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When you are looking for something, but don't know quite what it is, how do you know when you've found it? --- Plato's Meno
Is there such a thing as wisdom, or is what seems such merely the ultimate refinement of folly? --- Bertrand Rusell, History of Western Philosophy, Introduction, pg. 2
28 March, 2013: Created
April, 2013: Corrected
August, 2013: Corrected
October 2014 - March 2015: Added preface and quotations
Sources of influence
1. The phrase "University in Mission-mode" owes its due to Rasu N. Vakil, founder-member, CEPT University, Ahmedabad. He remains no more, but scattered conversations and a very specific request from him in 2013 prompted the writing of this document and provided the central argument that a University must engage with its environment in a responsible and mature manner.
2. The further development of this thought in my own mind and its expression was undoubtedly influenced by two books. Readings of both these books preceeded as well as punctuated the writing of the main body of this document. As a result, it is inevitable that the influence and impressions left behind by those books should find their way directly into the underlying viewpoints and tone of the text. The two books were:
2.1. For Reasons of State by Noam Chomsky and, in particular, the article within it titled "Role of University in Times of Crisis". Among other things, the usage of the phrase "the core of the university" and the sense in which it is used owes its debt to this article. Most chapters of this book were read multiple times.
2.2. The Spheres and Duties of Government by Wilhelm Humboldt. Knowledge about Humboldt and his writings was on account of his mention in the writings of Chomsky. The notion that the change has to be incremental, gradual and work with existing system and structures owes its origin to the temperament evident in the introductory section of this work of Humboldt's that was first penned in early 1790's when Humboldt was still very young. Only part of the introduction to this book was read (till date I have not gotten around to moving beyond). However, of whatever little I read I was taken in by the refinement of the tone when dealing with a very practical and heavy subject matter. This tone, or rather, the sensibility was a definitive influence.
3. This article may hold meaning for persons from academic institutions; the rest may choose to continue till the eye or the mind whispers 'enough'. Even the seasoned academic will be hard-pressed to maintain her spirits through the latter portions of the essay: but if she does, she may latch onto something concrete to try out. This trudging through is reflective not of the subject-matter: which has sparks of urgency flying all around it: rather, the author's skills of writing and his command of the Queen's vocabulary.
4. This essay has yet to be proof-read, so the author will welcome any and all suggestions for improvements.
What follow are a set of excerpts, quotations or passages in a certain order. These are related in a very tangential manner to the body of this essay. However, if one takes time to go through them and 'feel' the meaning of these passages and then read through the body then she or he may appreciate why these textual insertions are made. If this is not clear in first reading then the cycle (going through the insertions and then the body) can be repeated till a feeling of 'merging' between the sprinkling of these seemingly random insertions and part of the body happens. The trick is to not try very hard but ease through this process.
"That's the purpose of discussion, that's the purpose of counsel, that's the purpose of drawing near, that's the purpose of lending ear: i.e., the liberation of mind through no clinging."
--- Angaturra Nikaya 3:68, sourced from "Skill in Questions, How the Buddha taught" by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Geofrrey DeGraff)
"A large number of human relationships in any social group are still upon the machine-like plane. Individuals use one another so as to get desired results, without reference to the emotional and intellectual disposition and consent of those used. Such uses express physical superiority, or superiority in position, skill, technical ability, and command of tools, mechanical or fiscal. So far as relations of parent and child, teacher and pupil, employer and employee, governor and governed, remain upon this level, they form no true social group, no matter how closely their respective activities touch one another. Giving and taking of orders modifies action and results, but does not of itself effect a sharing of purposes, a communication of interests."
--- Chapter One: Education as a Necessity of Life, Democracy and Education, John Dewey
"It is in the prosecution of some single object, and in striving to reach its accomplishment by the combined application of his moral and physical energies, that the true happiness of man, in his full vigour and development consists."
--- Chapter 1: Introducton, The Spheres and Duties of Government, Wilhelm Humboldt
'The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.' --- Prov. 14:6, NIV
'Teach me good judgement and knowledge.' --- Ps. 119:66, NIV
"Love of truth which Locke considers essential, is a very different thing from love of some particular doctrine. One unerring mark of love of truth, he says, is 'not entertaining any proposition with greater assurance than the proofs it is built upon will warrant'. Forwardness to dictate, he says, shows failure of love of truth. 'Enthusiasm laying by reason, would set up revelation without it; whereby in effect it takes away both reason and revelation, and substitutes in the room of it the ungrounded fancies of a man's own brain.' Men who suffer from melancholy or conceit are likely to have 'persuasions of immediate intercourse with the Deity'. Hence odd actions and opinions acquire Divine sanction, which flatters 'men's laziness, ignorance and vanity'. He concludes the chapter with the maxim already quoted, that 'revelation must be judged of by reason'."
--- Locke's Theory of Knowledge, Chapter 3, Book 3 (Modern Philosophy), History of Western Philosophy, Bertrand Rusell
"... Now Kalamas, don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, "This contemplative is our teacher." When you know for yourselves that, "These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when undertaken & carried out, lead to welfare & to happiness" --- then you should enter & remain in them."
--- Angaturra Nikaya, Kalama Sutta, 3.65; translation from Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu quoted from Kalama Sutta.
"There are five things that can turn out in two ways in the here-&-now. Which five? Conviction, liking, unbroken tradition, reasoning by analogy, and an agreement through pondering views. These are the five things that can turn out in two ways in the here-&-now. Now some things are firmly held in conviction, and yet vain, empty and false. Some things are not firmly held in conviction, and yet they are genuine, factual, and unmistaken. Some things are well-liked...truly an unbroken tradition... well-reasoned... Some things are well-pondered and yet vain, empty and false. Some things are not well-pondered, and yet they are genuine, factual and unmistaken. In these cases it isn't proper for a knowledgeable person who safeguards the truth to come to a definite conclusion, 'Only this is true; anything else is worthless.'"
--- Majjhima Nikaya, Canki Sutta (With Canki), translation from Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu accessed at Canki Sutta.
"Others will misapprehend according to their individual views, hold on to them tenaciously and not easily discard them; we shall not misapprehend according to individual views nor hold on to them tenaciously, but shall discard them with ease --- thus effacement can be done."
--- Majjhima Nikaya, Sallekha Sutta; translation from Pali by Nyanaponika Thera accessed at Sallekha Sutta.
"Rich men I see who, folly-led, never give, but still amass, athirst for pleasures now, the king whose conquests to the sea extend, for sway over empires overseas still pine; still craving, kings and subjects pass away; lacking, still lacking, they their bodies quit; never on earth can pleasures' measure be filled."
