The university as a community, or the university in a community? From the development of social sciences towards the university’s third mission

Abstract

This paper begins with a sociohistorical analysis of the university as a specific community of interacting intellectuals, which enabled the creation of an epistemological and institutional core for the development of the social sciences. On the other hand, we critically consider and analyze the contemporary university reforms in Europe, in terms of bringing universities and the social community closer together through the social dimension, as well as the dimensions of entrepreneurship and innovation. This paper aims to investigate the role of the university from its inception as a specific and unique intellectual community, towards its current aspirations to connect and integrate with the wider community. Two research tasks have been defined: the first refers to determining the importance of the interaction among intellectuals within the university for the production of scientific knowledge, while the second task involves analyzing the importance of interaction between the university and the social community through the university?s third mission. The research results indicate that the institutional and interactionist framework for the establishment of the university as an institution that communicates with the wider community was gradually formed through its various roles and reforms in the course of social history. However, we also conclude that the social role of the university has always been relatively complementary to the current third mission requirements, and with the historical development of knowledge concerning human society.