One of our most important responsibilities as leaders of agricultural universities, and a critical role for RUFORUM as well, is to reflect critically on the mission of the university. Taxpayers who fund budgets, policy makers who determine the resources available, producers both large and small, consumers and other stakeholders, harbor multiple expectations of universities work and role. The goal of educating professionals, engaging in research, and reaching out to the “community” define the mission of most universities. I would argue that while all three goals are worthy and should, resources allowing, be pursued, most of our institutions would be well-served making the first of these – preparing young people as contributing members of society – the first among equals.
The challenges confronting the world, chief among them climate change and its myriad effects on the environment, the economy and our very survival as a species, demand new ways of thinking and acting. The search for scientific and technical solutions is critically important, as are efforts to support producers and rural communities in managing a changing environment. However, preparing the next generation of professionals as leaders in business, science, government and civil society remains the most fundamental of our responsibilities. Because of budget constraints, tradition and the lack of a clear vision of the task of preparing the next generation of leaders, the emphasis in many educational programs is limited to simply imparting knowledge. If future leaders, in Africa and elsewhere, are going to do a better job of stewarding our societies towards a more sustainable future, they need far more. Training in leadership, critical thinking, ethics and citizenship should all be high on the list of priorities we establish in our learning models.
I retired from EARTH University (www.earth.ac.cr) in Costa Rica two years ago. During my career, I had the good fortune of being both a teacher and an administrator, including academic Dean and Provost. EARTH’s mission is to “Prepare leaders with ethical values to contribute to sustainable development and to construct a prosperous and just society”. Note that while EARTH’s program centers on agricultural education, the mission statement itself does not mention agriculture, it focuses instead on the formation of leaders – leaders with ethical values. At EARTH, the focus on students, leadership and ethics determines how the program is organized, the criteria used in the selection of students, the profile of academic staff, even the design of facilities.
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