[excerpts from The Ecological University: A Feasible Utopia] The ecological university understands its interconnectedness with the world but also actively seeks to do what it can through these connections to advance the wellbeing of the world; it assists its advancement. (Barnett, 2018: 33-34). It identifies large themes and practical projects on which disciplines can work together and bring their contrasting perspectives to bear (ibid: 36). The ecological university is no simple assemblage. But ‘ecology’ may just play a part in imparting some direction to its paths of possibilities and so energizing the university, while hinting at an ethical stance of a certain kind towards the world (ibid: 40). Barnett introduces seven ecosystems as ‘spaces of flows’, zones with which the ecological uni can engage with its world:

The knowledge ecology | Habermas posited three: scientific, technical and hermeneutic the technical having colonized the other two. However, a. digital age has brought multimodality, widening a more social form of knowledge, b. besides academic knowledge there is the embodiment of understandings of particular worlds, c. knowledge is influenced by mega-corporations, d. cultural knowledge is getting revenue-generating dimensions. The ecological potential of universities is thus considerably expanded.

The ecology of social institutions | There is an isomorphism between unis and organizations but there exist extreme variations across them based on their financial and cognitive power and their value orientations. However, a. rival value systems can be there even if there is a dominant value set, b. unis are encouraged to trade with orgs, c. orgs have an interest in engaging with unis.

The ecology of persons | the relation of humans to the world: for some, human subjectivity is torn apart or manufactured, for others, there exist as possibility of the emancipation of human psyche within society. However, time is speeded up and space are compressed. Unis contain individuals who are bound to be subject to managing their own subjectivity. Second, unis have a responsibility for the formation of their students. Liberal and utilitarian education friction resurfaces: is education about the whole person or a contribution to economic growth? A wider ecosystem of persons is finding their way into education.

The ecology of the economy | Unis constitute a large portion of any economy and have become points of investment: they are a business and they are expected to contribute to the growth of business. Thus are required to demonstrate a measurable impact, preferably an economic one. The ecological uni widens the sense of economy. Its resources go beyond the financial realm and its investments have an ethical dimension.

The ecology of learning | Knowledge capitalism encourages an environment that is increasingly competitive, individualized and oriented towards capital gain. The social world, however, is unwilling to accept this economically loaded script and multiple learning ecologies are emerging as social and individual level. A new learning ecosphere is developing bringing new possibilities to uni.

The ecology of culture | The emergence of rationality was a story of a society freeing itself from culture. However, the ecological uni cannot be culture free: it turns on culture of concern.

The natural environment | Towards a sense of being imbued with nature, having a due concern for it. Not oriented towards restoration, but the strengthening of the natural world itself.

Reference

Barnett, R. (2018). The Ecological University: A Feasible Utopia. London, New York: Routledge.

The existence of the doctorate (the doctorate of philosophy dating back to the Renaissance) as a set of rituals and titles obtained at the end of a process for entry into dominant positions in guilds or professions, and also the acquisition of skills in the sciences (law, medicine, theology, and then natural philosophy) refers directly to the very long institutional history of universities (…) Universities were founded in the 12th century as networks of students or communities of teachers rather than institutions with a specific location, building and regulation (…) housing for the less fortunate students was what led to the creation of Unis as we know them today (…) interaction between a growing demand for administrators and professionals of the written word and the (re)discovery of knowledge through the translation of Arabic and Greek were the circumstances that set the stage for the Western universities to first take shape (…) medieval Unis drew their legitimacy from their monopoly to grant degrees, which stemmed from authorizations provided by religious (church) and state authorities, and gradually even by regional or urban authorities (…) criticism on usefulness, nature of knowledge and ways of learning and the establishment of the Academy of Sciences and of more specialized schools throughout Europe (second half of 18th century) called Unis into question (…) The history of university graduation is primarily the demonstration of the entanglement between knowledge acquisition processes and integration into the elite (…) Only a tiny fraction of students, who made up an infinitesimal part of the population, could afford to complete a doctorate (men, white, legitimate sons only) (…) French revolution devastated the Uni landscape. After that two models emerged: the French and the Prussian. In the first model, the universities did not disappear, but remained central only for the humanities, law and medicine. The latter, is not founded on personal development through individual research but on broad based exchange of knowledge (…) Last third of the 19th century was the time that universities developed distinct doctoral (PhD) degree programs.

The forms of contemporary research and higher education are the fruit of endogenous mutations such as the push for autonomy carried out by university administrations as well as exogenous pressures: transformation has been linked to the increasingly strong involvement of governments and private corporations in the definition of institutions and course content (…) Global consensus is that doctorates provide utilitarian knowledge, oriented towards entrepreneurship and industrial innovation but also service to individuals and society (…) national research management and development agencies support these efforts mainly through grants or contracts (…) In most countries, these models of doctoral, post-doctoral and research training have been developed especially in the STEM fields and disciplines (…) emergence of two principal forms of doctorates throughout Europe, North America, and in other countries: (1) the research doctorate, (which remains indispensable for academic careers) and (2) the professional doctorate (including multiple types, such as doctorates in business administration, doctorates in education, etc.), allowing access to careers outside academic institution

Notes from Jean-Claude Ruano-Borbalan’s: Doctoral education from its medieval foundations
to today’s globalisation and standardisation, European Journal of Education, DOI: 10.1111/ejed.12522