Vol.29N°1

May2024

Horizons

InternationalAssociationofUniversities(IAU),foundedin1950,istheleadingglobalassociationofhighereducationinstitutionsanduniversityassociations.Itconvenesandconnects600Membersfromaround130countriestoidentify,reflectandactoncommonpriorities.

IAUpartnerswithUNESCOandotherinternational,regionalandnationalbodiesactiveinhighereducationandservesastheGlobalVoiceofHigherEducation.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

UNIVERSITIESANDTHEINTERPLAYOFHUMANINTELLIGENCEAND

GENERATIVEAI

INTERNATIONALASSOCIATIONOFUNIVERSITIES

INTERNATIONALUNIVERSITIESBUREAU

MESSAGEFROM

THESECRETARY-GENERAL

DearMembersoftheIAU,DearReaders,

WelcometothisneweditionofIAUHorizons.We'rethrilledtopresentanarrayofengagingactivitiesandinitiativesinallfourpriorityareasofworkoftheAssociation,includingleadershipinitiatives,Internationalization,highereducationandresearchforsustainabledevelopment,andthe

digitaltransformationofhighereducation,crosscuttingpeerlearningopportunities,andawealthofotherresourcesavailabletoourMembers.

Inparticular,wearepleasedtodrawyourattentiontothepublicationofthefullReportoftheIAU6thGlobalSurveyonInternationalisation.Thisflagshippublicationstemsfromaworldwideconsultation,offeringcomprehensiveinsightsintothecurrentlandscapeofinternationalization.Delvingintoitssignificance,benefits,governancemodels,challenges,andopportunities,thereportexploresinternationalizationacrossteaching,learning,research,andcommunityengagement.Forthefirsttime,boththeReportanditsExecutiveSummaryareavailableunderaCreativeCommonslicense,accessibleonlineviatheIAUwebsite.Weexpressoursinceregratitudetoallourpartnersfortheirinvaluablecontributions,andextendourappreciationtoeveryuniversityfortheirdiligenteffortsincompletingthesurveyquestions.TheReportistheresultofatruecollectiveendeavourandreflectsthecollaborativespiritanddedicationofallinvolved.Weinvitecollaborationonthesecriticalissues;pleasereachoutifyou'reinterestedinpartneringwithIAU.

Additionally,we'regearingupfortheSecondGlobalSurveyontheStateofDigitalTransformation.Yourvaluablecontributionswillbeinstrumentalinmappingoutthisevolvingdimension.Thesesurveysprovideauniqueopportunitytobenchmarkpracticesanddevelopmentswithinyourinstitution,country,andregion,informingpolicyandpracticewithinuniversitiesworldwide.

HelpusexpandthehighereducationcommunityundertheIAUumbrellabyinvitingyourpartnerinstitutionstojoin,thusenhancingourcollectivecapacitytoeffectchange.

Inthesecondpartofthismagazine,pleasereadthestimulatingcollectionofpapersexploringtheopportunitiesandchallengesposedbytheintegrationofartificialintelligenceinhighereducationanddailylife.Authoredbyexpertsfromaroundtheglobe,these18papersofferinsightsintovariousaspects,includingtheneedformultilingualAI,itsapplicationinteachingandlearningsettings,anditspotentialimpactonresearchandcollaboration.

Lastbutnotleast,letmedrawyourattentiontotheopeningofthewebsiteoftheIAUInternationalConference2024!Againstthebackdropofglobalgeopoliticalshiftsshapinghighereducationandsociety,theConferenceinvitesmuchneededglobaldiscussionsontheroleofhighereducationinarapidlychangingworld.Focusedonthetheme"UniversityValuesinaChangingWorld,"theConferenceexploresthepivotalroleofvaluesinguidingdecision-making,ethicalconduct,andmeaningfulengagementwithinuniversitiesandwithsocietyatlarge.

