Should universities focus more on student and social purpose?

The core aims of a university have not changed in centuries. Yet financial pressures for the UK sector and geopolitical shifts are bringing tensions to a model which has stood the test of time. It raises questions not only about how the sector will sustain itself in the short-term, but also how it will operate in the future.

Among those taking a more holistic approach is the University of Heriot-Watt Malaysia, pushing an emphasis on supporting students to ‘find their purpose’ over the mere pursuit of credentials.

The University of Dundee has meanwhile in recent years started initiatives intent on a more purpose-driven and equitable approach to research partnerships.

Is ‘student purpose’ the key to better outcomes?

Student outcomes are one of the key metrics universities consider when judging their success and impact. The outcomes they focus on tend to be related their future work – either in terms of salary prospects or future job titles. There are however other ways to measure success, and thus new ways to think about outcomes.

Heriot Watt Malaysia has put ‘purpose’ at the centre of its education offering to students. Every student develops an ‘impact statement’ at the beginning of their studies, aiming to help students identify an individual purpose and the actions they can take to realise it.

The PIE News speaks to Mushtak Al-Atabi, provost of Heriot Watt University Malaysia and creator of this approach. Education has long focussed predominantly on equipping students with knowledge and skills, notes Al-Atabi.

This is important, but technological advance, including the emergence of AI, is shifting more skilled work onto machines. As the demand for certain skills diminishes, he predicts the students of the future will instead prioritise self-awareness, purpose, and discovery.

“I believe that education only happens when those being educated are able to tell more empowering stories about themselves and the world we live in,” Al-Atabi tells The PIE.

He believes that, as of yet, Heriot Watt University is the only university requiring students to develop an impact statement from the outset of their studies. All students are also encouraged to run crowdfunding schemes in support of NGO’s that align with the sense of purpose they develop through these impact statements.

Heriot Watt Malaysia’s commitment to student purpose is ultimately not a transformation of the university, but rather an augmentation.

“We do not pitch a purpose-driven approach as opposed to working for a degree. We use it to enrich and enhance traditional education,” says Al-Atabi.

I believe that education only happens when those being educated are able to tell more empowering stories about themselves and the world we live in
_{Mushtak Al-Atabi, Heriot Watt University Malaysia}

Can social purpose bring value to research partnerships?

Student outcomes are not the only space where universities are considering prioritising purpose in decision making. Research has long been an international venture, and partnerships have been key to the success of research.

What however guides decisions to build partnerships, and is there room for greater social commitment? The University of Dundee’s Blantyre Decision makes efforts to ensure that this happens.

The Blantyre Declaration, signed in 2022 between every public university in Malawi and the University of Dundee, was a statement of intent to work together equitably and with a social purpose.

“The Blantyre Declaration is a commitment to work ever more closely in partnership to design and deliver on the social purpose of our collaborations,” states Ian Gillespie, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Dundee.

“It represents a commitment to working with partner universities in the Global South in a much more equitable way that ever before in order to meet our mutual challenges.”

The declaration itself argues that universities should have a social purpose embodied not only in their education programs and research partnerships, but also through connections with enterprise and through community service.

Is a holistic approach viable in unstable times? Is it a solution?

Universities have always been a home for transformative ideas. The big question is whether universities can afford to emphasise such holistic ideas in cash-strapped times. Perhaps there is an overarching responsibility to society in academic work, but what if it is not financially sustainable? Ideals are hard to live up to at a closed institution.

Away from the established major education providers, some countries are ready to try. Education policymakers in India are going as far to place holistic education at the top of the priority list. Inspired by ancient centres of learning at Nalanda and Taxila, India’s National Education Policy (NEP) advocates for a greater degree of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies.

It is still relatively early days for the NEP, which was formalised in 2020. As one of the largest education systems in the world, it will take time for the goals for the NEP to come to fruition. Measuring success and outcomes is therefore not easy for now.

Outcomes matter to universities and students alike. Ultimately new ways of thinking about managing an institution need to translate into something quantifiable, especially as operational challenges mount against universities.

In terms of outcomes, the purpose driven approach of Heriot Watt Malaysia seems to be working.

“We received very good feedback from multiple employers that our graduates are “different,” Al-Atabi tells The PIE.

“They are confident and able to lead.”

“In an independent survey of the quality of our programs, as they were experienced by employers through our graduates, they received the highest possible rating.”

Students are happy, employers are happy, and the university is happy. This gives no indication of the short-term financial costs, but long-term appears very promising and sustainable in terms of building the relationships which maintain universities. Happy students secure the reputation of a university, while happy employers retain the connections and relevance to wider society which keep degrees valuable.

At the heart of the Blantyre Declaration meanwhile is the desire to create sustainable, equitable partnerships – a key deciding factor in recent years as more international partners demand higher standards from the major education providers.

While Dundee’s initiative focusses on Malawi, the growing importance of treating international partners on a truly equal basis has shown its face in multiple major markets.

Last year, numerous Indian institutions were in discussions regarding a proposed equitable TNE model. At the height of the pandemic, when international student flows were at their thinnest, the Chinese Ministry of Education announced a shift to focus on ‘quality of quantity’.

It seems unlikely that universities will be purely ‘purpose-driven’ institutions any time soon. The sector arguably has much more pressing matters immediately at hand. Yet paying heed to purpose, whether for students, partnerships, or otherwise, looks to be a hopeful avenue in the search to better connect universities with their wider communities.

If there is a chance that focssing on purpose helps with the day-to-day business of a university, then that is good news for students, academics and management alike.