Suchergebnisse

During the last three years, university systems in three Canadian provinces were the object of review, the vehicle in each case a Royal Commission. That these reviews were undertaken hints at a degree of anxiety in the mind of government and public, an attitude replacing the acceptance and support which characterized the previous decade. They suggest, moreover, the need for reassurance in the public mind of the efficiency and the effectiveness - of universities and of their relevance in a period characterized by basic shifts in society and thus of society's requirements. In general tone, they are remarkably similar. In a particular matter, they articulate an almost identical view: that higher education should be mademore accessible, more flexible, and its outreach in public service more substantial.

University public service, which takes a variety of forms, criticism and extension among them, is the least well rewarded of the institution's principal functions. Yet, of all organ- izations in society, the university has a special responsibility to identify social problems and to help resolve them. It is proposed that Canadian universities ought now to take the initiative, in consultation with leaders in both government and the-community, towards determining through what mechanisms publicly-provided university resources can most effectively be deployed in a public service thrust towards the improvement of the quality of Canadian life. ; Le service public au sein de nos universités, prenant une variété de formes, y inclus, la cri-tique et les cours publics sous les auspices de l'université, est la fonction la moins récom-pensée de cette institution. Pourtant, de toutes les structures dans la société, l'université a une responsabilité spéciale d'identifier les problèmes sociaux et d'aider à les résoudre. L'auteur propose que les universités canadiennes doivent prendre actuellement l'initiative, de concert avec des personnalités dirigeantes du gouvernement ainsi que de la communauté, pour déterminer quels sont les mécanismes qui permettraient le meilleur déploiement de ressources publiques universitaires pour améliorer la qualité de la vie canadienne.