Conclusions

During their multi-secular life universities have always played an important role in society. Along this long journey governments always tried to have some form of control over universities with consequences for their level of autonomy and forms of governance. Recent changes resulting from the emergence of the knowledge society question the traditional values and ideals of universities. Governments now see universities as tools for economic competitiveness. Universities have to make a choice between upholding their traditional values or complying with market demands and fully committing to the private interests of the new economy. The fact that governance in European universities is more and more in the hands of external constituencies makes it difficult to avoid higher education being reduced to the position of handmaiden to the economy. Despite all the difficulties let us hope that in the end universities will prevail without loss or damage to their traditional values and ideals.