The Idea of a University - Article Example

The author starts with a description of the establishment of the Catholic University of Ireland and assignments the role of the rector to a philosopher, a poet, and a priest, Henry Newman. From its conception, academic education was regarded as the transference of some knowledge and the possibility of students “to absorb the graces and the accomplishments of a higher form of life” (Scruton).

Moreover, education was granted only to men initially to make them real gentlemen. According to the speech of Newmen, a gentleman does not simply perceive information but also senses the tone, meaning, and atmosphere of what was said. Thus, the university was the place which provided young men with all the conditions for achieving an education. It also performed its role in preparing a new generation and decent members of society. University was a part of ordinary life, a natural step to adult life:“ It was a place where work and leisure occurred side by side, shaping each other, and each playing its part in producing the well-formed and graceful personality”(Scruton).

Now, these concepts regarding university education have reasonably become outdated. First of all, universities accept women and grant them equal education. Secondly, higher education institutions are now equipped with modern libraries that provide students with accommodation. So evidently, universities have lost their higher targets of teaching future adults moral values and adjusting them to the norms of society. Parents who spend a great deal of money on education regret it because they want their kids to receive an education and become well-behaved and prepared for significant societal roles.

The price of education rises, so parents want to get feedback and ensure that their children will be decent adults and meet their expectations. However, certain academic freedom allowed today in universities leads to students spending their free time not on their studies. Moreover, most specialities presuppose that children do not have to use their intellectual potential to the full extent and all the subjects are pretty easy to understand. That is another significant change in the approach to higher education.

According to Scruton, the thing that follows intellectual freedom is ideological conformity: “What is expected of the student in many courses in the humanities and social sciences are ideological conformity, rather than a critical appraisal, and censorship has become accepted as a legitimate part of the academic way of life."Another level in the evolution of the university is distance learning. The author marks that there is a tremendous advantage for Americans in that they have accepted the idea that education is not connected to the establishment.

Homeschooling became the first idea appreciated by the nation and further developed into distance learning with the spread of the Internet. This type of education is beneficial to both students and teachers. Students get more engaged and have to stick to the lectures. At the same time, professors can share their knowledge directly with listeners, avoiding redundant procedures and not sharing their earnings with less skilful colleagues. Moreover, the author underlies that these changes are needed crucially: “Already I have begun to encounter university colleagues, marginalized for their conservative views or for their dissatisfaction with the way things are done, who are looking for other forms of continuing the grand tradition of higher learning, and of passing on to the next generation some of the knowledge that was passed on to them.

Such is the prevailing spirit in America that I suspect the cyber-university will be a day-to-day reality” So university as an establishment that guarantees higher education has passed through several stages and finally become redundant with the Internet appearance. Now every person in the world can choose a course for a reasonable price and receive the required knowledge with a click of a mouse. Since a university is not supposed to teach moral values or create real gentlemen, its role as an education mediator can be considered complete.

Distant learning available to everyone has taken its place.