Rethinking university through the prism of metaphor

Modern tertiary education has to face such realities as massification of enrollement, the on-growing role of private sector, the rise of Asian countries as academic centers, the changing nature of the universities' functional goals, physical and logistical structure. Global knowledge economy of the 21st century relies heavily on research universities which serve as flagships for post-secondary education worldwide. Within this framework there are a lot of challenges to solve for a research university: to bridge the gaps dividing scientific, humanitarian and business cultures, to operate at the cutting edge of intellectual and scientific development, to contribute to better understanding of human nature through social sciences and humanities, to combine profound scientific background and humanitarian beliefs. Being situated in this or that country, universities are embedded in local economy, contributing to innovation advancement on a local level. However, the role of the university as global goods disseminator is of great importance. Undoubtedly, peoples' aspirations for the future are connected with universities worldwide. Being aware of this mission, prominent thinkers and scholars within the world of academia try to reflect on the role of a modern university, assess its activity and show new pathways to progress and development. On the basis of fifty publications of the recent decade, dedicated to the problems of tertiary education, the author discerned and described metaphorical models contributing to meaning formation. Though research universities have their distinctive national features, quite similar images are used to portray them: they are presented as a driving force, a bridge, a powerhouse necessary to change the society and man; a market, a corporation, a factory, a participant of competition, hunting and race, satisfying the needs of the demanding consumers. On the one hand, the array of diverse metaphors reflects how the authors perceive the functions of a research university within the modern society, on the other hand, they form deeply rooted stereotypes in readers who serve as recipients of these metaphors. Though the general perception of the role of universities is rather positive, metaphors help to highlight and analyze their problem zones: universities' isolation, bullionism, unclear vision of one's mission. Being a powerful mechanism of meaning generation, metaphors can help to compartmentalize the existing challenges universities face and set the tone for their future development.

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