Alternatives to the Entrepreneurial University: New Modes of Knowledge Production in Community Service Programs. ASHE Annual Meeting Paper.

This paper explores the idea of a complementary alternative to the entrepreneurial university, with special reference to South African higher education. Emphasis is on the contribution of higher education to equitable social renewal of three inter-related issues: (1) changing global conditions and the tensions between high-tech development and basic reconstruction; (2)the relationship between teaching, research, and community service (outreach); and (3) the potential for community service partnerships and community service learning to contribute to basic reconstruction and development. The paper first identifies key changes in the external environment of higher education, noting the tensions that result from the competing interests of private investors and transnational corporations and the needs of the majority poor. The replication of this tension in South Africa's current macroeconomic and higher education policy environment is then discussed. The paper describes a hybrid range of community-oriented projects which include three necessary elements: problem-based, inquiry-rich academic training focused on community service learning; development through practical service; and civic-minded collaborative relations among participating partners. The paper concludes that the community-service partnership model represents a significant counter-trend to the entrepreneurial university. (Contains 63 references.) (DB)