Economistic perspective in linking University-society

This article discusses the business oriented focus of the relationships between university and society; that is, from a market oriented vision of the university becoming a service institution where the priority is to fulfil the demands of the business sector. It is concluded that the joint venture business-university represents the fundamental paradigm towards which the institution of higher education is moving today. The adoption of this policy hurts not only the historic heritage but also the freedom for thinking critically and speaking up, that is inherent to intellectuals under academic freedom. Knowledge is then left to utilitarian and pragmatic practices where it is sold to those who can pay for it. Consequently higher education would be no longer for the elite in search of knowledge for humankind but for satisfying the market, and along will arrive co-government as autonomy vanishes. These are some of the characteristics of universities following this tendency.