The Retrospect and Prospect of the Modern University Models: Russian Example

Olga Sergeevna Gilyazova,Anna Nikolaevna Zamoshchanskaya

doi:10.7596/taksad.v8i4.2308

Olga Sergeevna Gilyazova, Anna Nikolaevna Zamoshchanskaya

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.7596/taksad.v8i4.2308

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Abstract

Many higher education theorists and practitioners agree that the university system is progressively becoming ineffective. The article explores the historical retrospect and prospect of the evolution of the modern university as a social institution, the successor of the medieval university and the university of the Modern Times. Humboldt's idea of a university outlined the design of the modern European university model and became the underlying concept for the Russian higher school, which, as compared to Europe, did not have any medieval predecessor-universities. As we can see, the Humboldtian model of the university comes into conflict with the present-day cultural environment and with the processes taking place in higher education: commercialization , massification, bureaucracy, etc. These processes, together with such trends in education as globalization, informatization, cultural space networking, changing youth socialization, etc. urge the revision of the conceptual framework of the university model. The three former university models: corporate (medieval); classical (Humboldtian); modern (pedagogical) are being replaced by new models of the university of the future: the Open (hybrid) the Third Generation University, the Entrepreneurial University, the Research University, etc. Great expectations are pinned on new technologies to overcome the crisis of the modern university system. However, they should not be seen as the panacea – the viewpoint adopted by some university authorities who are fast in employing IT innovations, though they are nothing but a mere tool of no inherent value. As a tool, they have their own benefits that should not gloss over their limitations.

Highlights

When addressing the problem of higher education in Russia, many scholars agree that it is losing its effectiveness
Some scholars see the crisis of the higher education system as a Russian reality and look for a solution in its reorganization through the Bologna Process and the unified European system, while other scholars believe that we deal with the global decline of higher education
Since the late 20th – early 21st century concerns about the end of the "idea of the university" have been repeatedly voiced by education philosophers: The "collapse of the idea of the university" is announced by Jürgen Habermas (1994); the utopian nature of the idea is addressed by Robert Maynard Hutchins (1953); the overall crisis of higher education is discussed by Clark Kerr (1963/2001); the demise of higher education is brought up by Bill Readings (note the telling title of his book: The University in Ruins (1996))

Summary

Introduction

When addressing the problem of higher education in Russia, many scholars agree that it is losing its effectiveness. Since the late 20th – early 21st century concerns about the end of the "idea of the university" have been repeatedly voiced by education philosophers: The "collapse of the idea of the university" is announced by Jürgen Habermas (1994); the utopian nature of the idea is addressed by Robert Maynard Hutchins (1953); the overall crisis of higher education is discussed by Clark Kerr (1963/2001); the demise of higher education is brought up by Bill Readings (note the telling title of his book: The University in Ruins (1996)). While admitting the overall critical situation in the modern higher education, think that the "idea of the university" should not be given up; instead, it should be adapted to meet the demand of the present-day postindustrial society, for example, within the models: the "Multiversity" (Clark Kerrs term), or the Third Generation University Before we outline the prospects of the university, we should explore it in retrospect

Historical Retrospect of University Models

Findings

Conclusion