Transformative Aktivitäten von Hochschulen

The challenges of a sustainable development have led many universities to understand themselves and to be understood as engines of a 'great transformation' (Wissenschaftlicher Beirat für globale Umweltveränderungen 2011) towards a sustainable society. The proposal of a ‘transformative science’ provides a normative framework on how universities can shape their activities accordingly. The empirical research on the 4. mission of the university, called the co-creation for sustainability, shows how universities worldwide are performing such transformative activities. The implications of this 'new' role of science and the university have led to controversial discussions about the true purpose of both in which two fundamental paradigms of science converge. The paradigms can be framed as ‘pure science’ and ‘instrumental science’. While representatives of the former weigh the scientific values in serious danger, others see this development as a chance for the future of the university to secure its legitimacy in society. The question is whether transformative activities in the context of the history of higher education can rightly be understood as a threat to universities and university research, or if this development follows a certain tradition in which universities gear their activities to the benefit of society. Our analysis of science paradigms, university models, and their missions shows that some aspects of transformative activities are actually a new phenomenon. However, they do not have to be considered a threat, but can also be understood as an opportunity for universities to secure its autonomy and legitimacy.