Around the world, universities are facing ever-increasing expectations. These expectations range from excellent teaching and top research to solving social and global problems. At the same time, the higher education system is undergoing major changes, for example through artificial intelligence. In their book Authentic Universities, Frank Ziegele and Ulrich Müller show how universities can develop a distinctive, future-proof profile to remain relevant in times of change. After the success of the German edition (Die authentische Hochschule), the book is now available in English for an international audience.
Changing expectations of universities
For decades, in many countries around the world higher education has been following certain fixed assumptions: academic studies were a phase between school and work; teaching took place in physical classrooms; knowledge was measured by exams; and degrees like the Bachelor or Master were the only meaningful outcomes. Developments such as the acceleration of digital learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread availability of AI tools have challenged these traditional certainties.
Standing still is not an option
The authors of the book argue that universities that fail to respond to these shifts risk losing relevance in the future.
“If universities don’t adapt to the changing realities of students and to solving societal expectations, they will miss the mark and ultimately risk becoming insignificant,” says Ulrich Müller, Head of Policy Studies at the CHE.
To remain relevant for the upcoming decades, universities must find new answers to fundamental questions such as “Who learns what, from whom, with what resources, when, and where?”
Authenticity is the key to a sustainable future
For the authors, authenticity is the central aspect that allows each university to define its unique role and to shape society in a positive way.
“A future-proof university must be an authentic university,” says Frank Ziegele, Executive Director of the CHE.
Authentic universities know their core strengths but regularly align their profile with societal needs, trends, and demands. They use their identity as a foundation for change, staying true to their mission while adapting to the world around them.
Twelve innovative university models for the future
To illustrate these ideas, Frank Ziegele and Ulrich Müller present twelve innovative university profiles that explore the future of higher education and open up the scope of potential scenarios. They range from the Learning Concept University, which aligns all institutional activities around a defining teaching and learning approach, to the Grand Challenge University, where international research institutions collaborate across disciplines to address a single global challenge such as climate change.
Authentic Universities – Effective university identities in times of transition is published by Passagen Verlag and is now available in English worldwide. The authors are Frank Ziegele, Executive Director of the CHE, and Ulrich Müller, Member of the Executive Board and Head of Policy Studies at the CHE.