--- Majjhima Nikaya, Rattaphala Sutta II:4:82:250, translation quoted from Chapter 3, The Buddha and His Dhamma (A critical edition), B.R.Ambedkar, Oxford University Press, 2013
"Gypsy blacksmith, you have been hammering your poverty for many years now, but you won't hammer the future. You need to find the Kingdom of Hope. On the way there, you will pass: Fear, Uncertainty, and Despair. But you carry on walking. When you reach the aim, you will see three towers: the Tower of Vanity & Conceit, the Tower of Laziness & Foolishness, and the Tower of Wisdom.
In the Tower of Wisdom, there will be many rooms. Open the one where you will have Knowledge, Reason and Power to Will. Remember: Do not open the grated rooms --- they have White, Black and Yellow Thoughts. They prowl, and can catch a man in their snare. Take the Wisdom Stone from the right room."
--- The Wisdom Stone, Jan Mirga: quoted from the article 'A Pinprick of Light, Stories of Poland's Roma, Photographs from the Romani Click Project', pg. 63 & 64, The Caravan Magazine, New Delhi, November 2014.
"Abandoning covetousness with regard to the world, he dwells with an awareness devoid of covetousness.
Abandoning ill will and anger, he dwells with an awareness devoid of ill will, sympathetic with the welfare of all living beings. He cleanses his mind of ill will and anger.
Abandoning sloth and drowsiness, he dwells with an awareness devoid of sloth and drowsiness, mindful, alert, percipient of light. He cleanses his mind of sloth and drowsiness.
Abandoning restlessness and anxiety, he dwells undisturbed, his mind inwardly stilled. He cleanses his mind of restlessness and anxiety.
Abandoning uncertainty, he dwells having crossed over uncertainty, with no perplexity with regard to skillful mental qualities. He cleanses his mind of uncertainty.
...when these five hindrances are not abandoned in himself, the monk regards it as a debt, a sickness, a prison, a slavery, a road through a desolate country. But when these five hindrances are abandoned in himself, he regards it as unindebtedness, good health, release from prison, freedom, a place for security. Seeing that they have been abandoned within him, he becomes glad. Glad, he becomes enraptured. Enraptured, his body grows tranquil. His body tranquil, he is sensitive to pleasure. Feeling pleasure, his mind becomes concentrated."
--- Diggha Nikaya, Sammannaphala Sutta, DN 2; translation from Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu accessed at Sammannaphala Sutta.
"It's through living together that a person's virtue may be known, and then only after a long period, not a short period; by one who is attentive, not by one who is inattentive; by one who is discerning, not by one who is not discerning.
It's through dealing with a person that his purity may be known, and then only after a long period, not a short period; by one who is attentive and not by one who is not attentive; by one who is discerning, not by one who is not discerning.
It's through adversity that a person's endurance may be known, and then only after a long period, not a short period; by one who is attentive and not by one who is not attentive; by one who is discerning, not by one who is not discerning.
It's through discussion that a person's discernment may be known, and then only after a long period, not a short period; by one who is attentive, not by one who is not attentive; by one who is discerning, not by one who is not discerning.
--- Angaturra Nikaya, Thana Sutta, 4.192; translation from Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu accessed at Thana Sutta
"The salik (wayfarer) trods the Sufi path, tariqaa, which has different stations (muqaams). He seeks to acquire ma'rifah (gnosis) and feeling (hal). It is different from intellectual awareness or learning (ilm). The great Rumi remarked: "It is reason which has destroyed the reputation of the Intellect." The three main and most famous stations on the journey are mentioned in the Quran. They centre around the conquest of the nafs (the passions), which obscures aql (reason). The Quran refers to that nafs "and as for him who fears to stand before his Lord and restrains himself from low desires" (79:40). He has to resist the proddings of shaitan (the devil).
The three stations are: 1. Nafs al-ammarah: "Surely (man's) self is wont to command evil, except those on whom in (sic) Rab has mercy. Surely my Rab is Forgiving, Merciful" (12:53). 2. Nafsal lawwama "the self-accusing spirit" (75:2). The conscience which urges repentance (tauba). 3. Nafs-al-mutmainnah "Oh soul thou art at rest, return to thy Rab, well-meaning, well-pleasing." So enter among My servants, And enter My Gardens (89:27-30). This is the highest stage of the spiritual development of man: he enters Allah's Grace."
--- "What is Sufism", A.G. Noorani, Frontline, Vol. 31, Number 23, November 15-28, 2014, pg. 102
"Mansur devoted a substantial part of Kitab at-Tawasin to discuss the significance of Satan. When God invited the angels to bow before Adam, all obeyed. Satan alone refused to adore "another than God" and declared, "I am worth more than Adam." He fell and was banished. The pharaoh saw only himself and lost God. Annemarie Schimmel recalls how the distinction was perceived by one mystic after another. Muhammad Saeed Sarmad shocked people with this couplet: "Go, learn the ways of devotion from Satan: Choose one Kaaba and do not prostrate yourself before anything else."
--- "What is Sufism", A.G. Noorani, Frontline, Vol. 31, Number 23, November 15-28, 2014, pg. 104
"... Of such mysticism William James said "the existence of mystical states absolutely overthrows the pretensions of non-mystical states to be the sole and ultimate dictators of what we may believe.
These mystical states are commonly described as meditation but they include not merely peaceful contemplation but ecstatic rapture. They are sometimes explained as Union with Brahman, the absorption of the soul in God, or its feeling that it is one with him. But this is certainly not the only explanation of ecstasy given in India, for it is recognized as real and beneficient by Buddhists and Jains. The same rapture, the same sense of omniscience and of ability to comprehend the scheme of things, the same peace and freedom are experienced by both theistic and non-theistic sects, just as they have also been experienced by the Christian mystics. The experiences are real but they do not depend on the presence of any special deity, though they may be coloured by the theological views of individual thinkers. The earliest Buddhist texts make right rapture (samma samadhi) the end and crown of the eight-fold path but offer no explanation of it. They suggest that it is something wrought by the mind for itself and without the co-operation or infusion of any external influence."
--- Section 12, Chapter 1, Book 1, Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. I, Sir Charles Eliot
"Thus it is, Ananda, that craving comes into being because of desire for gain, when desire for gain becomes a passion for possession; when the spirit of possession gives rise to tenacity of possession, it becomes avarice. Avarice or possession due to [the] uncontrolled acquisitive instinct calls for watch and ward. Why is this craving to be condemned? Because of this, many a bad and wicked state of things arise --- blows and wounds, strife, contradiction and retorts; quarelling, slander, and lies."
