A University with Numerous Schools and Campuses - Essay Example

Multiversity Introduction A multiversity is a with numerous schools and campuses under a central management. Unlike a university, multiversity offers a number of separate courses in its different campuses and schools most if which exist semiautonomous. The idea of a multiversity thus revolutionized the previously predominant universities in the western world including countries such as England, Germany and in the United States of America. The conventional universities consisted of two distinct communities of students and masters. However, the introduction of multiversity thus resulted in the incorporation of different communities within a single setting thus; developing holistic individuals with a propensity to interact ad integrate ideas. Clark Kerr in his article the idea of a multiversity investigates the history of the idea and its ramification to the contemporary world and the academic environments. The brainchildren of the idea had a number of specific convenience issue that they sought to address by developing the idea. The historical evolution of higher education through the subsequent introduction of the idea of a multiversity was progressive and a result of several structural and management changes in the governance of the facilities of higher education as the discussion below reveals. Kerr begins his article by investigating the origin of universities as institutions of higher learning. The earliest universities such as Oxford, Bologna, and Edinburg had specific structures that necessitate the management of the single institutions that specialized in single courses offered in single campuses. The administrative structures of the facilities necessitated the management of the facilities as single entities with each university at the time specializing is single disciplines. However, with time and the resultant changes in the social environment, the society became more liberal with the demand for education increasing in the western world among other regions globally. Such leading and prestigious institutions therefore led the change into more liberal and diversified learning institutions thereby permitting the inclusion of more courses and campuses leading to the development of the multiversity concept “ it was clear that by 1930 that universities have changed profoundly and commonly in the direction of social evolution of which they are part” Kerr 3. In this statement, Kerr acknowledges that institutions of higher learning such as universities existed as part of the society and therefore had to represent the social change. They did this by seeking to address the increasing demand for higher education and the changing political structure thereby evolving to give for the to the concept of a multiversity. Societies are relative each exhibiting different structural formats, the institutions of higher learning therefore exhibited this relativity thus epitomizing different characteristics. The German, English American, and Greek concepts of multiversity had different foundations but later adopted similar structures owing to the similarity of structure. In his article, Kerr incorporates the ideas of Flexner who asserts that universities were part of the society and must therefore exhibit the social characteristics. Different societies had diverse features, as Flexner explains; the universities must have a greater interaction with their societies thereby adopting specific social features. Greeks were among the earliest scholars and therefore the first pioneers of universities. The idea spread to other parts of the western world, the facilities offered effective platforms for the exchange of knowledge and the development of talents. They brought together different scholars who therefore specialized in different disciplines. With time, the societies began integrating through trade and among other activities. With increased social interactions, the societal structures changed thus prompting the change in the management of the institutions of higher learning such as the universities. Increased human interactions led to an increase in the demand of higher education are specific disciplines. Early scholars would therefore travel to different countries in pursuant of their academic interests. Different scholars propagated different views on the expansion of universities to incorporate new courses. Flexner for example raised alarm on the encroachment of service programs into the institutions. According to his explanation, this would lead into the imminent expansion of the facilities thereby pilling pressure on the resources of the facility and their managements. Kerr in his explanation to the concepts of a university and multiversity stresses the uses of these facilities. By alluding to the use of the institutions, he provides for the liberty for the institutions to expand provided they serve their primary purposes. The different viewpoints by the different scholars thus led to the evolution of universities into the contemporary multiversity. The governance of a multiversity differs from the management structure of universities since the two are different institutions. However, the structures in both represented the social structure since just as explained earlier; the institutions of higher learning are parts of the society. They are under the political governance of a specific country and their management structure must therefore represent the diversity in the governance of the countries since each country has a unique set of policies. While universities had students and masters forming only two communities, a multiversity is more integrated and comprises of different communities that include students, faculty, public authority, and the society within which the institutions exist. Faculties are the specific cores of the courses offered in a multiversity. Different faculties have different management structures depending on their sizes and available resources. The head of a faculty is a dean of working in close correlation with both the administrators of the institutions and other heads of departments within the faculty. The dean therefore bridges the gap between the administration of a university and other stakeholders in the faculty. The students on the other hand are among the influential communities directly related to the multiversity. The student body requires effective management to ensure law and order in the facilities. Just as stated earlier, a multiversity is bigger than a university and therefore has more students. This implies that the facilities must employ the most effective student management strategies to ensure that the facilities uphold law and order thereby creating conducive environments for learning. The society within which the multiversity exists is essential in determining the nature of the facility. As Flexner explains, institutions should interact with the society since they obtain their knowledge from the same societies. The institutions of higher education develop new knowledge through extensive researches most of which they conduct in the society. The facilities must therefore regulate the nature of the interaction between them and the society to ensure peaceful coexistence and working relations to maintain the peace necessary for the learners in these facilities to carry out their researchers. Additionally, the society is a great determinant of the management structure of the institutions. Every of such institutions borrow the societal management structures thereby creating effective political structure for student management. Students elect their representatives in political systems thereby creating credible student organizations and management mechanism that best represent their interests. Through such platforms, students address the issues affecting them to the concerned parties in the right channel thereby eliminating conflicts of interests. In his article, Kerr postulates that a multiversity setup consists of different groups of people each requiring effective control and a sense of management. He therefore asserts that in the facilities by focusing on their service provisions develop in large complex facilities that require effective political and executive administration. The multiversity obtains management policies from the government and other interesting parties within the society. Additionally, as the facilities expand, they expand their environments too thereby increasing the sizes of the societies and adding more communities into their structures. In conclusions, it is evident that the development of multiversity is a result of increased human interaction and the liberalization of the social structure. The increasing demand of information and knowledge in the society is among the key factors that resulted in the evolution of the facilities. As Kerr explains, the institutions empirically trade knowledge this implies that as much as there is the demand for knowledge the facilities should further expand since expansion results in easier resource management. In a multiversity, students perusing different courses share some of the scarce resources such as libraries and lecture halls. The facilities simply require an inclusive timetable management to enable efficient resource sharing among the different faculties and departments. Additionally, the evolution into the development of a multiversity in the contemporary society intensified the interaction between the facilities and the societies as most people from the societies join the institutions. Work cited Kerr, Clark. The Uses of the University. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1963. Print. Read More