Column by Henk Kummeling
Education is always the answer
Whatever the question is, education is the answer. This statement has been attributed to so many people that it could almost be considered universal wisdom. And it’s true. Education is the key to escaping poverty, managing overpopulation and combating conflicts and wars. As the Rector Magnificus, I have always strived to emphasise the importance of education. Although the focus on this was already a strong focus at our university, it was possible to put education in the spotlight even more. Research was too often seen as the benchmark of quality and academic careers. Research is crucial, of course; it’s what our education is based on. However, it seemed that universities throughout the world had forgotten that, historically, education has been their first raison d’être. Education enables us to make the biggest difference socially. In Utrecht, we have all the basic conditions in place to provide good education. We have the Centre for Academic Teaching and Learning (CAT), which provides training courses for teachers and guides educational innovations, and we also ensure our alumni are able to continue learning in their professional lives via Continuing Education.
it was possible to put education in the spotlight even more.
Education is focusing less and less on traditional knowledge transfer. Information is available in immeasurable quantities via a few thumb clicks and the crucial questions now are: how reliable is this information? How do we find out how reliable this information is? The university is also being confronted with another complex issue: the willingness to have a frank discussion about the reliability of this information. I am seeing more and more students and lecturers getting trapped in echo chambers of like-minded people on social media. Dialogue with dissenters is happening less. This development is undermining the essence of an open academic culture, which calls for the discussion of various different perspectives. An open dialogue, raising observations for discussion and not being afraid to look at them from a different point of view are all crucial if academia is to be able to move forward.
Under the Higher Education and Research Act (WHW), the university’s remit is not limited to educating students academically but also includes instilling a sense of social responsibility in them. Let’s work together to create a university where openness and the courage to consider other perspectives are the norm. Education is our most powerful tool.
Prof. dr. Henk Kummeling
Henk Kummeling has been Utrecht University’s Rector Magnificus since 2018. He will be stepping down as the Rector Magnificus on 26 March 2025, which is why he is a guest writer for the column this time. Henk Kummeling will remain at Utrecht University as a professor. He and Manon Kluijtmans and Frank Miedema joined forces to write the book ‘The University in Transition’, a plea for open science. This book is available in both book form and digitally (free), in Dutch and English