Future perspectives on the structural framework of universities

Abstract

There are three cohering tendencies that become discernible when one thinks in terms of the present as well as the future of the university. They exert a profound influence on its structure. They can be described as the communal character of the university, the tendency towards democratization, and the decentrali­ sation necessitated by the diversity of specialised fields of know­ ledge. The distinguishing characteristic of the university is to be found precisely in the fact that it is a universitas or community: a community of scholars in various disciplines (differing to a greater or lesser degree) all studying some aspect of reality and while doing so, striving through their interrelation, dialogue and interaction — i.e. by acting as a meaningful community — to grasp reality more fully than would be possible through separate and isolated endeavour.