Professor M. O. Ajayi

THE IDEA OF A UNIVERSITY
Professor M. O. Ajayi
Dean, College of Business and Social Sciences June 1st, 2007

Introduction:
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS
- Cultural Milieu
- The University as the key to Life
- Education as Long term investment

THE UNN SPIRIT
- Between Idealism and Realism
- Between context and content
- To restore the dignity of man

IVORY TOWERISM AS AN IDEOLOGY
- Symbolism of prominence, exclusivity and pragmatism
- The light for the jungle

CORE ISSUES
- University as idea-generating institution – a community of scholars and masters.
- designed for the critical minds
- It is a call; Not for job seekers
- Holistic – Not for part-timers
- The CV as the greatest investment

The concept of the university is hinged on creating fully responsible, right-thinking people with a sensitivity to social problems and an involvement in the concept of progress based on LIBERTY, JUSTICE and TOLERANCE.

REFLECTIONS ON PARADOX OF THE NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY
We have more degrees, but less common sense
More knowledge but less judgment

We have more experts but more problems
More medicines, but less wellness
We multiply our passions but reduce our valves
we talk too much love too little and lie too often

We’ve learned how to make living but not a life
We’ve added years to life, not life to years
We have taller buildings but shorter tempers.
Wider freeways, but narrow view points

We’ve been all the way to the moon and back. But have trouble crossing the street to meet our neighbours
We’ve conquered outer space but not inner space
We’ve split the atom but not our prejudice

We write more learn less
Plan more but accomplish less
We’ve learned to rush but not to wait
We have higher incomes, but lower morale

We build more computers to hold info to produce more copies but have less communication
We are long on quantity but short on quality
More kinds of food but less nutrition
Tall men and short character
Fancier houses but broken homes

The Structure and Processes
- University premised on the three concentric circles
- Teaching, Research and Community Development

STRUCTURE
Office, Roles and Responsibilities
Hierarchy
Specialization of Functions
Network of Communication

The structure gives meaning and form to these three major areas. Hence the three major internal components of the entity namely: Management; Staff; and Students

STUDENTS
The university is programmed to raise students who are not only knowledgeable in their fields but can also compete favourably with their peers world wide
Students who can function maximally under minimum supervision
Students who can apply their knowledge to the multifarious problems of their age
Hence the worth of a University is measured among others by the quality of its alumni

CASE STUDY
HARVARD
That there is no typical Harvard student
Each student is a unique individual and the student body is incredibly diverse.
Harvard men and women represent an array of ethnic groups, religious traditions and political persuasions.
They come from every region of the US and more than 100 other countries.
In 1997, Mary Fasano became the oldest person ever to earn a Harvard degree when she graduated from the Extension School at the age of 89

ALUMNI
Seven president of the US studied at Harvard – John Adams, John Quincy Adam, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, John F Kennedy and George W. Bush.
Others; Al Gore, WEB Dubois; Benazi Butho – Pakistan first female prime Minister; TS Eliot – the great modernist poet and critic and David Rockefeller.

Worthy to note that each of these famous personalities caught a niche for him/herself while at Harvard, showing promises of a future calling

OXFORD
Oxford has a role in educating four (4) British and at least eight foreign Kings, 47 noble prize winners, three field medalists, 25 British Prime Ministers, 28 Foreign Presidents and Prime Ministers, seven Saints, 86 Archbishops 18 Cardinals and one Pope

LESSONS
“The universities let them be” even to ridiculous extent. Theodore Roosevelt was particularly referred to as “The Eccentric and half crazy” because of the not so popular views he held.


E.G: He kept in his room a small Zoo consisting of Lobsters, Snakes and huge tortoise (equivalent of modern day Nigerian Cultist)

Academically his senior thesis was assumed crazy when he wrote “….I think there can be no question that women should have equal rights with men….especially as regards the law relating to marriages. These should be the most absolute equality preserved between the sexes. I do not think the women should assume the men’s name.” A very anachronistic view at that time, one may say

Students must be allowed to exhibit their innate potentials to the fullest unencumbered by individual or organizational forces
Else Universities will end up breeding robots, who at best constitute potential rebels against the system and society at large

FACULTY
Faculty as the soul of a university
E.g.: Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin consists of
- 50 Professors
- 12 Joint and Emeritus Professors
- 10 Lecturers
- 50 Teaching Assistants

Three Categories of University Lecturer
* The Parochial – apathetic; unproductive, lazy & ignorant of issues around him. Not ready to be mentored.
* The Subject – Itinerant, withdrawn, internet whiz kids
* The participant – Don (adapted Almond & Civic Culture)

The category one belongs is dependent on one’s answers to the following questions
- Why am I in the profession?
- How passionate am I concerning my task?
- Does this job meet my personal mission?
- Am I enthusiastic about the job?
- Do I accomplish my task willingly and “without stress”?

