S ESSION
III:
ADMINISTERING THE UNIVERSITY
OF THE FUTURE
Edith Kurzweil:
Once again, I guess quality's making up for quantity. We
heard excellent papers yesterday and are looking forward to equally interest–
ing ones today. We're going to begin with Helga Deppe-Wolfinger, who has
come from the University of Frankfurt. She's the foremost authority in
Germany in the areas of third world and gender studies, and she has been a
leader in bringing about scholastic reforms. The next speaker isJon Westling
who, as you all know, is a historian and the president of Boston University.
You all have been to Bob Brustein's repertory theater in Cambridge and
have read his reviews. Today, he's going to talk on
"Art
Education: What Is
Its Place?" The last speaker is Bernard Avishai. He'll speak on "Education
for a New Economy: What Businesses Can Do." Thus they all will look at
the same issue on how to administer the university of the future, but from
very different perspectives. Helga Deppe-Wolfinger.
Helga Deppe-Wolfinger:
Thank you . I will speak about "The German
Case: Assuring High Standards in Mass Education at the University Level."
High standards in mass education-is that not a contradiction in terms?
Before answering this question let me make a few remarks on the German
university system. Thanks to the nineteenth-century reformer Wilhem von
Humboldt, this system is characterized by a marvelous freedom of access
and an amazing freedom of choice. We keep cherishing his legacy, though
today's mass education, financial restrictions, and other constraints would
suggest greater streamlining. The shortcomings of this tradition are obvi–
ous. Educating oneself as Humboldt would have it takes much longer than
working through a syllabus and taking a degree. So, whereas we may offer
the best education, we also have the oldest undergraduates in all of Europe.
Politicians and the labor market are not amused and keep suggesting stern
measures. Therefore, our principal challenge is to steer university educa–
tion away from both "anything goes" and "spoon-feeding." This is a
considerable challenge. The dimensions of this task become obvious when
you consider the peculiar features of our system. Foreign visitors are par–
ticularly struck by the following: university education is considered a
public affair; with few exceptions, German universities are state universi–
ties, controlled and funded by regional ministers of education; it is free
both for German and foreign students; no one pays dues or fees; there are
no entrance examinations, a high school certificate will do.
Yesterday, Kurt Scholz noted that this is a compliment for the schools.
Maybe so. In the German system, there are no entrance examinations, no
obligatory yearly examinations, no bachelors' degrees. Instead, we have
diplomas or master's degrees by means of state exanunations for lawyers,
doctors, and for teachers. Study programs and examinations vary from
department to department. Some are closely
kill
t, others are loose. Some
