Democratic Roles of Universities (DRU): Practicing Democratic Values in Science, Education, Civic Engagement and Governance

forthcoming

DRU’s objective is to find new ways that universities can strengthen the democratic fabric of society. The European Commission and Parliament see democracy - the cultural ‘glue’ that holds Europe together - under threat. The European Education Area and especially higher education institutions are tasked with connecting to their communities, being inclusive of students from disadvantaged and migrant backgrounds, and sustaining democratic values in everyday life. Democratic backsliding is not peculiar to Europe. DRU engages in mutual learning about universities fostering democracy in South Africa’s post-apartheid rainbow nation and Australia’s move to a post-colonial era. DRU’s consortium is from north, south, east, and west Europe, South Africa, and Australia. It consists of ten different kinds of universities and six non-academic organisations, all committed to collaborating in activities to enhance democracy spanning from community action to international policy making. DRU has the cross-disciplinary, cross-sectoral and international expertise to critically examine existing knowledge about universities and democracy. We break the issue into five constituent parts. Three are practical ways universities, academics and students engage with their local communities through research and civic action and create a thriving educational environment for refugees and all students. Two address how these practices are fostered or hindered by institutional frameworks and systems of governance. DRU designs experiments and case studies to test alternatives. DRU’s ‘whole system’ approach connects policy and governance priorities at the ‘top’ of the system to the conditions for embedding democratic practice in the everyday life of institutional members and citizens. Its practical results will be disseminated as toolkits, trainings and policy briefings to students, academics, stakeholders, leaders and policy makers to transform universities’ impact on democratic society.