1. Big fish in a small pond? Challenges and Strategies for Universities in small nations International Conference “Small Nations’ Universities in a Unifying Europe” University of Tartu, Thursday 26 November 2009 Professor Jürgen Barkhoff Registrar, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland Culture, Arts and Humanities Task Force, Chair

2. Trinity College Dublin University of Dublin History: Established 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I Regional focus: to educate the sons of the Anglo-Irish protestant nobility ‘Nr 3’ in the UK, but also ‘Oxbridge reject’ and, at times, ‘silent sister’ ‘protestant, stronghold’ in the young independent nation after 1922

3. Trinity College Dublin University of Dublin Today: 16000 students, 2/3 UG, 1/3 PG 250 Ph.D.s awarded annually 3 Faculties and 24 Schools 11% International students City Center location Nr 1 of 7 universities in Ireland Nr 43 in THES World Rankings, 12 in Europe Member of the Coimbra Group

4. Coimbra Group European University network since 1985 Historic, traditional universities Comprehensive universities Outside of capital cities with strong regional focus Important role of heritage: Task Force Culture, Arts and Humanities

5. Mission of CAHTF Based on the cultural heritage of the Coimbra Group Universities, the Task Force seeks to explore the ways in which the traditional role of European historical universities in shaping European culture can be continued in the 21st century. It is also the task of the Culture, Arts and Humanities Task Force to contribute to the reflection of the changing conditions of the Arts and Humanities sector, and to advocate, in the light of present reform processes in education and research and based on experiences of the Coimbra Group Universities, the centrality of the Arts and Humanities for European universities and societies.

6. Overview 1. National expectations vs. international aspirations 2. ‘Competitive cooperation’? 3. Research and Research Assessment 4. Language Policy 5. Outreach and Engagement with Society 6. A special role for the Humanities?

7. National expectations Expectations of national funding bodies: Educate the next generations of professionals, specialists, leaders Support and develop the knowledge economy Stimulate and foster innovation and entrepreneurship Contribute to the reflection of society, its direction, its values, its strategies

8. Lisbon Strategy Europe is to become the “most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth and better jobs and greater social cohesion” This is put into practice predominantly at the national level, but through international networking

9. International aspirations Research cooperation is international Quality benchmarks, especially in research, are international Quality assurance processes are international Competition for the best (research) students is global Internationalisation is an increasingly important KPI (THES) Schizophrenia or Dialectics? To be international as a national institution

10. Overview 1. National expectations vs. international aspirations 2. ‘Competitive cooperation’? 3. Research and Research Assessment 4. Language Policy 5. Outreach and Engagement with Society 6. A special role for the Humanities? 7. Conclusions

11. ‘Competitive cooperation’ Imperative of growing collaboration at national level Nobody can be excellent in everything Avoidance of duplication vs. the comprehensive university ‘Synergies’ and ‘critical mass’ – just synonyms for money saving? Targeted funding initiatives coupled to cooperation imperatives Mergers threaten identity, destroy institutional memory, cost time and money and take time to pay off Institutional identity and reputation is a resource Competitive cooperation as answer?

12. Overview 1. National expectations vs. international aspirations 2. ‘Competitive cooperation’? 3. Language Policy 4. Research Assessment 5. Outreach and Engagement with Society 6. A special role for the Humanities? 7. Conclusions

13. English as lingua franca Imperative for research impact Condition for increased internationalisation of education Erasmus mobility targets Key qualification for graduates across all professions European language policy: mothertongue plus two

14. Protection of national languages Pivotal roles of national language(s) for –personal and national identity –cultural memory –preservation of heritage –vitality of culture –social cohesion Protection of minority languages key policy aim in Europe Linguistic diversity key requirement for unity in diversity in Europe Institutional responsibility for strong language policy!

15. Overview 1. National expectations vs. international aspirations 2. ‘Competitive cooperation’? 3. Language Policy 4. Research Assessment 5. Outreach and Engagement with Society 6. A special role for the Humanities? 7. Conclusions

16. Research and research assessment Trends in research evaluation towards international and generalized KPIs Disciplines that are (partially) geared to a society or country are slipping through the net: History, Law, Politics, Sociology, History, Linguistics, Literature, Cultural History Non-English disciplines structurally disadvantaged Esteem indicators beyond the discipline Wider social, cultural and economic impact hard to capture and often at national level

17. HERA 2008 feasability study Bibliometrics, citation analysis as in the Natural Sciences does not work for Arts & Humanities: Poor coverage of Arts & Humanities by SCI, ISI, Scopus Monographs not included Impact slower and more long-term in the Humanities, citation window substantially different Perverse incentives Seminal or radical works need time for breakthrough Disadvantage for Non-English disciplines / countries Disadvantage for disciplines with regional or national orientation

18. Overview 1. National expectations vs. international aspirations 2. ‘Competitive cooperation’? 3. Language Policy 4. Research Assessment 5. Outreach and Engagement with Society 6. A special role for the Humanities?

19. Outreach Engagement with society additional imperative Local, regional and national focus Leadership in public debates of educational, scientific, political and cultural issues. Involvement the creative and cultural life of the city Contribution to entrepreneurship and innovation in city and region Foster civic engagement and volunteering of staff and students

20. Overview 1. National expectations vs. international aspirations 2. ‘Competitive cooperation’? 3. Language Policy 4. Research Assessment 5. Outreach and Engagement with Society 6. A special responsibility for the Humanities?

21. Responsibility of the Humanities Arts and Humanities at the forefront of CG Universities since their foundation Pivotal role in developing reflecting and ‘translating’ history, heritage, identity Need to avoid parochial or partisan perspectives Reflect and foster the dialectic between the local/regional/national and the European/global

22. Key skills for a globalized world Humanities graduates possess: Cultural awareness Ability to ‘read cultures’ Intercultural competence Negotiating otherness Culture, tradition, and identity are powerful resources for innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship and global advantage