The Changing Role of Universities I would like to say a few words this morning about Universities and the general context in which they work today, as we come to the end of the 20 th Century. Universities are among the oldest and most durable institutions in the world. During all that time, and up to relatively recently, universities were small institutions which catered for a small proportion of the general population - what we now call elite institutions. Universities are now very visible in terms of their size. In terms of their cost to the State they have become a major item of expenditure - 265 million in 1997.
Universities are now clearly much more in the public eye - victims of their own success.
There was a time when universities simply taught students - that, for example, was the sole function of the great universities, Oxford, Cambridge, Paris, in their early years. Then about 150 years ago, universities began to become centres for research. Today, universities have been given many tasks other than teaching and research, which have been their core remit for over a century. Then we have to support and contribute to the realisation of national economic and social development. This specific statement is new.