Lecturers worth the appellation are those who
Surround themselves with people who reflect the values, goals, interests and lifestyle of the profession. Sometimes in life as you grow your friends will either grow or go
Embrace the spirit of inquiry and the search for knowledge
Are guided by wisdom and integrity

MANAGEMENT
The job of university management is to create the atmosphere for staff and students to exhibit their potentials
Making the environment conducive both in terms of working and non-working condition
The role of Management is best exemplified in the story of Roberto Goizuete when he took over as CEO of Coca-Cola. In the 1980s, he was faced with intense competition from Pepsi that was eating into Coke’s growth

His executives were Pepsi-focused and intent on increasing market share 0.1 percent a time.
Gouizueta decided to stop competing against Pepsi and instead compete against the situation of 0.1 percent growth
He asked his executives what was the average fluid intake of an American per day? The answer was 14 ounces. What was Coke’s share of that? Two ounces.

Gouizueta said Coke needed a larger share of that market.
The Competition he said wasn’t Pepsi. It was the water, tea, coffee, Milk and fruits juices that went into the remaining 12 ounces.
The public should reach for a coke whenever they felt like drinking something


To this end Coke put up vending machines at every street corner. Sales took up a quantum jump and pepsi has never caught up.

Lessons
What are those things that must attract men and women to our Universities beyond the glamour of the structures and facilities.
That becoming a world class university is not simply wanting to be like Harvard, Cambridge or Oxford

In fact wanting to be like them may be a mirage because every phenomenon has its own time and space dimensions
Indeed, how many would-be Harvard universities are ready to follow the footsteps of Harvard in all ramifications?

That the competition may not necessarily be other universities around one; but the challenges in the health sector, Technological sector, especially power supply, food production, distribution and wastages, urban transportation and sanitation, and the failure of public enterprises; which universities are set up to solve

The issue is whether a university can make significant impact in any of these multifaceted challenges
In what centres of excellence are we going to be known? Medical, agriculture, legal, management or ICT?

Attributes
Management must be guided by the principles of commitment, responsiveness, diligence and steadfastness, and precision (especially in time management)


Management must and be seen to be fair to all by applying same rule for same situation
Management must be accessible – communicate very often
Management must be welfare-oriented –create structure/forum for stakeholders, staff and students to express grievances. This eliminates misinformation, misrepresentation and misunderstanding.

UNIVERSITY OF THE FUTURE
The university where degrees are flexible and interdisciplinary in order to meet the needs of today’s society i.e., commitment to partnerships focused on applying knowledge and expertise to address complex issues

Where there is interest in and support for the incorporation of its graduates in the labour market by promoting contact between business world and its students
There is highly motivated faculty, dedicated to teaching and research

International interests of the university in the form of exchange programme for students and faculty with universities from other countries
A highly efficient management, guided by an ethic of leadership and service, that recognizes the importance of identifying, articulating and responding to the interests and needs of the environment, local and external

A commitment to teamwork reflected in the initiative and individual creativity of the members, but more importantly, a common commitment to achieving the institution’s goals and collective spirit that transcends private concerns

Respect for all persons and their contribution – essential to achieving the mission
A commitment to a culture of learning that challenges, inspires, liberates, and ultimately transforms the hearts, mind and actions of individuals, eliminating prejudices, and where differences are expressed in many ways

ON A FINAL NOTE:
AT INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
Search for knowledge; read more; discover new things; Remove from your Vocabulary phrase like, “one of these days” and “Someday” Do it today.

Building a world class university must start from within;
Only a world class person can contribute to the building of a world class university

AT INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL:
The long term challenges of universities and the society in general is how to cope with the problems of the future: ecology, migration, globalization, war, balance between the rich and the poor, majorities and minorities

The challenge is nothing but building a new civilization, and it requires all resources, powers and technological possibilities. Unfortunately, emphasis today is on technological advancement at the detriment of other human and societal conditions. (aka the world is flat)

All fields must cooperate on scientific theories. Basic research must be pursued alongside interdisciplinary contexts.
There is need to lead the university away from the strong partition into sub-subjects, where crossing the borders is hardly possible, to a new horizon, where an understanding and working together is possible without leaving one disciplinary grounds and competence

Universities must guard against the mistakes of socialism and Communism, where good goals were bungled on the alters of poor implementation. Here, universities must strive to uphold the pluralism and diversity, by self restriction “not by a government, not by the rector, but in making discourse”
(Britta Schinzed, 1999)