The Limits of Making University Studies Practical

Abstract

There is a view that prolonging the practical educational activities of universities may result in a change of the functions traditionally ascribed to them, which include basic research and general education. But there is also another view. This view holds that the traditional university is characterised by exceptional adaptability, which makes it resistant to changes which may threaten its essential features. According to this view, the university - by not undergoing deep changes but only adapting its own style of actions to current needs - forces changes in its setting, thereby inspiring changes on the outside. The authoress tends to favour the second thesis and tries to expand it on the example of the effects of government strategies undertaken in the countries of Western Europe in order to link the work of universities more closely with the economy. In the context of the attempts made in Poland to reform the higher education system and the barriers of various kinds perceived in this area, the problem seems important. Perhaps it is worth pointing out that at least some of these barriers or limitations are non-local and even timeless.