ThisconferencealignswiththecorevisionandmissionofIAU,asarticulatedbycountrydelegationstoUNESCOalreadybackin1948,underscoringourcommitmenttobridgingdividesandfosteringaworldofpeace,inclusion,andgenuinedevelopment.WelookforwardtowelcomingalargeanddiverseaudiencetoSophiaUniversity,inJapan,inNovember,forwhatpromisestobeathought-provokingandenrichingevent.

Enjoyyourmagazine!

Hilligjevan’tLand,PhDIAUSecretaryGeneral

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Vol.29N°1?iAUHORIZONS

IAUHorizons29.1–Contents

IAUHorizonsispublishedtwiceayearinEnglish,inpaperandonline.PleasefeelfreetocirculatewidelyandreproduceasyouseefitaslongasyoucitetheauthorsproperlyandrefertotheInternationalAssociationofUniversities(IAU)andtothemagazineinfull.Pleasecontactusatiau@.Welookforwardtoreceivingyourcommentsandsuggestions.

?iStock-EloiOmella

IAUEVENTS

2HighlightsfromtheIAU2023InternationalConference

4IAU2024InternationalConference

IAUSTRATEGICPRIORITIES

6Values-basedLeadership

8InternationalizationofHigherEducation

10HigherEducationandResearchforSustainableDevelopment

12DigitalTransformationofHigherEducation

IAUKNOWLEDGEHUB

14NewIAUpublications

15IAUWorldHigherEducationDatabase(WHED)

16IAUMembershipNews

INFOCUS:

17UniversitiesandtheInterplay

betweenHumanIntelligenceandGenerativeAI

?Pixabay-Geralt

1

2

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Vol.29N°1?iAUHORIZONS

Highlightsfromthe

IAUEVENTS

IAU2023INTERNATIONALCONFERENCE

HIGHEREDUCATIONWITHIMPACT:THE

IMPORTANCEOFINTERCULTURALLEARNINGANDDIALOGUE

theprinciplesoftheUNESCOOpenScienceRecommendation.Inpursuitofgreaterequityinacademicpublishing,acall

wasmadeforatransitiontowardsdiamondopen-accessas

thepersistentchallengeofhighArticleProcessingCharges

(APCs),particularlyincountrieswithoutRead-and-Publish

agreeements,remainsasubstantialbarrierforresearchers.

Theshiftinglandscapeofjournalownership,fromscientific

societiesoruniversitiestocommercialpublishers,challengesandpromptsreflectionsonacademicautonomyinpublishing.Theimperativeforinclusiveinternationalcollaboration

emergedstrongly,emphasizingthat"OpenSciencemust

addresstheconcernsoftheGlobalSouthtoavoidreplicatingtheshortcomingsoftraditionalscientificpractices."This

necessitatesmeaningfuldialoguebetweendiverseknowledgesystemsandareconsiderationofresearchassessmentsand

evaluationstoalignwiththeprinciplesofopenscience.Open,fair,andequitableknowledgesystemshasthepotentialto

benefithumanitycollectively.

ThesessionDeliberateInterdependence:whatdowegive

up–whatdowegain?focusedontheinterestingtension

intoday’shighereducationsystems,i.e.thatuniversities

competewhilealsocollaboratewitheachother.Thespeakersintroducednewsuccesfulmodelsofequitablecollaboration

thatcanhelpovercomesomeofthesetensions.Forinstance,throughmulti-nationalandcross-regionalclustersofexcellencewithequalstakes.Thesessionshowedthatthereisaneedforamorecomprehensiveandsharedapproachtobuildinghumanandinstitutionalcapacitiesandcapabilitiesandtorationalize,synergizeandshareresourcesmoreradicallyandglobally.

