President Hodder Proposes Action Plans for...
There was no mistaking the urgency which academics conveyed recently during a round table at the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education in Paris, France about the social responsibility of institutions of higher learning.
College of The Bahamas President Janyne Hodder made it quite clear that post secondary institutions must maintain consistent connections with society rather than operate in a vacuum. Among the concrete proposals for change she proposed were new rakings, increased international exchanges and networks, and competitive awards for socially responsible universities.
According to President Hodder, Universities differ greatly in history, context, mission and size. Yet, they share a set of common beliefs and practices that allow them to create bridges to better world understanding, respect and development. But she maintained that these bridges can be made stronger yet.
Ms. Hodder explained that developing a new ranking would involve crafting indicators of that responsibility perhaps in the areas of learning, research and service and reporting on them. Much like the strategic plans for The College of The Bahamas, Ms. Hodder proposed innovations in undergraduate and graduate programme development, multidisciplinary degrees focused on areas of national importance, service learning programmes and international experiences for students.
Ideally, she suggested, research would be measured against Millennium Development Goals [MDG] or local and national goals and would be assessed based on participation in various networks, direct impact on communities and various research programmes focused on national issues. In other critically important areas, socially responsible universities would maintain student engagement initiatives tied to MDG, problem based research and intervention programmes and community awareness initiatives tied to sustainable development.
It is good to remember that universities are already agents of social responsibility but can do more, President Hodder said during the round table. Universities are not ivory towers or the only experts or the handmaidens of other agencies but must remain in interactive dialogue with society.
The College of The Bahamas has taken seriously its role as a social developer, especially where sustainable development is concerned. Since it received a $10 million grant from the Freedom Foundation, a multidisciplinary team of academics has developed a bachelor degree programme which will be launched this September concentrating on ecotourism and development; policy studies; integrated sustainable development; and environmental & ecosystems management.
The interactive session in which President Hodder participated was designed to explore the areas in which institutions of higher learning could capitalize on their role as social developers, especially within the context of sustainable development, peace, the MDG and the global financial crisis.
At the World Conference on Higher Education, over 1,000 participants from approximately 150 countries examined the role of post secondary institutions in addressing major global challenges, providing a platform for key stakeholders to make a renewed commitment to the development of higher education and agree on action-oriented recommendations to meet the growing and multiple demands of society.
The conference ended on July 8th with an appeal for governments to increase their investment in higher education as a major force in building an inclusive and diverse knowledge society and to advance research, innovation and creativity.