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First of all I think that the roles and functions of universities have to be given some thought before one
comes up with political measures which might seem logical at the moment, but will turn out to be
short-sighted in a decade. For this, it is necessary to take into account the diversity both of the types of
universities, and of their speci c roles and functions. In order to avoid short-sightedness, one should look
at the usefulness of research universities from a comprehensive point of view which evaluates their most
important functions. Society is a complex interacting whole, which needs to be understood as a whole. It
is universities in their diversity that are the strongest providers of rational explanation and meaning that
societies need, and any reform should be aware of these complex requirements.
Since the functions of universities have come to be better understood, many countries have started to
come up with new ideas of university management. Some initiatives are even taken up by a relatively
large number of states. Thus the ‘Bologna-process’ has had fundamental in uence on most European
universities. Before one adopts such a procedure, however, it seems worth while to look at the
experiences of those universities: In spite of many positive results, there were a number of side-e ects
and results that were not intended, and which in some cases even contradict the aims of the process.
Some of these detrimental e ects could have been avoided, if one had known beforehand what the
pitfalls of the realisation of those goals were. The consequences of the Bologna process are, of course, a
topic which is very controversially discussed. In my personal view, there are three main dangers which
should be avoided: Firstly, many universities have taken the requirements very seriously and
implemented a lot of courses, modules and examinations. They put the new standardised requirements
into practice in a way that allows students very little leeway. The result of this is that it is quite di cult for
students to deal with the sheer quantity of the tasks they are assigned. Quite a number drop out, also,
because they have to work in order to pay for rent and food, and cannot combine this necessity with the
strict regulations of the new curricula.
Secondly, the new standardisation requires a lot of counselling. Since the regulations are both manifold
and speci c, students have little choice – and they need quite a lot of advice in order to take the right
course at the right time. This makes it necessary to invest a lot of time (and therefore university funds) into
o ce hours in which the students are told what to do – rather than in teaching and educating them.
Moreover, the regulations necessitate a lot of coordination between di erent professors from di erent
areas; after all, one has to try to make it possible for students to participate in all of the courses they need,
which therefore cannot be taught at the same time of the week. In large universities, in which students
can choose many di erent combinations of subjects (which is of course desirable in order to equip them
for di erent jobs), this is next to impossible.
Thirdly, student mobility, which was one of the main goals of the Bologna process, has become more
di cult. This is due to several reasons: First, the sheer number of courses students have to take make it
di cult to nd the time for half a year (or at least a few months) abroad. Secondly, the regulations
concerning the type and content of courses that have to be taken each semester are in most universities
very speci c. This makes it very di cult to nd another university which has the same requirements of
courses that have to be attended during a particular period of time. Even within Germany, it has become
much more di cult to change universities and continue one’s studies in another town or region. In
principle, everyone is willing to acknowledge the ECTS-Points which were granted at a di erent
university. In practice, however, it has become much more di cult, because the combination of courses
that has to be taken in each speci c year varies a lot.
DIA 2: DESAFÍOS DE LAS UNIVERSIDADES PÚBLICAS PARA EL SIGLO XXI
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CONFERENCIA: “Estado actual y proyecciones de las Universidades Públicas de los Estados Unidos”
142
Jaime Chahín
142
CONFERENCIA: “Responsabilidad del Estado respecto a la Sustentabilidad de la
Universidad Pública Nacional”
154
Juan Manuel Zolezzi, Consejo de Rectores.
155
PANEL: “Financiamiento de las universidades estatales: antecedentes y perspectivas para el siglo XXI” 161
Juan Manuel Zolezzi
162
Luis Ayala
162
María Olivia Mönckeberg
172
Felipe Morandé
180
Hugo Fazio
185
CONFERENCIA: “La Mercantilización de la Educación, el ejemplo de la Universidad”
185
Roger Dehaybe
185
CONFERENCIA: “Enseñanza Superior, Universidades Públicas y Universidades de Clase Mundial.
Relación entre estos términos y las Políticas de Investigación y Desarrollo en Brasil”.
186
Hernán Chaimovich
186
PANEL: “Futuro de las Universidades Públicas en Chile”
193
Sergio Pulido
193
Jorge Las Heras
197
José Antonio Viera-Gallo
202
José Joaquín Brunner
205
Ennio Vivaldi
212
Ricardo Núñez
220
CONFERENCIA: Alcances y conclusiones del Encuentro
226
Francisco Brugnoli
226
CONFERENCIA DE CIERRE
232
Mónica Jiménez, Ministra de Educación
232
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