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Traits of a self-respecting university in facing challenges in the new century

College Student Journal - March 1, 2003

This paper attempts to highlight various issues and challenges facing universities in the new era. Finding the right balance and approach to the issues is of crucial importance. The traits expected of a self-respecting university to face the challenges are also given. All these traits embody the question of self-image, external image and the like.

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Writing in a recent issue of Newsweek, John Mc Cormick (2000) opined that academia sounds heavenly: leafy campuses, adoring students and what have you. In the words of Daniel Mc Ginn (2000), however, colleges will always convey a certain image: Gothic buildings filled with postadolescents listening to tweed-clad professors. This is certainly true in a European or American University setting, In Malaysia we have no Gothic buildings in our campuses but our universities do have interesting historical roots. In terms of founding, public universities in Malaysia can be broadly categorised into two groups, one which are created and the other which are recreated or evolved. This is reminiscent of polytechnics being upgraded to universities in the United Kingdom (UK) in the early 90's. In the case of the UK they did it enmassed. In Malaysia the process is more ad hoc. Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) belong to the first category (See Table 1). Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Universiti Perguruan Sultan ldris (UPSI) and Universiti Institut Teknologi Mara (UiTM) are in the second category. Whatever their historical roots, these institutions of higher learning are playing an important role in the human resource development and nation building of Malaysia. UKM for example has existed for 30 years and the number of graduates it has produced is in the region of 61,000, a formidable figure indeed considering the fact that its pioneering batch of students back in 1970 numbered only 192. The past five years has also witnessed changes in terms of governance and academic structure of the universities. Governance in terms of corporatisation and restructuring in terms of merger of faculties have already taken place in some of the public universities regardless of historical roots Stamelos (1999) has also reported on the changing roles of Greek universities. The changes are said to be rapid and multidimensional. Changes as we are aware bring in its wake challenges and issues which universities must squarely face in order for them to survive and thrive in the new century.

Issues or Challenges Facing the Local Universities

One of the challenges facing the universities is the question of meeting the demand from different sets of clients i.e the on-campus and off-campus students. Ever since universities introduced distance-learning programmes (PJJ) to cater for ever pressing social needs, academics have to juggle their time meeting off-campus and on-campus teaching assignments. Apparently these assignments have exacted a toll on some of these academics. There are cases where lecturers after delivering week-end distance-learning lectures outstation cancel the Monday lectures on campus (Koh, 1998). Professor Datuk Anuwar Ali, the Vice-Chancellor of UKM has expressed concerned over the issue. This is an issue which calls for urgent attention so that neither sets of students are shortchanged. As a matter of interest, PJJ as in the case of UKM has enrolled about 6,500 students in a space of four years. One can imagine the pressing demand indeed!

Another issue universities have to contend with is the question of nationalism versus internationalism. In the beginning the objectives of its founding fathers are ardently nationalistic in nature. After some years when universities have grown to maturity and confidence, they start to enroll foreign students so as to lend a cultural diversity and globalism to campus life. In fact most universities pride themselves on their sizeable foreign student population. As institutions of higher learning, universities tend to thrive with a mosaic of intellectual heterogeneity. The question is what should be the ideal mix so that foreign students can still be enrolled without jeopardising the interests of local students, many of whom depend solely on home institutions for higher education.

As universities are the bastions for basic research, it is not uncommon to find scholars who spurn applied research because it smacks commercialism. But with funding for basic research more and more difficult to come by, academics have to slowly forego basic research for more mission-oriented research. A healthy balance between funding for basic research and applied research will result in a win-win situation. We need both to make universities happy doing what they know best without losing relevance in a social environment which values products instead of processes or ideas. When universities have to be largely self-financing in its day-today operations, doing mission-oriented research will take precedence over pure blue sky research. When the funding largely comes from the government, basic research will still have a pride of place in the university community. With the clarion call of the government for our scientists to win a Nobel prize for the country by 2020, basic research will continue to have a justifiable place in the universities for these prestigious awards only recognize breakthroughs in basic research. The question again is how much for basic research and how much for applied research. In this connection we should take cognizance of the different modes of research expected in an academic and industrial setting (Baker, 2000). The differences are shown in Table 11.

Other issues facing the universities will be the question of amalgamation versus separation. Is it more effective and cost-effective to have three separate faculties or one big faculty? What about academic viability? UKM has made the decision to amalgate four formerly science-based faculties into one mega faculty called the Faculty of Science and Technology in 1999. In terms of number, the size of the new faculty is formidable indeed. We have 270 academics (mostly with Ph. Ds) the size of which is bigger than some newly found private universities! Plans are afoot to merge other social-science based faculties into one, University authorities must have valid reasons to go all out for integration. Being `lean and mean' is one consideration. The question now is how to convince other faculties to merge as human beings by and large are averse to changes. Julius et al (1999) have cautioned that any changes in academia require savvy. It requires experience within the organization. It requires knowing where the levers are and which ones to push.

In this cyber age, we are beginning to witness the emergence of hitherto unheard of virtual universities. Our UNITAR is a case in point. With this scenario in mind, one wonders if the traditional brick-and-mortar universities will still have a respected place in society in the future.

Will students find them too conservative and ancient, a relic of the past? This question of virtuality versus reality will be a big question in the years to come. Perhaps a good mix between virtuality and reality will give the students the best of both worlds. Virtuality as epitomised by the multimedia and internet gives the sophistication of learning in a new age. The good old and down-to-earth campus environment however fosters interactions. Universities will have to decide how much to go virtual and how much have to depend on human-contacts. This is important as we do not want to operate in a faceless environment. As it is universities in general have already been perceived as rather impersonal.

Discussion

In the final analysis universities have to contend with issues which may eventually affect its very own survival, They need strong attributes and traits in order for them to survive. What are some of the essential attributes or traits expected of any self-resfecting universities. Table III shows such traits for the universities. They are by no means exhaustive. A self-respecting university is regarded as one which is ever conscious of its image, its cherished role in generating and transmitting knowledge and its coveted role in nation building. Most universities have their vision, mission and philosophy spelt out in its official documents or prospectus, The mission of the University of Cambridge for example clearly states that `The long-term strategy of the University is to foster and develop academic excellence across a wide range of subjects, and at all levels of study to enhance its position as one of the worlds' leading universities, and to continue to play the wider intellectual and cultural role which has characterised its activities for century'.

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