--- Majjhima Nikaya, Ratthapala Sutta II:4:82:250; translation quoted from Chapter 3, The Buddha and His Dhamma, B.R. Ambedkar, A Critical Edition, Oxford University Press, Fourth Impression, 2013
"Therefore we may never, while we are concerned with inquiries into actual things, draw any conclusions from abstractions; we shall be extremely careful not to confound that which is only in the understanding with that which is in the thing itself. The best basis for drawing a conclusion will be either some particular affirmative essence, or a true and legitimate definition. For the understanding cannot descend from universal axioms by themselves to particular things, since axioms are of infinite extent, and do not determine the understanding to contemplate one particular thing more than another. Thus the true method of discovery is to form thoughts from some given definition. This process will be more fruitful and easy in proportion as the thing be better defined."
--- "On the Improvement of the Understanding (Treatise on Emendation of the Intellect) by Baruch Spinoza"
"Upali, the qualities of which you may know, 'These qualities do not lead to utter disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, nor to Unbinding': You may categorically hold, 'This is not Dhamma, this is not Vinaya, this is not Teacher's instruction.'"
--- Angaturra Nikaya, Satthusasana Sutta, 7.79; translated from Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu accessed at Satthusasana Sutta
"Gotami, the qualities of which you may know, 'These qualities lead to passion, not to dispassion; to being fettered, not to being unfettered; to accumulating, not to shedding; to self-aggrandizement, not to modesty; to discontent, not to contentment; to entanglement, not to seclusion; to laziness, not to aroused persistence; to being burdensome, not to being unburdensome': You may categorically hold, 'This is not Dhamma, this is not Vinaya, this is not the Teacher's instruction.'
--- Angaturra Nikaya, Gotami Sutta, 8.53; translation from Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu accessed at Gotami Sutta
I. UNIVERSITY IN MISSION MODE
1) Today the terms of "social development", "social sector", "social change", "inclusive development" have acquired a contemporary relevance and some sense of urgency. Previously limited largely to not-for-profits, trusts and co-operatives (that have made and continue to make exceptional contributions in this field), a variety of additional stakeholders are showing renewed interest in these ideas including governments, corporates, entrepreneurs, and interestingly, and somewhat hearteningly, fresh graduates and first-time job seekers.
2) Not all of this interest is praiseworthy of course. Terms such as above hold the potential for deeper and universal meaning but it is not necessary that every stakeholder will wish to (or be compelled to) interpret the meaning of the terms in the same fashion. As is more likely the case these terms will be inevitably interpreted under the current economic and political ideological framework. And this act of interpretation can give rise to various causes that can prompt interest in these terms.
2.1) It is no denying the fact that to a certain segment of the population (especially the young and those who are forced to question the current models of economic development) these terms present a viable intellectual alternative as well as a shelter to reduce the agitations of an angry and confused mind. Admittedly, there is a certain puritan and protestant simplicity about this state of mind at the beginning. But one should not be beguiled into thinking that this state of mind remains throughout the person as s/he starts delving deeper into the issues. This state of mind will soon incorporate biases, prejudices, ego, and soon a genuine concern will evolve into yet another dogma. The vitality of the original thought and feeling has to struggle to make itself felt making those outside rightfully question the moral self-righteousness of the individuals who were so "moved in the beginning by the concern for their brothers."
2.2) On the other hand, as opposed to the previous route, there will inevitably arise at some stage, in every educated, informed and ambitious individual a desire to "make a mark", "be seen as different from the crowd"; a need to challenge one's own professional development and growth. "Social concern" in that sense offers an exciting proposition to those with this pre-disposition of mind. It is often more pronounced in those who have managed to seek and secure financial and material pleasures for themselves and are now yearning for that "Christian Charity".
2.3) And then of course we have a tendency that is sceptical and professes a certain materialistic and business-like ethos. For this kind of tendency, on the one hand, this is an opportunity to reform and professionalize the meaning of these terms and on the other case, it is just another business opportunity to take advantage of these terms to continue existing agendas. That is, to give an interpretation to these terms in line with their existing thoughts rather than seeing it as an opportunity to re-interpret their current thoughts and practices.
3) Thus, on the whole, these terms in and of themselves mean little unless and until one is clear on the intent through which one wishes to approach them. But all said and done, if there is one type of entity that can lay original claim to these terms more than any other it is the system and tradition of Schools and Universities, i.e., the educational system in general. Historically, the process of imparting and receiving education has been considered the highest form of social responsibility. The very notion of education was defined as holistic development of individual and inclusive development of society. The latter point in particular is being talked about in the mainstream but without engaging the educational system in a direct, central, permanent and a very forceful way.
4) Beyond this moral accountability that history places and one that is inherent in the very nature of educational system, there is also a very practical reason for Universities in particular to be concerned with social development.
4.1) Today, Universities, as a class of institutions, are probably among the very few institutions that have built a substantial base of physical and human resources (admittedly of uneven quality but nonetheless noticeable in its quantum) and have access to possession of technical know-how across wide-ranging disciplines. In some cases, this technical know-how is complemented meaningfully and sincerely with a strong research capability.
4.2) There is an increasing growth of privately funded universities that, in principle, are supposed to enjoy greater flexibility in formulating their educational agenda.
4.3) Further, as a trend, most universities are continuously seeking to build partnerships with a diverse group of stakeholders thereby putting the universities in the role (consciously or unconsciously) of a very powerful intermediary and a possible program manager that can think of undertaking far-reaching initiatives and programs, the scope and vision of which can very much exceed that which a large corporate could accomplish in its normal course of action.
4.4) The previous point is especially relevant in context of the pressing issues of the day which are by nature unavoidably inter-disciplinary. The holistic solution that is really required to address them puts to test the capacities of corporates, foundations, individual entrepreneurs as well as not-for-profits alike for which a university, on paper, should provide an environment to bind these actors together.
5) Look at any university today and all of these factors are present in some form. And their very presence forces the universities (and also the general educational system) to take up the role of an important (if not a critical) medium of change to create an inclusive and equal society. But if we examine the role of universities today from this perspective it seems that the gap is disappointingly wide. For various reasons, universities have come to be associated mainly with certification (especially at under-graduate and masters level) with an excessive pre-occupation on career development and vocational and professional training that far exceeds what may really be necessary. Even if we accept as valid the idea that what the market demands is always right, it will still require a great leap of faith to believe that producing technically qualified individuals is all that a market is demanding. Surely the market would (or should) also like more well-rounded, rooted individuals who are in touch with the real society, have the ability to reflect on their own terms, can make morally sound decisions and have the fortitute to stand by those decisions.
6) It is not that there is no recognition of this gap within the university system, especially with regard to incremental contribution to inclusive development. These incremental efforts are periodically under-taken in various forms: specialized curricula (e.g. Rural Development), centres of research, of late incubators for social enterprises, the typical networking events including seminars, workshops, etc.. These are all valid initiatives but hardly enough.
