The title of this 12th Annual Conference of the Aspen Junior Fellows group was conceived as embodying the Aspen Institute’s core mission, namely, that of promoting and instilling values-based leadership. The theme of this year’s session was chosen with a view to specifically focus on the growing international dimension of knowledge, and to examine whether a multidisciplinary knowledge model (of the European humanist tradition) or a specialized knowledge model is to be preferred.
The Conference debate initially focused on the future outlook for university education in Italy, and the need to balance the value of inclusiveness (“university for all”) with that of excellence (“selective and elitist universities” for the “capable and deserving”, as per the wording of Article 34 of the Italian Constitution). An in-depth discussion ensued on the issues of the productivity of Italian universities (by international standards), the quality of teaching (with an eye to the internationalization of teaching staff and students), and the legal status accorded in Italy to educational qualifications.
The participants then turned to consider the value of school education in generating culture and employment opportunities, with calls for a balance to be struck between the notions of “education as edification” and “education as a commodity”. The questions to be addressed – it was felt – are not only what to teach, but also how to go about learning. In this regard, the participants cited Alvin Toffler’s observation that “the illiterate of the future will not be the person who cannot read… [but] the person who does not know how to learn”. It was thus suggested that digital innovations (such as distance learning) as well organizational innovation (promoting learning through student teamwork) will become central in tackling these issues. Such objectives could, however, be constrained by the current centralized organizational model for schools and the lack of application of performance evaluation methodology. It was also stressed that the problem does not lie entirely with the education system, and that the role played by families, associations, institutions and the media is sometimes wanting. The participants felt that input from these quarters should be considered an essential resource for education, as well as serving as a complement to classroom studies. In 1964, Gianni Rodari numbered televisions and newspapers among the ranks of teachers in what he called “a school as big as the world” (citing the important contribution towards literacy made by Italian educational TV programs of the time, such as Telescuola and Non è mai troppo tardi).
Wrapping up the conference discussion was an analysis of the link between postgraduate education and industry, with particular reference to the technological transfer made possible by value chains that connect training, innovation, enterprise and the market in a virtuous cycle. It was emphasized that tried and tested success stories with a strong international focus should be replicated, with cases in point being the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the Institute for Advanced Studies in Lucca (IMT). Efforts were called for to promote industrial doctorate programs as a bridge between universities and industry, in order to strengthen applied research and the value it brings to the market. Lastly, it was hoped that the success which young Italian researchers and managers achieve abroad will also help reinforce a belief in the quality of the Italian education and research system, so as to unleash its full vigor and potential.