TheconcludingplenarysessiondebatedtheImpactof

GeopoliticsontheFutureofInternationalCooperation.In

aworldgrapplingwithescalatinggeopoliticalchallenges,the

sessionillustratedthepressingdilemmashighereducation

leadersfaceandtheirimpactonuniversitiesandglobal

collaboration.TheongoingconflictintheMiddleEastserves

asapoignantexample,highlightingthecomplexityand

heterodoxyuniversitiesneedtonavigate.Whileuniversities

embracediverseperspectives,itwasemphasizedthatwar

‘embodies’theultimatedivergenceofopinions.Thisraises

animportantquestionabouttheroleofuniversitiesandhow

leadersneedtomitigatetheextraordinarygeopoliticalpressuresbytheirvariousstakeholdersandconstituentsduringtimes

ofconflict.Criticismhasbeenlevelledagainstuniversitiesfortakingapublicstance,othersfacecriticismforlackofit.Universitiesarepressedbytheneedtoupholdinstitutional

TheIAU2023InternationalConference,hostedbyQatarUniversityinDoha,convenedsome300participantsfrom80countriestodiscuss“HigherEducationwithImpact:theImportanceofInterculturalLearningandDialogue”.

Morethan30yearsago,theUNESCODirector-General,Federico

MayorZaragoza,addressedtheIAUconferencestating

that“universalityanddiversityarenottobeconstruedas

opposition,butratheradialectic,whichhasasitssynthesisinterdependence”.Inthecurrentcontext,thismessageis

againveryimportant.Theenrichingdialoguesandinsightfulpresentationsthroughouttheconferencereaffirmedthe

essentialroleofuniversitiesinnurturingintercultural

learningandcompetence.Thisgoesbeyondmereacademic

responsibilities;itencompassesanenvironmentthatembracesdiversityandcultivatesglobalcitizenshipwhileinstilling

respectfortheother.Althoughchallengingtoquantify,and

thusoftenfallingbythewaysideinexternalassessmentsof

universities,thiscommitmentrepresentsacrucialcontributiontoadvancinghumanrights,democracy,theruleoflaw,andthepursuitofpeacebuilding.

Duringtheopeningplenarysessionentitled“TheIntercultural

ImperativeinaDe-globalizingWorld?”speakers

highlightedthatuniversitiesareinherentlyinterculturalintheirmissionanddailyactivities.Thiskeycharacteristic

andprinciplemustremaininviolable,evenintimesofstrifeandheightenedgeopoliticaltensionsasuniversitieshave

akeyroletoplayinbuildinginterculturalcompetencies,

nurturingmutualunderstanding,andinestablishingasenseofinterconnectedness.Inaworldthatseemsincreasingly

polarisedanddivided,markedbytheerosionofsocial

coherenceandhumanfreedoms,universitiescanleveragetheirinfluenceandstembreakdownsincivicdiscourse.Asstated

byoneofthespeakers,itisimportanttomovefromsimplyunderstandingdifferentculturestorecognizingthenecessityofdiverseperspectives.AsstatedbytherepresentativeoftheGlobalStudentForum:"Highereducationismorethanapathtoaprosperousfuture;itisajourneyofculturaldiscovery.

Throughtheinterculturaldialoguefosteredinouruniversities,wearesteppingintoafuturewhereourdifferencesareour

greateststrength."

Theimportanceofinternationalcollaborationandmutual

understandingalsocametotheforeinthesessionOpeningKnowledgeforHumanityinanInterconnectedWorld.TheIAUpolicystatementonDigitalTransformationrecognizes

3

Vol.29N°1?iAUHORIZONS

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

IAUEVENTS

integrityandcredibility,executingtheiracademicresponsibilitieswhileavoidingbeing‘instrumentalized’bythepoliticalagendaorotherpowerfulforceswithinsociety.Onespeakertranslatedthis

dilemmaintoadiscourseofacademicresponsibility:universityleadership

cannotnotchoose,i.e.thatuniversityleadershipshouldtakeapublicstanceonagivenissue,andgivereasonsforit,orchoosenottogopublicona

givenissueand,equally,statetheirreasonsforsuchadecisionclearly.