7) Over time many of these efforts seem to exhaust their due course: because of short-comings in governance; withdrawal of support from the highest decision-making quarters; over-shadowing by explicit commercial considerations; lack of adequate interest and institutionalization beyond the individual or team that founded the idea; dilution of the integrity of the original idea within too short a time frame --- problems that are hardly to unique to universities and ones for which it would be unfair to single out universities alone; indeed these can (and as an ironic necessity do) plague any institution. Even when the above efforts do survive, they do so as largely peripheral or adjunct to the core of the university.
8) But what indeed is the core of the University? It is:
8.1) the very process of learning and pedagogy that spans across most (if not all) departments and disciplines,
8.2) the nature, temper and tone of the interaction between the faculty and the students, and
8.3) the nature of interaction of the university with its external stakeholders.
9) Only when any initiative manages to integrate itself intimately with all of these three aspects, will it be able to (a) sustain, (b) contribute in a substantial way and (c) in process permanently re-define the role of the university. This is what can be called "university in a mission mode." In other words, re-orienting the core of the university so that it absorbs a socially critical agenda as an extension of its present resource base---knowledge, human and physical---without going radically out of it's way or incurring significant investments in additional resources. The target is not to effect a whole-sale change within a university and disrupt its current proceedings but to proceed incrementally but consistently. It should not end up as yet another project or another department or resource centre within the university apparatus but instead survive as an on-going process that always remains an item on the agenda of decision-making at the highest levels. The pre-requisites for this are quite obvious and in fact very straightforward: a strong will, a large reservoir of patience without getting unduly moved by the "latest fashion of the day in the education sector" or allowing decision-making to be completely over-shadowed by commercial and image-building considerations alone.
10) It is easy to dismiss the discussion on the grounds of naive idealism but it is not too difficult to find specific examples of educational institutions in India that have adopted and operate on a platform that is, at the very least, different from the mainstream; and in the process have created a local niche for themselves as well as contributed to society in a small but nonetheless measurable way. These are not likely to be examples one hears of and neither are they likely to attract lot of funding and media attention. Their examples should serve as starting points for those institutions that are in a far more priviledged position.
11) "University in mission-mode" is simply an attempt to re-create the marriage of university and society. Neither is it a new idea nor is the educational system in India unique in its current predicament. Foremost thinkers and reformers across the world have reinforced it (the idea) time and again in one or the other form. Among them Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767 -- 1835), the principal reformer and architect of the Prussian education system---that was to later serve as a model in countries such as United States and Japan and the traces of which are still visible in the German education system of today---is an example of a reformer who, with reasonable success, translated such seemingly loftier ideas into concrete practice in the State of Prussia. In turn, this was part of Prussia's bottom-up nation-building exercise (one of its kind in recent history) after it was left humiliated and devastated at the hands of Napoleon Bonaparte's French Army in 1806.
12) An important principle of his educational reform was simple and obvious enough: "the self-education [of an individual] can only be continued in the wider context of the world" --- something the Germans called Allegmeine Bildung, i.e., well-rounded education. And the fact, as noted by Humboldt, was that "... The University is reserved for what the human being can find by and within himself ... For this self-activity the fullest sense of freedom is necessary, and solitude is helpful. Lecture courses are only a secondary aspect ..." This is all expressed in different terms in our own Indian tradition but it is something that we have collectively chosen to forget far too readily and have made considerable effort to push it very much out of our line-of-sight --- all in a haste to "grow" across only one dimension to the exclusion of all others, especially over the last two decades.
13) The word "bildung" owes its origin to the Greek word "paiedeia". As Umberto Eco expresses (as only he can) " ... "Paiedeia" was not just transmission of knowledge: it was an ensemble of social techniques through which young men were initiated into adult life after an ideal education. To achieve this "paiedeia" was to become a mature personality, a man, someone who is "kaloskagathos," beautiful because good and good because beautiful. In Latin "paiedeia" was translated as "humanitas" which Germans translate, I believe, as "Bildung" which is in turn more than just "Kultur." [The American Myth in Three Anti-American Generations, On Literature, Umberto Eco]
14) And he continues, "In ancient times "paiedeia" was translated through philosophical conversation and a homosexual relationship. In modern times we use prescribed texts and school lessons. But recently "paiedeia" has also become involved with mass communication. Not only in the sense that the circulation of the books is a feature of mass communication, but also because choosing one's own curriculum in the jungle of mass media can constitute an instance of constructing one's own "humanitas." What I mean is that Woody Allen has something to do with "paiedeia" while John Travolta does not: but we must not be so dogmatic. If I think about my own growth in "humanitas," I would have to put on the list of my Spiritual Sources The Imitation of Christ, No No Nanete, Dostoyevsky, and Donald Duck. No place for Nietzsche or Elvis Presley ... "
15) The playfulness as well as the irony of the tone should not distract us from a very obvious fact that Umberto Eco is trying to make us conscious of: that today education in its real sense is difficult at best and choices that an individual makes in this regard (whether of his own conscious will or otherwise) will end up defining and distinguishing one significantly more than what was true in times of our beloved grandparents and, to some extent, even our parents'. In hindsight, we feel that they got a very lucky escape and we are left here to make the harder choices. We are sure our children would say the same, except with much more grief, resentment and envy.
16) But it seems that Umberto Eco is being too kind and gentle with his words. He assumes a level of understanding, maturity and patience in his readers that unfortunately is increasingly difficult to find. A lot of us would be prone to take it as a good read (if at all) and easily revert back to our usual habits of thought. We deserve a much stronger reproach and a wake-up call at that, one that S. Radhakrishnan serves aptly in his "An Idealist View of Life." While Radhakrishnan was talking about this in 1929-30 but it would be interesting to know what he would have to say today. But even for 1929-30 his exhortation is quite powerful and so direct that one gets a sense that in fact he foresaw the generation of today and in actuality is referring very much to us. Let's see what he has to say in respect to the question he asks in the very first chapter and paragraph What is Idealism:
16.1) When we ask with reference to any thing or action, 'what is the idea?' we mean, what is the principle involved in it, what is the meaning or purpose of its being, what is aim or value of the action? What is it driving at? This idea or value is the operative creative force (emphasis added). An idealist view finds that the universe has meaning, has value. Ideal values are the dynamic forces, the driving power of the universe. The world is intelligble only as a system of ends ...
16.2) It has nothing in common with the view that makes reality an irrational blind striving or an irremdiably miserable blunder. It finds life significant and purposeful. It endows man with a destiny that is not limited to the sensible world (emphasis added). When Touchstone asks Corin in As You Like It, 'Hast any philosophy in thee, shepherd?' Shakespeare means by philosophy not a system of abstract thought or a technical discipline of the schools but an attitude of the mind which can best be described as 'idealistic.'
