THE CHALLENGE OF INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE: DIALOGUE AND INTERACTIVE STEERING

With reference to the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, the author elaborates the argument that universities are capable of anticipating social and economic change, that indeed it is their duty not only to adapt to these changes but to anticipate and to influence them. A brief outline of the history of universities is given, and the situation of universities in western Europe, specifically in the Netherlands, is contrasted with that in eastern and central Europe, specifically Hungary. Currently, European universities, West and East, are headed towards the same future. This future is being influenced by a number of external factors, particularly technological change, which places a premium on strategic planning, interdisciplinarity with regard to research and teaching, and interuniversity co‐operation at national and international levels.