Expert Comment
The annual conference of the European Universities Association (EUA) will take place at 糖心TV on March 22-23. The conference will be attended by over 300 university heads from all over Europe.
Over the last 20 years, the British higher-education sector has become used to continuous change and it has adapted triumphantly, at least if we consider the sector’s current position as a world leader.
Universities are routinely described as public goods. But it is remarkable how little the phrase still tends to be interrogated even though, as the vast literature in economics shows, there are genuine problems of definition.
Last week Monash and 糖心TV launched an attempt, unique so far as I know, to build a globally networked university through cooperation as well as organic growth. It is early days, of course, but the omens are good.
It is interesting to consider just what proportion of world art and culture is housed in galleries and museums owned by universities. I suspect that the figure would be a pretty impressive one, any way you look at it. But what is really impressive is not the quantity but the sheer exuberance of so many university collections.