hong Kong, he insisted that an institution that does not uphold these fundamental academic values could not be considered a university.

i aquesta és també clàssica, en el sentit que, al final, el que cal és el que en pensa la gent del carrer, és a dir, la reputació que té una universitat entre els ciutadans, entre la Societat:

And there is a little bit of greatness to be found in most institutions. If you want to know what really makes a university work, the trick is to talk to the right people. Ask the cleaners, the gardeners, taxi drivers and librarians, Professor Harper says, and leave the academics until last.

I potser té raó. Els acadèmics potser no hauríem d’avaluar-nos mútuament – en el fons, valorar la reputació de les universitats uns als altres és com el procés de Peer Review a les publicacions científiques. És clar que aquest sistema tampoc no va pas tan malament…

En tot cas, cal escoltar l’opinió, la veu de tothom, per saber com es veu una Universitat.

Imatge: http://www.highhopes.com/5star3.jpg