Civic, Global, Ecological: Towards a Collaborative Mission for the University
Professor Ronald Barnett
Author-Reviewed and Revised Transcript
Reviewed and revised by Professor Ronald Barnett
Final editorial preparation by the Educational Research Foundation
Introduction
On 27 June 2026, Professor Ronald Barnett, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education at University College London (UCL), delivered the keynote address at the 93rd Annual Conference of the Japan Society of Management held at Chuo University, Tokyo.
Entitled “Civic, Global, Ecological: Towards a Collaborative Mission for the University”, the lecture explores one of the central questions facing universities in the twenty-first century: ‘How can higher education institutions respond simultaneously to civic responsibilities, global pressures and ecological challenges without losing their intellectual integrity or social purpose?’
Building on his influential concept of the Ecological University, Professor Barnett argues that universities now inhabit multiple external territories, each entangled with wider ecosystems and characterised by its own values, expectations and forms of engagement. These territories are in tension with, and may at times be antagonistic towards, one another. Rather than seeking to eliminate these differences and tensions, he proposes that universities develop a new ethos capable of living with difference—an ethos grounded in dialogue, openness and intellectual responsibility.
The lecture concludes with a discussion of university leadership, suggesting that leadership should create spaces in which different perspectives can be expressed and understood, while management retains responsibility for making decisions in situations of uncertainty and complexity. The subsequent discussion (Q&A) further develops these themes through an exchange on tensions, antagonisms, recognition, leadership and institutional decision-making.
The Educational Research Foundation is deeply grateful to Professor Barnett for his generous permission to prepare this edited transcript. The editorial process has provided an exceptional opportunity to engage closely with his ideas, and we hope that this publication will make his lecture accessible to a wider international audience while faithfully preserving the character and substance of the original presentation.
Contents
- Part 1 — Introduction, the Problem Stated and the Ecological Concept
Moderator’s Introduction; opening remarks; the problem stated; optimism; background; the ecological concept and Slide 6 diagram (Slides 1–6) - Part 2 — The Ecological University, the Three Territories and Messy Turbulence
The ecological university; three territories; nested territories; proliferating units; multiple constituencies; messy turbulence (Slides 7–12) - Part 3 — Tensions, the Three Locales and the Question of Unity
Tensions and antagonisms; the civic, global and ecological locales; multiplicity; the question of unity (Slides 13–18) - Part 4 — External Heterogeneity, Living with Difference and Leadership
External heterogeneity; living with difference; practising the ethos; leadership and management; conclusions (Slides 19–24) - Part 5 — Discussion (Q&A): Leadership, Management and Living with Difference
Questions and discussion on tensions, antagonisms, recognition, leadership, management and institutional decision-making (Discussion (Q&A))
Editorial Note
This transcript was initially prepared in accordance with the ERF Minimal Editing Policy, with editorial intervention limited to correcting transcription errors, improving readability and standardising formatting while preserving the speaker’s meaning, structure and spoken style. Professor Ronald Barnett subsequently reviewed the complete transcript and made clarifications, revisions, additions and paragraph-level changes in order to express more fully the meaning and intention of the lecture. These authorial revisions have been incorporated into the present edition. The Educational Research Foundation then undertook final editorial preparation, correcting residual errors of grammar, spelling and punctuation, and resolving a small number of terminological, factual and textual inconsistencies arising from the revision process, while preserving Professor Barnett’s substantive revisions and intellectual intent. The present text is therefore published as an Author-Reviewed and Revised Transcript.
Publication Information
- Title: Civic, Global, Ecological: Towards a Collaborative Mission for the University
- Speaker: Professor Ronald Barnett
- Series: ERF Insights & Resources – Special Edition No. 1
- Edition: Author-Reviewed and Revised Transcript
- Publisher: Educational Research Foundation
- Year: 2026
- Language: English
- Lecture: Keynote address delivered on 27 June 2026 at the 93rd Annual Conference of the Japan Society of Management, Chuo University, Tokyo