The University Challenge

Chapter 1

Changing universities in changing times

Introduction

Many people have lost confidence in universities at a time when we believe that they are more important than ever. The planet, and all of us on it, face huge challenges in the decades ahead. By the mid-21st century we will need not only to feed 10 billion people but also to ensure fair access to often costly heath care and a reasonable quality of living around the globe. All of the creative and innovative capacities of humanity need to be aligned and applied as never before in human history.

The central contention of this book is that high quality universities are a key contributor to addressing and overcoming those challenges. Universities prepare outstanding young people to ...