Re-Inventing the University - Creating a New Vision

The university has changed more dramatically over the last 20 years than in the previous 100 years. Globalization has had a major impact in terms of transforming the structure, functions, and whole raison d'étre of the university. Now we have had a global recession which is creating great resource constraints. In Ireland the university sector is currently entering a period of uncertainty with funding being reduced, bureaucratisation increased and a realisation that the traditional mission is no longer adequate. The Higher Education Strategy Review is set to define a whole new era for higher education in Ireland. The Innovation Taskforce Report seeks to renew the impetus for innovation and creativity. So, how do we respond to these events? Can we turn a crisis into an opportunity? We thus need to urgently engage in re-inventing the university and creating a new vision.

This conference will explore the general situation in Ireland and two major interlinked themes for the future. There is a compelling argument that the traditional disciplinary boundaries, which have compartmentalized knowledge generation for hundreds of years, are now providing diminishing returns. With many bodies across society now generating knowledge, universities are increasingly taking a problem-solving or social use orientation where disciplines must move beyond their comfort zones. The world of business is playing an increasingly important role in this process. Local and regional communities also expect a commitment from "their" university to local social and economic development. Thus universities, in short, need to be embedded in society.

The University Design Consortium at Arizona State University is engaged in a series of global dialogues on reform and innovation in higher education. This conference follows a similar meeting at Sichuan University in Chengdu, China on 27th/28th May 2010. It will focus on three important themes: Developing innovative talent in students; Restructuring universities to meet the needs of the 21st century; Innovative programs in internationalization. We envisage robust virtual linkages on the websites of all three universities and plan for intellectual linkages of the speeches and discussions at the two conferences. The task of re-inventing the university and creating a new vision is a global one.