Thissessionvividlydemonstratedthemountingpressure

onhighereducationleadersduringtimesofglobalturmoil,

2023GlobalMeetingofAssociations(GMA)

TheIAUGlobalMeetingofAssociations(GMA)isthe

biannualgatheringofIAUMemberassociationsand

organisations.IttookplacepriortotheIAUInternationalConferenceandwelcomedsome30participantsfrom

18Memberassociationsfromallcontinents.

Framedbytheconferencetheme,theconversationsduringtheGMAwerefocusedaround:

■Theroleoflanguagesininterculturallearninganddialoguebothatthelevelofmemberinstitutionsandassociations;

■Interactionofdiverseculturalgroupsatlocalinstitutionalandorganizationallevel;

■Theeffectofthedigitaltransformationon

interculturallearninganddialogueandtherolethat

organisationsplayinaddressingthese.

TheIAUMemberassociationscontinuetoconvene

onlineuntilthenextin-personmeetingtotakeplaceinconjunctionwiththeIAU2025InternationalConference.

characterizedbyapolarizedworldwithnosimplesolutions.

Theabilityofuniversityleaderstotakeastancefurtherhingesonthecontextualsituationandthesystemswithinwhichtheirinstitutionsoperate.Itemergedthatstrikingadelicatebalancebetweenupholdinguniversityvaluesandpreventingpolitical

interferencehasbecomeincreasinglychallenginginmanypartsoftheworld.

Thesehighlightsofferjustaglimpseofthecrucialdiscussionsthatunfoldedduringtheconference,coveringabroadspectrumoftopics,suchassustainabledevelopment,transformative

andglobally-engagedleadership,andinternationalization.TheconferenceservedasapowerfultestamenttotheInternationalAssociationofUniversities’capacitytoprovideforatruly

globalplatform,inwhichsomanyvoicesfromaroundtheworldengagedinsharingtheirperspectivesonthechallengesand

opportunitiesthatthehighereducationsectorisfacing.

SinceitsinceptionbyUNESCOin1950,interculturallearning

anddialoguehasbeenembeddedintheDNAoftheAssociation.

ThiscommitmentwillcontinuetoguideIAU'sendeavorsintheyearsahead.HeartfeltgratitudeisextendedtoQatarUniversityforsograciouslyhostingtheevent.Theconferencereassertedthepivotalroleofuniversitiesinsociety–notonlydespite

butalsobecauseofthegeopoliticaltensionstheworldis

experiencing.Theyareinstrumentalincultivatinginterculturallearninganddialogueasavitalaspectoftheirsocialmissionandasasignificantcontributiontonurturingaculture

ofpeace.

4

Vol.29N°1?iAUHORIZONS

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

2024

IAU2024INTERNATIONALCONFERENCE

IAUEVENTS

NATIONAL

NFERENCE

22-24NovemberSophiaUniversityTokyo,Japan

TheIAUlooksforwardtoconveningitsMembersandthehighereducationcommunityduringtheupcomingInternationalConference,tobehostedbySophia

UniversityinTokyo,Japan,inNovember.

UNIVERSITYVALUESINACHANGINGWORLD

Politically,highereducationfindsitselfentwinedinthe

intricateandunstabledynamicsofnationalandinternationalpolitics.Institutionsarecompelledtoaddresscomplex

questionsrelatedtoidentity,ethics,andcivicresponsibility,allwhilecontendingwithconcernsaboutdemocraticinstitutions,humandignity,andpeace.

Simultaneously,rapidtechnologicaladvancements,particularly

ingenerativeartificialintelligence,exertprofoundinfluenceoneducation,research,andcollaboration,presenting

unprecedentedopportunitiesanddauntingchallengesacrossalldisciplines.Thetimesdemandareevaluationofacademicengagementandknowledgeproductionanddissemination.

