1. Introduction. 

The Social Responsibilities of the University.

The contemporary university, like the communities in which it is embedded, is in the midst of massive change. Such change is propelled forward by two central trends. These are acceleration in the pace of change itself and the globalisation of the economy and of technology. 

The general acceleration of change is not merely a determinant of both individual and social progress. It also confers upon the production and dissemination of knowledge a key function in shaping the place of Nations in the international order, just as it largely determines the place and status of the individual in society. These developments, viewed from the perspective of the university community, place upon it an increasingly heavy responsibility both to provide training and research, investigation and advice as well as such services as consultancies, technology transfer and continuing education. 

Over the past quarter century, the forces of modernisation have drawn heavily upon higher education. They have also contributed in no small way to profound and often radical transformations in that community itself. The drive to mass higher education in the advanced economies and the very substantial growth in the numbers of institutions and of students in the less advanced economies of the world, both testify to this process. Nor is this dynamic likely to be any the less vigorous over the coming decade and beyond. The emergence of what has often been called "the Learning Society" amongst advanced technology economies, effectively the establishment of life long learning with its concomitant of knowledge updating and renewal for individuals, promises to be no less challenging in creating new expectations and demands amongst those who are likely to need - and make use of - such services and provision. 

Growth of demand for higher education over the past quarter century and the distinct likelihood of its continuation well beyond the foreseeable future have, however, to be placed against a number of limitations, not least in the public sector, that of finance. Resource constraint limits the ability of higher education to meet current expectations with the quality often held to be necessary. Thus, in many countries, the credibility and standing of universities are increasingly subject to question. One of the most pressing challenges facing universities today is that of resources - how to increase them; to diversify their provenance, to improve both their internal allocation and management and finally, how to meet the responsibilities society places upon universities whilst maintaining the recognised tradition of autonomy and disinterested service. 

Nevertheless, the accelerating pace of change contains enormous potential for development just as it presents formidable challenges. It requires universities to embark upon considerable investment in adaptation, innovation, in developing sensitive and sophisticated systems and methods of management, in the definition and execution of the various alternatives which lie before them. It remains a fact however, that individual universities are far from being equal in the resources they command, in the ability of the student body they can attract or the esteem they enjoy in their communities. And whilst the speeding up of change and the demand by society that it be speedily accommodated are the watchwords of the hour, it does not follow that individual universities uniformly possess the same capacity to meet these exhortations. The possibility cannot be ruled out then that though the strong and those at the 'cutting edge' remain so, the weak may well be undermined yet further.