大学与社会的服务关系.docx

Assignment Titles:
Should Universities serve society and in what ways can this achieved?

Abstract:
This paper explored the question whether universities should serve society. By the reviewing of university developing history and analyzing some support theories, the positive answer has been given. Then the approaches for improving this service have been proposed in two sides; one is improving universities' functions such as individual education and public education; the other side is the policy support from society.

Introduction:
As a part of human society, university has played different roles since it happened. It has been reported that in the history, university has distanced itself from human society but sometimes it kept close to the society actively or even in an ultra way such as revolution. In the other words, university varies its association with society between social and academic. No matter which position the university was, the influence of the university on human society were significant and nonignorable. Some scholars support that as an academic institution, university should not serve society but to conduct research and academic studies. However, other experts argue that universities should serve society and cater demands of society. In my position, this service can be achieved directly. For example, training the manpower the society need or work out the unemployment problems. Also it can be achieved indirectly which means keep academic. In this essay, I will prove my position by presenting a review of the relationship between society and university in different history period and analyzing the General system theory (Bertalanffy, 1968), Ashby as well as Marx's theories. Then illustrate my ideas and examples on how universities service can be achieved

The idea about the university’s function is changing and developing.
In order to exploring the relationship between university and society we should bate back to the human history to look for the association in the past. I will start this review from the school in ancient Greek age and next go through the middle Ages, then turn to the industry revolution time and finally I will finish this review at modern age. This review is for exploring the change of the relationship between universities and society and looking for the evidence from historical perspective to support that universities should serve human society because the history presents a clear trend that universities have started to serve human society and this service has became more and more popular. Besides, the history is truth and evidence which could not be negated and ignored.
"'Academy' and 'Lyceum', which established by Plato and Aristotle were the most significant higher education institutions before universities happened in Middle Ages" (Bligh, 1990. p24). In 387 BC, Plato established a school in Athens called ‘Academy’. It was the one of the earliest well known higher education institutions in the western world. In this school Plato established several subjects such as arithmetic, geometry, psychology and astronautic based on The Pythagoreans power. Unfortunately, Justinian (the emperor of the Eastern Roman empire) closed down ‘Academy’ after about 900 years since it was established. However, its existence has had a significant impact on higher education history up to now. As a higher education representative at that time, the school of Academy had distanced itself from the temporal society and mainly focus on the Truth such as science, philosophy and psychology. For the next the 900 years, 'Academy' became the cradle of the Truth. One of the greatest students in this school is Aristotle who was the founder of the Aristotle Theory and he made significant contribution to philosophy and science such as the theory of Formal Logic and Geocentric Theory. In addition, Universities established in medieval time were almost based on the principle of 'Academy'. As a beginning, the relationship between university and society was distanced.
After the 'Academy', in the early medieval time, the relationship between university and society was changed but the distance was continued. There were plenty of higher educational institutions established and developed at that time. At the beginning of the Medieval, universities were forestalled by the Church as people and society were controlled by this religion power for a long time. Besides, churches need more priesthood to enhance their controlling (Bligh, 1990). However, in the 11th century, manufacture and business activities occurred as a result of the capitalism activities. The church school could not cater the demand of manufacture and business developing. Therefore, some manufacture and business unions had established the earliest modern universities such as the University of Bologna and The University of Paris which taught people social concept and knowledge (Haskins, 1923). The example of the higher education changing in Britain at this time may give us more truth about the relationship between university and society. Oxford University and The University of Cambridge, two of the oldest and the most reputable universities, used belong to the church power when they established and courses were controlled by the Church (Bligh, 1990). However, by the influence of Renaissance thought, these two typical church universities began to change their teaching contents and methods from training the clergies and governors to educating public and social elites. In the other words, the church universities became sensitive to society and tried to adopt the new social environment and production relationship. With the time going, in the 18th century in England, the industrial revolution sped up the society development significantly and the new production relationship has been accepted by the public. Plenty of modern civic universities were established such as The University of London and The City University. These universities were established for developing industry and economy. Even in the later time, some cities established their university following the city's unique feature. For example, the University of Liverpool mainly focuses on the seafaring research as Liverpool is one of the most significant ports in the UK. Besides, the University of Manchester, the earliest civic higher education institution which represents the benefits of businessmen and manufacturer (Sanderson, 1972, p.61). In general, the role of universities has became more social functional, and it has promoted the economy and education developing of society. The relationship between universities and society has been developed more than the relationship in Medieval.
So far, the historical review above has drawn a clear trend for the relationship between universities and society. This historical evidence can partly support the university's service but no enough. As a social system, Human society has realized how significant universities are. They produce knowledge, ideas, essential skills as well as politics sources which can help universities to adjust human society. In the next paragraph, General System Theory (Bertalanffy, 1968) will also be used to mainly prove the necessity of universities' service.
In addition, there is a relevant support from Bertalanffy Ludwing von(1901～1972), the Austria biologist who established the General system theory, He defined that system is an ensemble that consist of different sections while each section is related and influenced by others and system is one of the ways of all the subjects exist (Bertalanffy, 1968). By this definition, Human society is the system which can be divided into three features: politics, economy and culture. Each feature is important to the others. In this system, university should initially work and serve for the culture and indirectly serving the whole system as university is within this system. That is to say it is impossible for university to leave from this system as university is created by this system and to work for it. On the other hand, universities are the result of inheritance and circumstance (Ashby, 1974. p.2) which indicate the same idea about the position of university in this social system.
Let’s move focus from the general environment to university itself, it can be seen the university participants are human being and compare with animals, human is social being with social features. Marx (1984) claimed that "the human essence in no abstruction inherent in each single individual. In this reality it is the ensemble of the social relation" (p.285). By this social relation, the university should be social and serve the society as human being conducts this social activity.
In summary, as it has been reflected since modern university established in the historical review, there is a trend for universities serving human society. Besides, according to Bertalanffy's theory, this service is necessary as universities belongs to human social system and rely on this system. In addition, this social activity is conducted by social creature which is human being.

