Accountability and the social responsibilities of universities
Professor Sonia McKay
Working Lives Research Institute, London Metropolitan University
1
Public or private? Fee paying? Affordable? Accessible? Ethos – reproduction of class advantage or commitment to social justice/equality? Human resource management, rule making and rule braking.
To whom/what are universities accountable? Students Staff and which staff – academic/non-academic The university’s governing body The state
The local community The wider academic community The business community
3
What is the mission of the modern university? Recruit sufficient numbers of students Meet budgetary expectations Meet targets – completions Train young people for work
Encourage critical thinking Displace youth unemployment
4
A junior member of staff is appointed Allegation of noncompliance with regulations Staff support Ready utilisation of disciplinary action
How is social justice interpreted?
A senior member of staff resigns Allegation of noncompliance with regulations Absence of staff support Reluctance to utilise disciplinary procedure
How is social justice interpreted? 5
Group A: What is the accountability of universities to their students?
What is the accountability of universities to their staff?
Might these result in contradictions and if so how can they be addressed?
Group B: What is the accountability of universities to the state?
What is the accountability of universities to the academic community?
Might these result in contradictions and if so how can they be addressed?
Group C: What is the accountability of universities to the promotion of inclusion?
What is the accountability of universities to the safety of staff and students?
Might these result in contradictions and if so how can they be addressed?
Groups A, B and C
Group C: What is the accountability of universities to the political status quo? What is the accountability of universities to the promotion of critical thinking? Might these result in contradictions and if so how can they be addressed?
1. Each group should choose a group chairperson and a group reportback person. These two persons will be responsible for the final task (the process of selection must take no more than three minutes); 2. Each group should then divide itself into two sub-groups; each should take one accountability question that their sub-group will discuss and each should select a chairperson and a sub-group report back person. These two persons will be responsible for the fourth task (again no more than three minutes); 3. Each sub-group will discuss the accountability question they have been given for 15 minutes producing a set of three areas of accountability identified. 4. The two sub-groups should then come together to jointly discuss, for another 15 minutes what contradictions there might be between the two positions they have taken on accountability. 5. The group report-back person will report back the whole student group on the discussion in Task four (this report back to last no more than 5 minutes.
Group D and description of tasks: Aim – discuss contradictions 6