Values,intrinsictotheveryessenceofuniversitiessince

theirinception,aredeeplyembeddedindiverseculturesandtraditions.Theyareintegraltospecificvaluesystemswithin

thesocietiesinwhichuniversitiesoperate.Amidthisrichanddiversesetofculturesandtraditions,dohighereducation

institutionsaroundtheworldsharecertainfundamental

universityvalues?Areacademicvalues,suchasautonomy,

academicfreedom,andresearchintegrity,atriskofbeing

subvertedbypoliticalpressures?Towhatextentdovaluesplayacrucialroleinupholdingtheintegrityandtrustworthinessofuniversitiesinsociety?Theseareessentialquestionsthatthisconferencepromisestoexploreandaddress.

Intoday'sdynamicandever-evolvinggloballandscape,

universitiesfindthemselvesnavigatingheightenedcomplexityanduncertainty.Institutionsandtheirleadersareincreasinglycompelledtoadaptswiftlytoadiverserangeofexpectations.Againstthisbackdrop,thisconferencehighlightsthepivotalroleofvalues,exploringhowtheyprovideuniversitieswith

guidancefordecision-making,ethicalconduct,andmeaningfulengagement.Furthermore,conferencesessionswillassesstheextenttowhichthesevaluesareusedtoaddressthegrand

challengesencounteredbysocieties.

Thesechallengestranscendgeographicalboundaries,impactinguniversitiesworldwideirrespectiveoftheirsize,traditions,

cultures,oroperationalstyles.Fromasocialandmoral

perspective,academicleadershipisundergrowingpressureto

respondtoissuesofequity,equality,andaccess.InstitutionsandtheirleadersareexpectedtocontributetotheestablishmentofjustandsustainablesocietiesalignedwiththeUN2030AgendaanditsassociatedSustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDGs).

Inepistemicterms,universitiestodaygrapplewithmounting

skepticism,which,compoundedbytheriseofpopulist,autocratic,andnationalistpolicies,seekstounderminethelegitimacyand

relevanceofhighereducationastrustedandautonomousplacesofknowledge,research,education,andservice.

Takepartintheseglobalconversations!

Earlybirdregistrationopenson15June2024.Discovertheprogrammeandallpractical

informationhere:

www.IAUT

5

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Vol.29N°1?iAUHORIZONS

IAUEVENTS

Checkoutthethemesandgetinvolved!

Universities,theUN2030Agendaandbeyond

Universitiesandotherhighereducationinstitutionshaveacrucialroletoplayinadvancingsocietyforthebenefitofall.However,despitepositiveprogress,moreneedstobedone.Whatdoesittakeforuniversitiestophilosophicallyandstructurallyrethinkhigher

educationtobetterservesociety?Whattransformationsarerequiredtosupportsuchtransformation?

AcademicFreedomandInstitutionalAutonomyinTimesofAdversity

Universitiesgrapplewithmountingscepticism,which,compoundedbytheriseof

populist,autocratic,andnationalistpolicies,seekstounderminethelegitimacyandrelevanceofhighereducationastrustedandautonomousplacesofknowledgeandservice.Inwhatwaysareacademicvalues,suchasautonomy,academicfreedom,andresearchintegrity,atriskofbeingsubvertedbypoliticalpressures?Towhat

extentdovaluesplayaroleinupholdingtheintegrityandtrustworthinessofuniversitiesinsociety?

OpeningtheGatesof

KnowledgetoEmpowerHumanity

Howcanleadersofhighereducation

contributetobringingabout

transformationstoopenthegates

toknowledge?TheIAUOpenScienceexpertgroupwillpresenttheoutcomesoftheirwork,anddiscussissuesat

stakeandthetensionsthatimpacttheroadtoopenscience.

UniversityValuesandDigitalInnovation

Whatisatstakeforuniversitiesin

aworldwithrapidtechnological

developments?Inwhatwaysdothey

demandarethinkingofteachingand

learningmethodologies,assessment

practices,andresearchprocesseswithinuniversities?Amidstthiscontinuous

dialecticbetweentraditionand

innovation,areuniversityvaluesa

constantthatcancontributetoshapingthiscontinuoustransformation?

