The complex roles of universities in the period of globalization

Abstract

Universities worldwide are being called on to fulfil more and more roles, often with fewer resources. As a result, academic missions may become dispersed and the quality of the work may decrease. In this era, the function of universities as institutions devoted essentially to teaching and research may be weakened by the struggle to be entrepreneurial and market-relevant (Ben-David, 1977; Clark, 2004; Geiger, 2004). The academic drift of the 21st century raises concerns about the core functions of universities and how contemporary changes have affected academic missions. This paper mainly discusses research universities, which, as the leading and most influential academic institutions, have been most affected by this expansion of roles (Neave, 2000; Altbach and Balán, 2007). The goal of this paper is to examine the changing missions of universities and the impact on academe worldwide.