Academia in the Grip of the Wolf and Its Utopia

Autor/in	Lekka-Kowalik, Agnieszka
Titel	Academia in the Grip of the Wolf and Its Utopia
Quelle	In: Minerva: A Review of Science, Learning and Policy, 60 (2022) 1, S.139-158 (20 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Lekka-Kowalik, Agnieszka)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0026-4695
DOI	10.1007/s11024-021-09449-2
Schlagwörter	Universities; Foreign Countries; Research; Productivity; Reputation; Organizational Change; College Faculty; Resistance (Psychology); Poland + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? University; Universität; Ausland; Forschung; Produktivität; Organisationswandel; Fakultät; Resistenz; Polen
Abstract	In 2015, Willem Halffman and Hans Radder published in "Minerva" a paper, in which they diagnosed that our universities are colonized by "The Wolf of management." Using the example of the reforms afflicting the Polish academic world, I show that this colonization has intensified, and apart from the processes described in the aforementioned paper, it brought consequences that have changed academic culture: research is subjected to publication policy, many academic activities are treated as a hobby, researchers must be in a stand-by mode to react quickly to new regulations, and responsibility for the institutional prestige is collective. I argue that the attempts to reduce research results into numbers and algorithms stem from a quest for objectivity and a mistrust of academics' (and the Wolf's) ability to pass fair judgments. The Wolf tries to realize a utopian dream: the building of a structure that by necessity secures the productivity of research, which in turn brings the prestige of institutions, ultimately measured by rankings. Yet, prestige is not an epistemic but rather a political value, and when academics are forced to aim at prestige, vital academic values are endangered. Any efficient resistance to the Wolf requires grassroots work on the part of academics. By reconsidering the nature of research and education as well as their role in society, academics might be able to develop viable alternatives to the "productivist university." This requires cooperation with broader society. As such, the alternative of either remaining in the ivory tower or submitting to the Wolf is a false dilemma. [For Halfmann and Radder's 2015 article, see EJ1064958.] (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01