In what ways can this service efficiently work?
A successful service should be effective, professional and appropriate to its serve purpose. What functions of universities can make this service successful? Based on the classical sociology, education has been endowed with two main functions. One is to focus on individuals and social elites education which has called selection. The other main function is concerned with the benefits of the whole society (Brennan, 2008). From Brennan's position, as a part of education, universities also can be functional by improving to individual (selection) as well as contribute to the public society (socialization). In this section, I will explore in what ways can universities serve society effectively based on these two functions as well as knowledge transfer. Finally I will analyze what efforts can society provide as return to university service. In terms of the latter, the policy support from society will be discussed with examples.
Function on individuals (selection).
As a social system, the development of human community is depend on the individual's success and achievement initially (Bertalanffy, 1968). This indicates that improving individual's education is the initial step for serving human society because higher education can have a life long term impact on individual and it is helpful for higher education to serve and adjust society (Brennan, 2008. p.7). For example, the discovery of Radium by Madam Curie. This has had a significant impact on the development of modern medical science and also her story has had a positive impact on human society. Besides, Deng Xiaoping, one of the greatest Chinese leader during the second world war, he was a student at The University of Paris in France in 1920. He absorbed the western progressive ideas and knowledge from the university, then went back to China and participated the great revolution applying his experiences and knowledge. Finally under his leadership China has prevented the invasion from Japan, dictatorship and poverty. Therefore, individual education is essential as the fundamental step.
Function on the public (socialisation) and knowledge transfer
Compared with the individual education, universities is also established for public education and society benefits (Ashby, 1974, p.113). As a part of human society, universities should not only focus on individual education, but also pay attention to mass education for socialisation such as economic and politic developing. In terms of economy, it is mainly supported by industry which need massive educated and trained manpower. Therefore, the public education should be improved (Bligh, 1990.p.11). That is to say, massive manpower training is the fundamental demand as the massive production age was taken place, the increasing factories need significant number of skilled workers, managers as well as designers. Take the University of London as an example. The University of London was experienced significant changes due to the industry development between the 1880s and the First world war (Sanderson, 1972). At the 18th century, the massive production needs a lot of manpower that mastered skills, science, finance, as well as management. Therefore this university was established and began to cultivate students who can meet all the conditions. Besides, changing when the society has changed was also needed. Because of the high speed developing of human society, we have had new challenges such as the financial crises and environment problem. Thus, universities has again changed their study focus from the old issues to these new problems and to train new graduates in order to solve those new problems. In other words, universities should observe and follow the changing of the society if it is necessary and appropriate.
It is also important to change the service pattern between universities and human society. By this, I mean universities should also export their academic and advanced ideas, values and knowledge to the society and in this way to adjust and help human society to develop. To be more specific, For instance, the University of Yale and Harvard University, they are not only to provide lessons to their registerd students, but also upload the popular video version courses on the internet for the public's benefits as not all the public have the chance to be a top-notch university students and the public need to be exposed to new ideas and knowledge. Besides, another important approach to serve society is that put the university's ideas, knowledge or achievements from scientific research into practice for industrialization. We can call it 'industrialization of knowledge transfer'. In the USA, there are approximately 3500 higher education institutions in this country, now these institutions not only train high quality individual, but also has became the center of the high technology researching and developing. After the Second World War, American universities changed their main focus from studying theory to solving practical problems and developing industrialization. For example, the invention of the first computer "ENIAC" in 1946, which was designed and invented by the professional team that conducted by Dr.Mauchly and his student Eckert for three years and then this new university product start the Electronic information age. As we can see that since the invention of the first computer, it has already benefited human society significantly.
However, there is an opposite position on the approach of university service but also achievable. An university is a boat for exploring and spreading truth and knowledge and its rout will be never change even though in the different time human society has different demands (Ashby, 1974). Universities can also serve society indirectly. It means universities can keep ratio