A community of scholars or scholars of the community? A note on the limits of relevance.
Universities are increasingly expected to be accountable for the large sums of public money they spend. Universities in Australia are currently under pressure to turn out graduates who are technically trained for immediate entry into the work force. Universities are expected to teach knowledge and skills which are relevant to what the community needs now. If the universities accept such obligations of accountability and relevance, what are the implications for the university enterprise? Over the past decade, medical schools have attempted to spell out their purposes, writing their overall goals and then specific objectives to guide teaching in all departments. These lists of goals and objectives usually incorporate a strong orientation to meeting current community needs. One expression of these community needs is the call for 'Health for all by the year 2000', supported by all governments through the World Health Organization. Turning out graduates to provide community health care would be a relevant goal which an accountable medical school could hardly deny. What evidence is available about university responses to such needs?
D003153:Community Health Services; D003154:Community Medicine / Q000193:education; D003479:Curriculum; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D006801:Humans; D012106:Research; D012577:Schools, Medical; D013038:Specialization; D013663:Teaching