16.3) Have you that spiritual dimension to your being, that mood of reflective self-inquiry and self-contemplation, that anxiety of mind to know the things in which is the true dwelling place of man? Or do you belong to the race of unreflective people who are satisfied with business or politics or sport, whose life is dull prose without any ideal meaning? (emphasis added)
["The Modern Challenge to Religion", An Idealist View of Life, S. Radhakrishnan]
17) It should be clear by now that when we use the terms "social change" we are not restricting ourselves to the dull prose of business and politics only. The utilitarian dimension is important but quite infertile without the vigour and vitality of that deep consciousness and sensibility to the issues that underlie these very terms. It is this hidden meaning that we want to patiently and fumblingly grope for and upon finding it, make every effort to hang on to it, and, if we are fortunate, "become" it. To use a very pedestrian, cheap and cliched (but extremely effective) idea: the utilitarian dimension is "sex without love." It is fun while it lasts. But even there the problem really is that it does not even last long enough. In the end, the social terms are not about solving social problems but about re-conditioning (or best of all un-conditioning) of one's prejudices and peeling off that general sense of lethargy about things that should concern us on a daily basis but simply don't.
18) Thus, the very idea of putting universities in "mission-mode" is about raising awareness of this notion, making this idea more secular and implementable, and thereby, making Universities participate in "nation-building" in a true sense of the word. Setting up alternative educational set-ups is always an option. And in fact this continues to happen. But why not work with what is already there? To do that what is really needed is an approach that, to begin with, works well within the limitations of the way universities currently operate. The approach can be critical of the current set-up of universities but should not be hostile or antagonistic. Else much time will be spent in securing access to hard to come by resources in creating alternative forms and structures, if this idea really has to take root at some point.
19) By definition, this approach will be a messy and long one. But unlike stand-alone projects or experiment, if it systematically designed and pursued there is a fair chance to modify the system of education from within. The innovation, therefore, is not in the idea but in the application of a method of incremental change that results not only in some measurable social outcome but, above all, sensitizes the individual student to perspectives on personal development that hopefully counter-balance the overt and very stressful obsession to land up with the best possible career option. An option, that, in some sense, is imprinted on his mind without his explicit knowledge and permission. By the time the student has started to think, all the thinking has already been done for him.
20) Most will say all this is fine but is unlikely to work in practice. Especially, as the idea is not to set-up a "Centre for Social Change" to promote entrepreneurs, implement specific projects and hold events but rather to achieve a more abstract aim of "directly embodying a social sensibility in the minds of as many students across as many disciplines as possible" to achieve a real marriage of university and society.
II. THE EDUCATIONAL ESSENCE OF MISSION-MODE
21) But when we talk of the marriage of university and society the very first question is how should the term society be defined as far as the university is concerned? It cannot be left as a vague notion. It should be a definition that (a) the entire body of faculty and student can intimately relate to, (b) are already conscious of in some way and (c) can physically engage with on a regular basis as part of their educational curriculum. Else "incremental learning by doing" is hardly possible and it all does not move beyond the stage of a feel-good notional exercise and paper projects. This necessarily means that society has to be defined as the specific physical environment in which the university is situated. This can be defined in many ways including "a radius of 50 sq. km. around the university", "a cluster of villages," "a locality or a set of localities in a city" "2 to 3 talukas or an entire district" etc.. Whatever area and definition is chosen, it should be in line with the capacity of the University itself and not burden it's resources in unnecessary manner.
22) Incidentally, this is also a concept that several Public Sector Undertakings are expected to work with (as per law at least) as a part of their net profit is ear-marked for developmental projects in localities in which their offices and production facilities are situated. This concept is also in use by especially those corporates engaged with natural resource extraction and processing including mining of minerals, oil & gas, etc.. But in these cases such actions are informed more by meeting relevant environmental regulations in force, enforcement of legal provisions by certain regulatory bodies, a part of the tactic on part of the corporates to ensure community buy-in to achieve specific business objectives, etc.. In some way, these are under external influences. On the other hand, what we are discussing is Universities in mission-mode very much by their own internal choice and not out of any external and over-bearing mandate.
23) Once a physical geography is identified, the obvious next step will be to identify the issues that the University will choose to work on. The canvass is quite open and it is tempting to get fairly imaginative at this stage. Most often, this results in coming up with an overwhelming set of very specific and narrow issues and then grouping them sector-wise. For example, all issues related to health, sanitation and water are placed in one group; all issues relted to housing in another; all issues related to women's empowerment in yet another; livelihood in a fourth one and so forth. This seems quite logical at first and indeed, such an approach is very well suited from the angle of project design and implementation.
24) But impatiently and hastily moving to this kind of approach by-passes, pre-maturely, a very fundamental principle: the inter-linkages between all of these sectoral groupings and most critically, linkages with the so-called "softer and intangible" aspects including social and political history of the place of intervention; prevalent social strutures, groupings and stratification; cultural beliefs and behavioural patterns, what they believe is good for themselves and what the individuals in the community consider as the essence of their life. In every developmental intervention that can be imagined, at some stage, these factors do figure --- either as inputs, or, as is more likely the case, unintended and invisible consequences of any effort. The proper aim of any developmental effort should be to ensure that the obstacles that hold back the community from realizing and connecting with its own essence are removed.
25) Consideration of these so-called softer (but in a real sense the central) aspects follow from a very basic and over-riding principle that development of any community or area shouldgo much beyond direct economic and material improvement. Even if the activity is economic in nature, it's outcome has to directly (not indirectly; not in a trickle-down fashion; not as a multiplier effect but very visibly) touch the "raw cultural, social and moral nerve" of the community that is being served. It is the nature and character of this very "nerve" that the student has to be deeply conscious of and develop sensitivity to --- something visibly missing from the education system of today. This sensitivity alone has the potential to "move" the student from within and leave a permanent impression on him. Else the student will, in effect, engage in a socially meaningful activity, feel good about it, write it on his curriculum vitae, and then the memory will slowly be washed away with time --- in some cases as early as when the next schedule of exams is announced, or, the placement season is imminent.
26) Very few institutions can afford to take such an holistic and abstract (in some ways but real in many others) into account. The approach of compartmentalization --- that is of identifying one "real" sector and creating projects under it --- is in common use by most foundations, CSR arms of corporates and not-for-profits for that very reason. Further, these institutions are now, by default, held accountable for very specific and measurable objectives and are expected to achieve this within a given time-frame. It has become about achieving quantifiable results in contrast to sincerely engaging in an activity. As such their capabilities are also being increasingly geared in this direction and their view-points are becoming narrower than before. Whether this is good or bad is a matter for another debate. But it has to be noted that it is indeed surprising that even the government, more than ever, is inclined to take a more compartmentalized view of development even though it has a liberty and resources to take a more integrated view --- not only at an ideational level but also in its day to day workings.
