Most agree that universities are changing: whether from rising student numbers, the expansion of on-line learning, increasing emphases on employability or what many see as the instrumentalisation of research, through impact statements and partnerships with policy makers and big business.

In the resulting debate the meaning of Higher Education remains hotly contested, not only because of the special role universities play in passing on knowledge in society, but also because of their historical purpose as places where new ideas are formed.

Top down policies aimed at bridging the gap between the academy and the workplace increasingly locate government employability and impact agendas at the heart of the university experience. Yet, just as universities are being encouraged to share academic ‘benefits’ with the wider community, political concerns about the potentially harmful impact of ideas are leading to an increasingly formal co-option into the fight against ‘Islamist radicalisation’. Meanwhile, bottom up challenges to ‘harmful’ ideas on campus have lead to student bodies banning controversial debates, on the basis of protecting ‘student safety’ and ‘well being’.

Whether giving greater consideration to the negative impacts of ideas or seeking to embed knowledge into judicial, economic and social policy for the benefit of society, many welcome this new culture of social responsibility. While some continue to defend ‘blue skies’ research, academic freedom and knowledge for its own sake, growing numbers regard these themes not so much as principles but privileges for an academic elite.

Are universities places for freeing the mind or a mere anteroom for the workplace? Should it be possible for universities to forge relationships with business and apply knowledge in the real world, without compromising intellectual integrity? Are these simply necessary adjustments to the realities of new national and global markets? Or, in a climate of spending cuts and growing managerialism, a further chipping away at the intellectual foundations and freedoms of universities?

Even accepting the principle of defending academic autonomy, would we rather see our universities as battlegrounds for dangerous ideas or inclusive, welcoming spaces where social responsibilities are taken seriously? And is it enough for students to go out into the world with a thorough knowledge of their subject matter or should we expect them to think and act as productive and responsible members of society?

Is academic freedom simply an expression of privilege? Are ideas abstractions, remote from the everyday realities and practical needs of both students and academics? Or in the rush towards employability and social impacts are we in danger of sacrificing the university as a distinctive, open arena, where received wisdom may be criticized and opinions expressed, free from the cotton wool constraints of safe spaces and even safer thinking? In short, what is a university for?

Speakers

Harry Anderson, current President of the Liverpool Guild of Students.

Kevin Bean, researcher and lecturer, University of Liverpool’s Institute for Irish Studies.

Dennis Hayes, Professor of Education, University of Derby and Director of the campaign group Academics For Academic Freedom.

Caroline Ramsay , Senior Lecturer in Management, University of Liverpool Management School

Tickets

Register via Eventbrite and pay on door (£4)