The "World Social Science Advanced Lecture" (Lecture 67), organized by the Fudan Institute for Advanced Study in Social Sciences (Fudan IAS) was held on May 29, 2018, at Fudan University. Nannerl O.Keohane, Honorary Fudan Scholar, Senior Visiting Scholar in Residence at Fudan IAS, renowned political scientist and educator, member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences, former President of Wellesley College and Duke University, senior scholar at Princeton’s University Center for Human Values, gave a lecture on Contemporary Challenges to Leadership in Higher Education. Prof. Sujian Guo, Dean and Distinguished Professor of Fudan IAS chaired the event.
First of all, Prof. Guo expressed his warm welcome to Prof. Keohane, and briefly introduced her academic achievements, then presented her with the appointment letter of Honorary Fudan Scholar. Prof. Keohane expressed her gratitude to Fudan IAS for the kind invitation, then began her lecture. The speech focused on the challenges facing modern universities from four aspects.
1. Financial challenges
Based on her own experience and research in related fields, Prof. Keohane suggested that the essential problem facing American colleges and universities right now is that there is a strict disparity between universities. Some progressive and advanced universities have various supports, such as governmental supports, while many other ordinary universities face very serious financial constraints. In other words, these universities are struggling to improve their capacity and quality in the face of competition from “privileged” universities.
Prof. Keohane then raised several aspects that are relatively important to American universities. The first is tuition, which is the amount that families and students spend on education. In fact, when parents choose a university, tuition accounts for a large factor. In recent years, tuition has been on the rise, some families cannot afford the full cost, which leads to more varied options for students, such as choosing to study in specialized colleges or applying for two-year programs. This also makes the financial condition of the family affect the level of education of the student to a greater extent. Fortunately, the policy of providing financial assistance to families in need of financial support has alleviated this problem. In fact, a very small percentage of students in universities will cover the full cost of tuition, and the majority of students receive financial assistance or can reduce the financial stress through policies like work-study. Next is direct government support, incl. from the federal government and the local government. However, according to polls, people are increasingly reluctant to pay taxes for public support of colleges and universities. Third is the decrease in research funding. Many universities resort to borrowing when they do not receive financial aid. This is not a purely financial challenge, as these studies are published and rewarded. Some partner institutions often rely on universities to do their research, which also benefits universities. This is a familiar cycle: research-development. However, many institutions will impose restrictions on the research and give little freedom to do it. Finally, the effectiveness. Many costs are unavoidable for universities. Some universities are reducing the number of programs they offer, such as language courses.
2. Academic freedom
Based on different conceptual definitions, Prof. Keohane meticulously analyzed the differences between academic freedom and freedom of expression. Academic freedom refers to the freedom of academia to conduct their academic activities freely. Academic freedom, as an ethical principle of academic activities, is a core concept of American universities and one of the major challenges facing modern education. In the United States today, academic freedom in practice faces a variety of threats, and it is important to understand where these threats come from and how to address them. Prof. Keohane emphasized that we need to be clear that the best way to deal with these threats and dangers is not to be silent. She reminded scholars to respect those who criticize their research and to learn from their criticisms in order to improve their research. Explore the source of statements that make you uncomfortable or that you find na?ve, and be clear that criticism is not meant to make everyone feel comfortable.
3. Globalization
Based on current situation and previous research, Prof. Keohane argued that study today is very different from what it was ten years ago and future changes in education is hard to predict. Today there are a number of different initiatives for universities in countries and regions such as China, India, Australia and Europe. Many countries give priority and privileges to top universities. This makes the international competition more intense, but it also leads us to avoid short-term goals and to think in a long-term and international perspective. For example, the immigration policy of the United States affects students from other countries to study in the U.S. It is true that more and more international students are now choosing to come to the U.S. to study and earn their degrees, and it also gives many U.S. universities the opportunity to maintain their educational level and become stronger. It is important to note that there are many issues that need to be researched in relation to these strategies.
4. Clarify the missions and purpose of university in the 21st century
Based on the above analysis, Prof. Keohane believes that the most important task for universities at this stage is to find the “purpose”, because the education we provide is actually a path to the ultimate purpose. People always have some basic questions about universities, such as, what do you choose the university for? What are you going to do after graduation? If universities do not clarify these things, how can we rightfully say that everything we do is meaningful? These articulations should not just be written down as documents lying in the office of the President, but should be practically developed and implemented.
Finally, based on the analysis of challenges and opportunities, Prof. Keohane asked us to think about what kind of leadership is needed and to discuss how we can work together to bring about this change. She described what a good leader is not and what a good leader is in terms of negativity and positivity respectively. She summarized three main characteristics of leadership: gender neutral, non-individual, and leadership is a sum. In her concluding remarks, Prof. Keohane discussed where and how changes could be made at this stage of leadership development.
After her speech, many students enthusiastically asked Prof. Keohane questions regarding the lecture topic Contemporary Challenges to Leadership in Higher Education, such as what can a Chinese student learn and take away after graduating from a U.S. university? Although we are in the age of internationalization, there are still many barriers between universities that hinder the sharing of resources, how can these problems be solved? Prof. Keohane answered the questions in detail and the event ended with a round of applause.