Universities play a significant role in society. The university’s influence on society is tremendous. It extends far beyond its walls, since students carry the habits and the world-views they learn from university into society at large. It is possible to argue that many frauds in political and economic life have deeper roots in the university than we are ready to acknowledge and even imagine. Therefore, universities must recognize the special responsibilities placed upon them.
In our opinion, higher education today faces the substantial problems, which must be dealt with and tackled in the global scale. One of them is the problem of the lack and erosion of ethics.
In general high ethical values must have the utmost importance in the process of internal operation of every university, as well in determining the role a university plays in society. But unfortunately we may witness the neglect of ethics or even the erosion of ethics in higher education in the global scale. Ethical considerations do not play a significant role in university life, and universities are not always run ethically.
What is more tragic, that the nihilist philosophies have gained ground in the universities, the model of ‘hyper-rational individual’ caring only about himself or herself become ordinary. Therefore not only the public of the ‘states in transition’, but also the public of the developed states grows distrustful of universities. However nihilism and cynicism must not be the outcomes, even by-products of the higher education. In the 21’st century universities ought to fight with nihilism, cynicism, and moral decay.
So it is the time for universities to confront with these problems and tackle them. It must be recognized that the high ethical values should constitute the foundations of the higher education.
We believe that the modern universities have to adopt the ethical virtues not as the result of being imposed them from outside, but in contrary they must perform this task by ethical revival from within, by reconsidering own mission in a society. In our opinion, academic staff and university administration are central actors in safeguarding and promoting high ethical values.
The contemporary universities have special responsibilities towards society beyond giving mere professional education and raising awareness about some rights and responsibilities. As well they must direct citizens to behave ethically.
The university as a whole must integrate and transmit ethical values (firstly the honesty and trustworthiness) and healthy way of life. High ethical values must be defining features of a ‘true university’, which has to shape and form ‘new model of human’, possessing both professional knowledge and high ethical values coupled with humanistic principles. Real high education must teach that the ethical virtues are the most important element of personal success, and the neglect of ethics would have negative repercussions in professional life.
At present professional competency-based education is increasingly of interest for both parents and students. However the essential ethical virtues must be incorporated into the process of higher education and must be fostered by academic staff. Any applied field, from traffic engineering to finance and marketing can and should include ethical competencies as an integral part of each course.[1] In other words, the 21’st century’s human civilization must depend on high ethics as it depends on professional competency and skills. And the sustainable future of all human-kind, namely the elimination of the deep gaps between poor and rich, ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’, the South and North directly relates to the acquisition of ethical values by graduates of universities, consequently to the gaining of high ethical values by universities.
But first of all we have to recognize that the moral life, a life of virtue, can be derived only from clear and certain principles. This stance necessities the rejection of the David Hume’s idea holding that morals are emotional and cannot be proven true, that has strong influence over the modern science and academia.[2] In opposite we claim that there is universal morality and the 21’st century’s ‘true university’ must develop the model of ‘new human’ adhering to this universal morality, characterizing by high ethical values.
In the 21’st century the academic staff and administration of ‘true universities’ have to be guided by professional ethics (manifested firstly in total rejection of bribery and plagiarism) as well by value-based principles such as honesty and trustworthiness, sincerity and humanistic values such as sincerity, warmness, tolerance and brotherhood. In other words the values beyond the ‘classic’ such as responsibility, academic freedom, sharing of knowledge, need to be adopted by ‘true’ universities in their mission. Academic staff and administration have to adhere to high ethical standards and serve as the models for students and society in different ways.
As a conclusion, we think that high ethics, value-based and humanistic principles should define a ‘true university’. ‘True universities’ have to provide own societies with the best scholarly and ethical standards and make sure students receive both an excellent academic experience and high ethical standards coupled with positive living experience.
[1] Candace de Russy and Mitchell Langbert, The Corrosion of Ethics in Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2005/07/05/derussy
[2] Candace de Russy and Mitchell Langbert, The Corrosion of Ethics in Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2005/07/05/derussy
Horizon Research Center©, December 2011, Almaty
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