27) Like the government, a University too has the potential to take a more sweeping look at the idea of development. By which we mean taking a system-based and multi-disciplinary point of view with a definite and explicit focus on the softer and the more humane aspects. In the process it can be more idealistic and expansive than other types of institutions --- tendencies that can give the University the necessary rootedness to continue with this kind of an enterprise for a long time. And what is more, these tendencies are hardly alien to the University's natural temper; they happen to be very much embodied in the notion of education itself. Thus, in principle, these should find a ready place in the charter of a university without the university going out of it's way to accomodate these principles.
28) If we combine these principles with the fact that our intent, is to repeat and summarize points made earlier, not to create another resource centre or department but to touch upon the very core of the university, then the discussion shifts from one of identifying developmental issues to engaging with long-term complex developmental themes. Only through this approach can the "mission-mode" engage most (if not all) stakeholders within the university. Further, the complexity of this mandate also forces the University to look inside it's partner network --- an asset-base that is increasingly becoming prominent in many universities today --- including local governments, other educational institutions in the vicinity that possess complementary disciplines.
29) This language of "complex, more open-ended, multi-disciplinary themes, humane considerations" has a more important effect on how the students will engage in the mission-mode putting them [the students] at the very core of this entire mission-mode.
29.1) Firstly, students will have to necessarily have to work in a cross-functional mode --- either through students from other departments within the university or students from other universities or other external stakeholders. If the student is forced to engage meaningfully across many dimensions of the problem (including moral, social, political, cultural, economic, linguistic and at times, directly spiritual), this itself heightens the general awareness levels of the student and, is in some sense, half the job done.
29.2) Secondly, this complexity in a way allows greater room for ideation and accomodates interests of different types of students much better. And this is precisely the kind of learning that students need to go through. Instead of being handed over pre-designed projects, or projects chosen at random based on convenience without enough thought, the complex themes force the students to first come to internalize the theme. If creativity and originality are enforced as pre-conditions then this would increase the challenge even further.
29.3) Thirdly, a theme-based approach also ensures there is continuity across batches. Because of the very depth and abstract nature of the task, it means that the job is never complete. There is always more to do much like a doctoral student trying to identify the next thesis to write. The student who comes in the next batch has the option to build on the job started by the previous one. The job in some sense is never complete and keeps growing with the contribution of each passing batch.
30) None of the points above are anything new. They are all carried out in some form or another in any university as part of some course-work or a specialized curriculum. It is just that they are all being brought under one umbrella of social development. But there is one difference and a very critical one too: the fact that students need to do all their thinking with one eye constantly on the "real social context" given to them by the University. This forces them to consider the real-life aspects of the problem at all times and puts limits to their ideation and flights of fancy and ensures that ideas are converted to do-able projects. In some sense, the social context is a real-life laboratory for the students. This laboratory is the only thing that can differentiate an exercise of this sort from some final year project (even if done within some real-world organization). And the best part is that the university does not have to invest to create this lab --- it is right at the door-step of the university so to speak and waiting to be tapped. From the student's perspective, this laboratory consists of real households like his own that the student has to touch in a very positive and lasting manner.
31) But even this is not enough to ensure that the students get the most from this exercise. Indeed, what can ensure that the students experience a glimpse of that sensibility that we are talking about? What is the appropriate litmus test? It is not about the scale of the project that the student undertakes, or the novelty factor of his projects. If there is but one criteria for evaluation it has to be an assessment of how deeply the student has been able to feel in a deeply intuitive way how his efforts have impacted the community and articulate the same in as much detail as possible. Else the efforts of the student has not been worth it's salt even if his project manages to achieve the targeted social impact. The student has to be the first beneficiary of his own efforts and the community comes much later. For the student the entire exercise should be equivalent to one long diary study where he is forced to maintain with scrupulous regularity his notes, feelings, observatons and comments on an almost daily (or at least weekly basis). The only measure of success for the student is if these thoughts and feelings acquire a certain depth over the course of the project. This is a technique that is commonly deployed in teaching but the students smartly by-pass it by ear-marking a few days in completing such exercises. If there is one thing that the university has to really invest in, it is in maintaining the integrity of such an involvement by the student.
32) Based on all of the above, we can outline what can comprise the essence of a mission-mode:
32.1) A theme-based rather than issue-bsed approach that enforces a multi-dimensional viewpoint at all times with a focus on the softer aspects of development.
32.2) The unit of intervention is the individual student and most critically, the degree to which he or she imbibes the essence of the community and issue he is working on.
32.3) The student to undergo through the mission-mode in form of a diary study that begins when the student enters the university and ends when he leaves the university.
32.4) Multiple instruments of pedagogy and teaching could form part of this dieary study including specialized curriculum, workshops, etc.. But the student to remain engaged in a few issues through specific projects at all times with break allowed only during vacations and internships.
32.5) Evaluation of the student for this activity to comprise of two parts: a point-in-time evaluation that assesses the student against the concrete project deliverables; an on-going evaluation and support mechanism that tracks and assesses the progression in the student's levels of empathy and sensitivity to the issue at hand.
32.6) This is to be implemented as a student and mentor where the mentor would acts as a guide and a sympathetic and patient assessor. We show later that if there is one element in the design of the mission-mode that is the most critical to success of this entire mission it is this student-mentor relationship.
III. INITIATING THE MISSION-MODE
33) But to put each of the above elements in practice is a formidable task. If we think about it a little more closely, from the management's perspective to develop this core of the mission-mode, the university will need to invest in developing three separate activities. Namely,
33.1) Developing the social context --- this includes identifying the area to work in, themes to tackle and how to ensure the efforts of students translate to outcomes that improve this context.
33.2) Re-engineering the pedagogy --- this includes introduction of new courses, expanding existing course contents, creation of projects that draw upon the skill-base and strength of the university.
33.3) Re-orienting the existing organizational resources in this direction --- this includes generating management buy-in, faculty buy-in, engaging faculty in this process and hiring the minimal number of additional and specialized resources required.
34) Each of these need not be tackled in isolation. Neither does one develop before the others but they all develop in tandem over time. But the important thing to note is tha the "development of the social context" is a very real and physical activity compared to the other two which are driven through constant dialogue and discussions. Thus, this "development of social context" provides the firm anchor and a structure through which the other two activities can develop. If we try to break-up this "development of social context" the simplistic algorithm is as follows:
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34.1) Definition of social context
34.2) Develop, update and refine the understanding of the social context
34.3) Develop, update and refine themes
34.4) Create projects and allied activities, solicit external partners and implement
34.5) Contribute tangibly to the social context and impact at least a certain fraction of the student body in a deeper way than is generally possible.