FosteringEquity,HumanDignity,andaCulture

ofPeacethroughHigherEducation

Thetitleofthissessionsuggeststhat

universitiesholdasocialandmoral

responsibilitytowardshumanityin

contributingtothecultivationofequity,humandignity,andacultureofpeace.Isthisacommonlysharedobjectiveandifso,howdoesittranslateintoactionacrossthedifferentmissionsofthe

university?

LeadingValues-based

InternationalCooperation?

TheIAUadvocatesforfairandinclusiveinternationalizationthatvaluesdiversevoicesandcultures,onethatfosters

anequitableglobalcommunityand

servesthecommonglobalgood.Howcanuniversitiesadvancevalues-basedinternationalcooperationwhentheyareboundbyevermorerestrictive

rulesandregulationsimposedbytheirrespectivegovernments?

Universality,DiversityandInterdependence

Values,deeplyembeddedinculturesandtraditions,areintrinsictothevery

essenceofuniversitiessincetheirinception.Inacontextinwhichuniversity

leadersareevermoredrawnintoprofoundpolitical,economic,culturalandsocialissues,universityvaluesareincreasinglybeingtestedandcontestedatthelocal

andgloballevel.Amidtherichanddiversesetofculturesandtraditionsaround

theworld,whatarethefundamentalvaluesthatuniversitiesshare?Howdo

universitiesnavigatetheethicaldimensionsofuniversalityanddiversityinaworldofinterdependence?

Aboutthehost:SophiaUniversity

·SOPHih

SSEDSS

上曰n大

SOPHIAUNIVERSITY

SophiaUniversity,alsoknownas

"JochiDaigaku"inJapanese,was

establishedin1913bytheJesuits,a

renownedCatholicorderwithastrongcommitmentto

educationalexcellence.Fromitsfoundation,theuniversity

emphasizedaninternationallyfocusedcurriculumandrigoroustraininginforeignlanguages.ThisemphasisquicklypositionedSophiaasaleadingJapaneseinstitutionforthestudyofforeignlanguagesandliterature.

Today,theUniversityisaleadingcenterforteachingandresearchinmultipledisciplinesincludinghumanities,social

sciences,andnaturalsciences.SophiaUniversityhasbeenattheforefrontofglobalizingJapanesehighereducation.ForAlmostthree-quartersofacentury,theuniversityhasofferedclasses

inEnglishandhaswelcomedadiversecommunityofstudents,facultymembers,andresearchersfromaroundtheworld,

fosteringeducationalmobility,collaboration,andspecialization.Buildingonthiswealthofexperienceandknowledge,andwithastudentbodyof13,640and1,400facultymembersrepresentingover90countries,Sophiaiscommittedtonurturingindividualswithadeepunderstandingofdiversityandpracticalskillsand

knowledge,preparingthemtoexcelintheirchosenfields.

6

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Vol.29N°1?iAUHORIZONS

IAUACTIVITIESRELATEDTOITSSTRATEGICPRIORITIES

____

Values-basedLeadership

IAUSTRATEGICPRIORITIES

DISCERNINGTHEVALUEANDVALUESOFHIGHEREDUCATION

GovernanceandLeadership

TheIAUisameetingpointofdifferentMemberswhoall

representandoperatewithindiversehighereducationsystems,andpreciselythatisalsooneoftheaddedvaluesintheIAU

ExecutiveLeadershipProgramme(ELP).TheELPhassetitselfanambitioustask:toimpartnotonlymanagementskills,

buttoalsoaddresswiderquestionsofleadership,toprovide

universityleaderswithaframeworktonavigatethecomplex

contextual,politicalandsocialaspectsofthejob.Inarecentmodule,facilitatedbyIAUPresident,AndrewDeeks,oneof

thekeylearningswasthatmosthighereducationinstitutionsintheworldwillfindthemselvesfittingsomewherewithinanimaginedtriangle,witheachofthethreecornersrepresentingthekeycharacteristics‘market’,‘stateauthority’,and‘academicoligarchy’.Dependingonthepredominantgovernancemodel,anyhighereducationinstitutionwillbeclosertooneof

therespectivecornersofsuchatriangle.Suchisthehighereducationlandscape,andsucharethetensionswithinit.

