University social responsibility as a part of state corporate responsibility

Abstract

Every state has strategic fields including defense, national security, medicine and education. The last one through appropriate tools in the higher education makes impact to the other fields relating to the national security: it provides ideological, social, professional, patriotic and innovative background for the citizens. One of the strongest attributes of higher education throughout the world is its ability to a permanent self-improvement, which enables to support the process of qualitative changes, optimally combine self-governing aspirations to new knowledge with the duty to act in favor of society. Today, the tendency is that universities become “engines” of the global knowledge economy, and for this reason, the principles of the relationship between higher education institutions and government, public and private organizations should change. The results and consequences of traditional reforms at universities include: the emergence of a number of additional missions that can only be realized through the joint activity and interest of all parties in achieving the goal; new organizational obstacles and barriers; excessive administrative costs; increasingly unstable academic work; difficulties in financing fundamental research, and sometimes disputable changes in the quality assurance of higher education. In addition, ongoing reforms at universities are often rigorous, decisions are made spontaneously, which impedes the stable and balanced development of higher education. It often happens that the national governments reduce the expenditures for the universities while the social weight and the role of university education should increase. Positive changes in this direction can be achieved through the conclusion of a new social contract between the government, society and universities called and regarded as the university social responsibility. The main duties of higher education to society are to improve social, cultural, political, ethical and material well-being. Meeting these commitments requires government and business cooperation and their responsible attitude towards higher education, taking into account the right of universities to freedom and independence. In this case, higher education can really act as a “public critique and conscience”.