34.6) Consolidate the experience and repeat cycle from step no. 2
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35) To begin with, the university has to go through one such entire cycle to really understand what the mission-mode means in its own specific context. All said and done, at the end of the day, the extent of how far the mission-mode penetrates the "soul" of the university depends on how strongly do the internal stakeholders within the university accept it on their own without any edict from the top.
36) Expecting that most will be optimistic about it, or conversely, most will respond negatively to it is being simplistic. It is more likely that there will be support in diverse and unexpected quarters. Sometimes this support will be explicit but most times very tacit and under the radar and will need to be dug out. To begin with, it is the explicit support base that should be identified; and even if it is small enough, if it includes the participation of the highest decision-making authority it is possible to start the mission-mode.
37) The management has to provide an informal and flexible space for a program of this nature to co-exist, in principle, with other activities in the university and draw upon the common resources of the university. Once this space is granted, the next step is actually a process of building awareness of the concept and trying to talk to as many faculty as possible and even reach out to a few students. This will help identify the internal dynamics within the university and the so-called power centres.; the limitations and potentialities; and most importantly, sketch the general psyche of the student. Knowing these may not reveal what to do but would instead provide a clear hint of what not to do; what points not to pick up-front; and what is simply not possible.
38) Once this dialogue is complete, and if there happens to be a more clear interest from some of the faculty, it is possible to get all interested faculty on one platform. However, this platform should operate on a very informal and collegial basis. At no point, should there be any formal hiearchy within the team, or as part of any of the activities that are carried out under the mission-mode. The idea is not to lead the mission-mode towards yet another power centre within the university. It also goes against the very ethos of a developmental activity in the first place. The platform should be a collective enterprise and should not be a channel for one individual or group to dominate over others, or provide a means to further careers and image of a few at the expense of others. For a very simple and practical reason that under such a scheme of operations, it is very difficult to bring in a multi-disciplinary perspective --- a condition that comprises an essence of the mission-mode.
39) That also means (necessarily) that there is a role for a neutral agency (within or outside the university) to co-ordinate, program manage and integrate these efforts. It should be as disconnected as possible from the internal power dynamics and influencers. It will remain directly accountable only to the office of the university management. Besides the program management function, it would also need to have the ability to play the role of a "synthesizer" that can combine and integrate view-points across departments and faculties and help install a multi-disciplinary approach.
40) However, beyond this such an entity has an even more critical role to play. To ensure that the student body is actually concretely linked to this initiative, every student so engaged derives the proper benefits of this engagement, that the student's engagement is as close as possible to the spirit of a diary-study and the student's evaluation and assessment is fairly done. This by far will be the most important function of this co-ordination agency. It is also through this agency that the management ensures that the mission-mode remains accountable to the students.
41) Beyond the students, however, there is a question of accountability to the communities that are part of the University's social context and the specific external partners that the University may work with including not-for-profits and local governments. Who guarantees promises made to these are fulfilled? Often it happens that there is much enthusiasm initially during the projects on the student's side but it gradually wears off leaving the project deliverables in the lurch. At this point, everyone pleads helplessness and the project, and more importantly, the partnerships fall through the cracks. There can be formal checks and balances such as getting feedback of project partners in evaluation of students, institution penal actions, etc. But they only act post-facto once the damage has been sufficiently done. The best mechanism always remains a constant dialogue with the student and averting the fall in the first place. But who shall be at the other end to ensure this dialogue is alive at all times?
42) The concept of a mentor was proposed earlier in a more positive context: to ensure that the student derives the right learning and brings to the surface a different sensibility from these activities. It is possible that mentors also take up ownership of ensuring promises made outside are adhered to and that the university strengthens relationships with these partners over time. And in some way are a single-point of contact for the students. Faculty and senior students are the first choice to play this mentor, advisor and guide role. But will they agree to it? And even if they do, how many of the total faculty and students will volunteer with that level of sincerity?
43) This cuts right to the heart of the entire mission-mode. The success of this mentor-student model alone can assure the success of the mission-mode. It is the only sure mechanism to guarantee that the educational and social purpose are both fulfilled at the same time and the marriage contract between university and society actually happens. The moment this base becomes weak, whole program will start to collapse into itself and become a formality and yet another activity that the student has to pass. This is also the litmus test of the start-up phase. The start-up phase can be deemed to have really begun when there are, at least, some individuals (ideally faculty) who agree to don this mentor hat in a sincere manner. It is only then that it is possible to move further.
44) Thus, if we were now to sketch the basic organizational elements that would be needed to support such a mission-mode, it would include:
44.1) Faculty as channels to link the academic knowledge base, insights and ideas with the social context outside.
44.2) Faculty and senior students as mentors to ensure the student and the external partners of the University derive the necessary benefit from the program.
44.3) A neutral and enabling program management, co-ordinating and monitoring entity accountable to ensure that the activities are leading to more tangible outcomes, the holistic mind-set of the whole mission-mode is being maintained, and that the interests of the students are fully meet in all aspects (including learning, evaluation, etc..)
44.4) An overall steering committee that approves and ensures resources are made available to the program on a rolling basis, the program continues to have support at the highest levels and is in a position to solicit (material or otherwise) from external sources when needed in form of grants and donations from philanthrophic foundations and governmental institutions (assuming there is an appreciation for the need of an undertaking of this nature among these external stakeholders).
IV. THE VERY FIRST TASKS
45) Once all the organizational roles are in place (even if the team is very small), the next steps are actually easier and more structured. The first task would be to define the social context and develop a better understanding of it. Not much time should be spent on it. In some ways, the team engaged will have an intuitive sense of it and should be able to agree on the simplest possible operational definition.
46) Evolving an understanding of this social context however is a more involved step. This is also a chance to actually ensure that every member of the team is duly engaged. This step is also where the students first start to be engaged. The process of developing the understanding involves three steps:
46.1) First is to develop a feel for the context. This is best done going through an exploratory phase in which the interested student as well as the mentor (preferably a faculty) step into the social context, reach out to the community and engage in a personal dialogue with them that is highly individual to them and very informal. This initiates the student as well as the mentor into the language and temper of the social context and also gives them a glimpse of certain faculties, intuitions and sensibilities unique to their own individual nature.
46.2) This should be followed by a more detailed immersion phase in which a more systematic understanding of the specific aspects of the community are documented in detail through a qualitative interview and observational process including: social, cultural, political, physical, material and economic. A number of techniques such as those from social anthropology can be drawn upon if the university has experience of these before. As part of this process, the team should also be able to identify and initiate a dialogue with specific external entities that could serve as possible project partners in the future. If any of these external stakeholders are willing and show a ready interest than they can be brought into the fold at this stage itself.