Thequestionofleadership,however,andhowitexpresses

itselfinvaryingformsandstyles,ismorecomplex.Scholarsofleadershiphaveidentifiedvarioustypes:Strategicleadership,

emotionalleadership,authoritativeleadership,transactional

leadership,andothers.Inrecenttimes,itistransformational

leadershipespeciallythatisbeinghailedasthemodelofchoiceinthecorridorsofmanyuniversitiesandotherorganisations,

includingUNESCO,tobringaboutchange.Itresonateswith

thecallforthetransformationofhighereducation–tobe

moretransformativeineffect,i.e.tobemoreresponsivetothegrandchallengesofourtime.Themaintraitsoftransformativeleadershiphavebeenidentifiedasempowermentofemployees,settingambitiousgoals,provideintellectualstimulation,

developagroupvision,anddelegatetaskstoothers.

Buttalent,experience,andskillsinanyoftheseleadership

stylesarenotenough:Successoftendependsoncontingency–leadersyieldbestoutcomesiftheirleadershipstylefitsthedistinctsituationorstructuresinwhichtheyarecalledupontoperform.Whathappens,however,whengovernancemodelsdonotagreewithaparticularleadershipstyle?Thisisespeciallytrickyincaseswheretheuniversityisdependentonstate

complianceorboundtothevolatilityandautocraticstructures

inwhichtheyoperate.Itisintheseinstancesthattheideal-typesweneatlyplaceinrectangularboxesinourpower-pointpresentationsaretrulytested.Whatiftransformativeleadershipispronetoendupinjailincertaincountries?Howcanwe

speakofbestpracticesinbuildinglong-terminstitutional

strategieswhentheuniversityissurroundedbypolitical,

ecological,orsocialturmoil,directlyimpactingtheday-to-dayrunningoftheinstitution?Whatwhenthegovernmentleaveslittleornoroomforautonomousdecision-making?Whatwhenthefacultyorstudentbody–oranyotherstakeholdersforthatmatter,wishestoimpressaparticularpoliticalargumentor

activityoraretornbecauseofit?

ScholarshipandtheScopeoftheUniversity’sMandate

OneofthefirstsystematicscholarsofleadershipandauthoritywasthesociologistMaxWeber.Morethanhundredyears

ago,hewarnedusnottoletpoliticalandethicalreasoning

influencetruescholarship,Weberdevelopedhisreasoning

forsuchstrictseparationinhistwoseminallectures“Science

asaVocation”and“PoliticsasaVocation”(1917and1919,

respectively).Today,manyareaskingforamoreengaged

andoutspokenuniversity.Universityleadershipispressedby

manystakeholderstoovercometheuneasydivisionthatWeberconceptualisedtohelpinsulatetheuniversitiesandprotect

bothspheresfromcorruptingeachother.Weberdidsowith

goodreason,asWendyBrownpointsout:“Justasnothingis

morecorrosivetoseriousintellectualworkthanbeinggoverned

byapoliticalprogramme(whetherthatofstates,corporations,orarevolutionarymovement),nothingismoreinapttoapolitical

7

campaignthantheunendingreflexivity,critiqueandself-correctionrequiredofscholarlyinquiry.”1

Today,wearestilltoilingwiththepublicroleofacademicsandscience.InarecentIAUwebinaron“KnowledgeDiplomacyinachangingWorld”,organizedwithUnive