Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy
First, the ideal university should be a bastion of critical inquiry covering every conceivable field of human endeavour. It has first-rate faculty that does first-rate research on super-massive black holes and discovers new extra-solar planets, figures out quantum computation and the folding of proteins, documents the mating habits of macaws and tarantulas, and deciphers the extinct languages of Sumeria and Mesopotamia. The professors are widely cited and known for important discoveries. Their fame attracts talented researchers and students from across the world. Academic and cultural freedom is crucial. Unless authority and conventional wisdom can be challenged, one cannot have meaningful research and teaching of history, art, politics, and the social sciences. This freedom is important for the entire university culture.
Our ideal university also spawns high-tech companies that create more powerful computers and data compression techniques. It generates products and ideas upon which the progress and survival of civilisations depends, such as new crop varieties and renewable energy sources. It also does a splendid job at training engineers, doctors, economists, business managers, and other professionals.
Most importantly — this ideal university creates a modern citizenry capable of responsible and reasoned decision making. Its graduates can think independently and scientifically, have an understanding of history and culture, can create discourses on social and political issues, and are capable of coherent expression in speech and writing. They are in demand everywhere — both in academia and industry — nationally and internationally.