46.3) Finally, if the university has the budget it can actually do a quantitative socio-economic profiling of the community which would form a very strong base-line that will allow the University to compare its progress over time. It is also something that many stakeholders are keen that any developmental activity should have --- a more objective, quantitative and a more tangible feel to it all.
47) Each of the step above serves as a progression for the next. It is important that both student and mentor spend time on the field and this is not only delegated as field-work assignments to students alone. Both the groups should share the same minimal, empirical understanding of the situtation. It is the responsibility of the entity playing the program management role to ensure that this st ep completes in a certain time frame, at each step understanding is consolidated and the next one is designed. Finally, at the end of the whole exercise an overall picture is painted through a process of dialogue with the faculty, student and any potential partners so identified.
48) This picture then brings a closure to this exercise and provides the foundation fro all of the rest, of which the most important thing is drawing out the developmental themes. Usually, in the process of painting the picture of the social context, the themes would naturally suggest themselves of their own accord and one will not have to try very hard, provided a bit of creativity is applied when drawing up the picture. While we would all like to believe that given the data on the community, the themes could be formally drawn up by a committee of expert thinkers, it would be foolhardy to follow that belief through. It will most likely be the case that there will be many different interpretations of what people see in the field as well as their own moral positions that in turn could yield a number of different themes. It may also happen that on the other hand, people are not able to think of any meaningful one because either the social context was too complex or that peole don't have a systematic way to interpret and articulate their observations.
49) The onus will eventually fall on the program management entity to consolidate all such viewpoints and select a few based on a set of formal filters outlined below. Whatever conclusions are arrived at, they should not be cast in stone and converted to some long-term policy but be properly considered as part of a set of working themes. This set will keep going through mutations with time --- hopefully for the better. The specific filters for short-listing the themes would be:
49.1) Are the themes deep enough to allow the student to develop a many-sided understanding and, more importantly, do they touch upon the raw nerve of the community?
49.2) Are they abstract enough to allow them to evolve with time? At the same time, can they be easily translated to actionable projects --- that is, linked to reality and not just pure speculation?
49.3) Are there any that clearly stand out from the rest: for example, because they are very "orthogonal" to the rest?
49.4) What academic subjects, research capabilities and vocational resources of the university do they directly touch upon?
49.5) Are any of them likely to burden the university in terms of resources beyond it's control?
49.6) Will any of them lead to a socio-economic backlash beyond what a university can digest?
49.7) Are the themes being simply taken up based on sheer convenience: because there are ready project partners available, the issues are already well-defined, in popular fashion, etc.? There is nothing wrong with taking the most convenient option as long as it answers positively to the rest of the filters also.
50) Till this stage, all the mission-mode has accomplished is identifying interested stakeholders, forming some kind of group, making them take part in one definite activity: that of defining and understanding the social context and, finally, coming up with abstract themes. At this point, the exasperated missionary in the group might ask but how to really start engaging the students in the learning process? While the utilitarian will question where is the marriage of university and society that was the starting point of it all? What indeed about specific social outcomes? In other words, from both sides, there is a deman for something more concrete.
51) The part that is concrete, real and physical, as pointed out earlier, is the "real-life laboratory for the student". And that naturally suggests that the best concrete instrument is to start projects that encompass all these themes that have been thought of. That is, to put the mission-mode into a project-mode.
But before that is done the steering committee will be forced to ask itself: to what end? That is, what is that we really want out o running these projects? Based on all that is written so far, this start-up phase has to conclusively demonstrate the following:
51.1) That, it is possible to solicit a base of mentors from within the University's resource pool.
51.2) That, it is possible to create a functional student-mentor relationship.
51.3) That, it is possible to enforce the structure of a diary-study mode on the student and monitor it effectively.
52) If we take the above as the targets for the start-up phase and agree that it is an experimental phase, then it means the number of projects and external partners chosen should be kept to a minimal and the number of students who can participate is limited by the number of mentors available.
53) What kind of projects to undertake, what should be their scope and time-lines, and what kind of non-human resources should the university put in these projects would all depend on the specific university and the context chosen. But we can think of a typical template for each project as follows:
53.1) Each project should involve at least 3 themes and preferably more.
53.2) The number of students per project should not exceed more than 5 (and at most 7). One faculty should take up the role of the project team lead and also act as mentor to all the students of each project cohort.
53.3) It is ideal if each project involves at least one community-based organization, not-for-profit or some entity or individual who understands the essence of the community's spirit.
53.4) The project scope and design should be jointly finalized in discussion with te faculty, the group of students who form part of this project and external partners.
53.5) The specific academic and non-academic resources that the project would need to draw upon should be approximately outlined upfront.
53.6) The program management agency will co-ordinate the whole process in the beginning including calling for meetings, setting agenda, following up, etc. But after a point, the chosen faculty should take up the role. The proper role of the program management agency will then be to do a monthly check-in with a view to assess that the interests of all stakeholders are accounted fdo one thorough audit of the project covering financial, field-based activities, and linkages with the University.
54) There is one element that we have not touched upon throughout this discussion and that is introducing changes to the pedagogy such as introduction or modification of courses. Re-engineering the pedagogy requires significant intellectual investment on part of the university and is a time-consuming process too if it is to be done wll. In the start-up phase, when the idea of mission-mode is not even a reality, it is being over-enthusiastic to spend time on re-engineering. It is unlikely to leave little room for anything else. The projects that we are talking about seem the most practical pedagogical instruments in the start-up phase. Ideally, a set of such projects should be run for a given period of time with regular monitoring. This entire phase should be seen as an exercise to run these projects and capture learnings from them.
55) It is too difficult to propose anything concrete beyond this. It will amount to rank speculation. It is already difficult to counter those who will say that what is said till now also amounts to rank speculation. The model of execution highlighted above is only one possibility and one that seems most reasonable to draw out based on certain principles mentioned in this document. For the reader, it is far more necessary to know whether he can engage and empathize with those principles in the first place and not the specific details of how it can be implemented. The latter will, in spite of all that is written, strongly depend on the character of the university, and more specifically, on particular individuals within it. What is more important is that a process of dialogue and thinking in this direction is initiated in more than a peripheral way within the university campus. By peripheral, we do not imply being peripheral as far as visibility, availability of funding resources, or even political authority in the University's context is concerned. A program of social (mental) development can have all of this yet be peripheral --- with respect to the heart of the student. If the mission-mode is able to open a path to the student's sensibility, it would have served it's real and, in a way, it's only purpose.
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