The cultural mission of the university for participatory and sustainable development

Abstract

The universal mission of the university to serve humanity is achieved through its roles in teaching, research and service to community. The cultural mission of a university is where the university puts its resources in service of the community and is expected to be an active agent and partner in social change.

Under the rubric of culture the university steers research and curricula to meet emerging societal needs, provide innovative ideas and practices for the solution of local problems, improve the social importance of knowledge throughout the community, educate national subjects with developed intellect, imbibed with values for responsible and productive citizenry and meet the challenges of multicultural societies and globalization.

The university which focuses on culture asks the what, how and why of teaching, research and service. Engaging in social change induces a cultural change in academia and society and allows independent thinking and opinion making about societal issues such as hunger, health, poverty, social unbalances, climate change, environmental degradation, digital divide and conflicts.