Idea of a University and European Values: Collapse or Renaissance?
Olga Gomilko (Ukraine)
The National Academy of Science of Ukraine
H. Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy
olga.gomilko@gmail.com
The goal of this survey is to warn about the trend towards dissolution of a
University in the general context of the modern higher education pragmatization and
substantiating a thesis of the common fate for the idea of Europe and idea of a
University. It is an important objective of this article to demonstrate an uncertain state
of the modern Europe as a prerequisite to its transformation into a different type of
culture. Since, if Europe renounces its own idea, the chances to preserve a University are
small. However, an independent University may save Europe. The paper refers to the
Bucharest Communiqué to think over the fate of a University in the context of critical
challenges in the European process. A University is not mentioned in this document, and
this fact proves the view that there is a threat in the knowledge society that a University
may dissolve in the concept of higher education. Once a University loses its special
status in the culture an independence of thought weakens. Unless modern European
processes are subject to critical analysis, their further perspective gives rise to concern.
“Forgetting” about a University. No new provisions in the Bucharest Communiqué
prove that the Bologna process remains in the former paradigm. However, in contrast to the
other key documents in the Bologna process, it does not go about a University. It goes about
higher education in general. Although higher education is mostly represented by university
education, these concepts are not equal. In the conditions where universities fail to fulfill their
intended purpose, we can observe dissolution of the distinctions among higher educational
institutions. For instance, almost all higher educational institutions in post-totalitarian Ukraine
are universities. Not only former institutes but also technical secondary schools and
specialized secondary schools also have got the status of university. But, why is a University
not mentioned in the last communiqué in the Bologna process?
The identification of the concept of a University with a concept of higher education
demonstrates that modern university loses its special status in the culture. Incredible as it
may seem the modern knowledge society is the reason underlying this phenomenon. In the
conditions where knowledge takes on the significance of economic capital, a University
maintains no monopoly on its generation. Corporate and other non-academic research and
education institutions also are successful in producing knowledge. As a result of competition,
universities gain attributes of commercial entities thus losing their autonomy. It can be
assumed that the Bucharest Communiqué does not mention a University because it does not
see its fundamental distinction from other educational institutions.
“Forgetting” about a University in the Bucharest Communiqué contributes to the
problem of the university paradigm shift as the Bologna reform itself may be considered as
overcoming the former paradigm of a University. Limitation of an academic autonomy of the
latter towards its pragmatization expresses the substance of this process. Two potential
perspectives arise for a University. The first is: a University may transform into a commercial
entity. The second expresses the intention to save a University as an autonomous cultural
phenomenon. Uncertain position in the Bucharest Communiqué about the fate of modern
university strengthens philosophic interest to this problem.
The Bologna process contributes to the main intrigue that is the contradiction between
university’s autonomy and orientation of higher education towards economic needs of society.
It is obvious that the main goal of the Bologna reform is to bring higher education to fit
practical needs of society. The principle of European higher education - so called triangle of
knowledge - documents the need to strengthen relationship between education, research and
innovative technologies or, in other words, practice. Let’s remind that Humboldt’s paradigm of
a University, which presents its classic image, protects education and research against
pragmatic influence of society. Being focused on practice, the Bologna reform impairs classic
autonomy of a University. No wonder that the issue of preserving a University arises at the
beginning of the Bologna process.
Hope for a University. An educational concept of a mind as a thing transcendental to
the world expresses aspiration of the culture to create an institution that would promote
thinking independent of any specific cultural and historic context. For instance, Humboldt sees
the objective of a University as follows: “to process science in the deepest and widest sense
of the word and transfer processed material to spiritual education”i. According to Humboldt,
the university’s mission should be to train students to a lifelong search for scientific truth.
While the matters like provision of earnings remain outside the goals of a University. The
Humboldt’s paradigm proposed as early as at the beginning of ХІХ century still remains
influential and to substantial degree defines the image of a modern European, in particular,
Ukrainian university.
The changes in the domain of higher education started by the Bologna process are
justified by the fact of its lagging from the society needs. The grandiose changes the
European society experienced upon the establishment of the European Union opened new
opportunities. The Sorbonne Declaration (1998) emphasizes that Europe is not only euro,
banks and economy: this should be Europe of knowledge as well. That is why we should
strengthen and build intellectual, cultural and technical dimensions of our continent ii. The
revival of Europe should be associated rather with the ideas and values underlying the
European culture than the world wars and XX century totalitarian regimes. The declaration
also mentions that the objectives could be achieved thanks to universities, which have made
a significant contribution into the European culture and continue developing the same. So, the
Bologna initiatives rest hopes for a University. For instance, the Sorbonne Declaration states
that initial principles of a University would be restored. It is interesting that the key principle of
the Bologna reform – mobility – finds justification in the history of universities when students
and lecturers could freely move between places and fast spread knowledge all over the
continent. The Declaration affirms that the student mobility inherent to those times became a
driver to creation of the modern European society. One could hardly imagine European
culture without a University.
Formation of the European identity becomes an urgent task of this policy. Since
Europe could hardly unite on the basis of institutional integration alone. It is important to
incorporate the European values into personal attitudes. Stella Ghervas proposes two ways to
help the European values to preserve their rational nature and gain closer-to-life expressioniii.
The first concerns education, primarily, university education. It consists in teaching history in
the fashion that would encourage understanding of the advantages offered by the
perspectives to unite Europe upon the World War II and the collapse of the communist
regimes in the Eastern Europe. The main task of historic education should be to prove that
these advantages are impossible without peace among nations on the continent, democracy,
social justice, welfare and human liberties. Formation of this vision supposes teaching the
philosophy that would communicate the European origin of these values. Belief in the fact that
selected strategy towards developing unity of European nations corresponds to the European
values, defines the task for independent thinking. Otherwise, the ghost of ideology will destroy
it.
So, it is necessary to support higher education, especially universities, not only to train
“creative, innovative, critically thinking and responsible graduates required for economic
growth and sustainable development of our democracies”iv as the Bucharest Declaration
goes, but also to ensure an independent - from policy, money, ideology - view on European
process, how it is called today. The concerns are not limited to an economic crisis. The loss of
the thing that has built Europe – freedom of thought - may become much more threatening.
Only a University that, in contrast to Humboldt’s university, acknowledges the limitations and
dangers of a mind may guarantee the same.
References
Translation from Гумбольдт Про внутрішню та зовнішню організацію вищих навчальних закладів у
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Літопис. 2002) р. 25
i
ii
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/