University of Austin (UATX): Launching a New University in an Era of Crisis in Higher Education
This webinar is a part of an Innovative Universities Global Webinar Series.
The University of Austin (UATX) opened its doors to its first cohort of students in September 2024. The institution was founded to address several interlocking crises that are buffeting higher education: the urgent need to renew the spirit of open inquiry and intellectual pluralism that has historically animated universities; the failing financial model of higher education; and the call to develop curricula and programs that are primed for the 21st century. In just three short years from conception to launch, UATX has become one of the most important institutions dedicated to the renewal and reform of higher education.
Speakers
Pano Kanelos, Founding president of the University of Austin
- Dr. Kanelos, recognised by Forbes as one of higher education’s “academic entrepreneurs, served as the 24th President of St. John’s College, Annapolis, from 2017 to 2021.
- Kanelos earned a Ph.D. from the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago, an M.A. in Political Philosophy and Literature from Boston University, and a B.A. in English from Northwestern University.
- He led the Lilly Fellows Program in Humanities and the Arts, a network of over 100 colleges and universities.
- He founded the Cropper Center for Creative Writing at the University of San Diego and is a noted Shakespeare scholar, having served as the resident Shakespearean in the Old Globe MFA Program and as the founding director of the Interdisciplinary Shakespeare Studies Program at Loyola University Chicago. He has authored and edited numerous works on Shakespeare.
Key Takeaways
Dara Melnyk:
- Universities are places "where we do our thinking".
- "Politics should be studied at the university, not be the operating system." In 1967, the University of Chicago issued the Kalven Report, arguing for universities' political neutrality "out of respect for free inquiry and the obligation to cherish a diversity of viewpoints". Perhaps, this is the standard the academia should strive for. Perhaps, not. What do you think?
- Talking about diversity of viewpoints, UATX seeks intellectual pluralism, which they define not as diverse opinions held strongly, but rather as any opinions held lightly and ready to be updated if presented with new facts/arguments.
- Just like countries, universities should have 3 branches of governance: legislative (the Board), executive (the management team), and judicial (the adjudicative panel analyzing cases of potential misconduct).
- Conceptually, academic freedom is secondary to the academic obligation to seek the truth (this one is a part of Isak Frumin's reflection on the conversation). The pursuit of the truth can also be called, in the words of Pano Kanelos, "practical prudence".
Hosts
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Professor Isak Frumin
"We designed the 'Innovative Universities' global webinar not merely as conversation, but a one-of-a-kind assembly of forward-thinking scholars poised to reshape the educational landscape. This isn't just about what's new; it's about what's next.”
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Dara Melnyk
"Currently, there are no seminars exclusively devoted to innovation in higher education. We want to change that. Our webinar series are meant to give both creators of unusual institutions and idea collectors like us a space to discuss what's possible."
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