The integrity of university managers is not just a moral imperative, but a societal necessity. When dishonesty and corruption infiltrate the highest echelons of university leadership, the consequences are catastrophic and far-reaching. The erosion of public trust, stifling of innovation, and undermining of academic integrity can have a devastating impact on students, faculty, and the broader community.
But what’s even more alarming is that the current focus on profit over people has led to a fundamental shift in the university’s purpose. Institutions of higher learning are no longer prioritising the pursuit of knowledge, critical thinking, and intellectual curiosity, but rather, they’re driven by a relentless quest for revenue and growth.
This misguided emphasis on profit has resulted in a commodification of education, where students are treated as customers, and degrees are sold like products. The consequences are dire: academic programs are watered down, research is compromised, and faculty are overworked and undervalued. The education itself has become low-quality, formulaic, and lacking in depth, leaving students unprepared for the complexities of the real world.
As a result, longer-term students will increasingly be deterred from pursuing higher education. Why would they invest their time, money, and effort into a system that prioritises profits over people? The answer is, they won’t. The decline in enrollment rates will not only harm the universities but also have far-reaching consequences for society as a whole. A lack of skilled, knowledgeable, and critically thinking individuals will hinder innovation, progress, and economic growth.
There are examples of blatant attempts by university managers to cover up wrongdoing. These actions not only destroy trust in the university but also undermine the rule of law and the principles of justice. The implications are chilling: if university managers can engage in such egregious behavior with impunity, what message does that send to students, faculty, and the broader community? It sends a message that corruption is tolerated, that the ends justify the means, and that the pursuit of knowledge and truth is secondary to personal gain and power. This is a toxic culture that must be rooted out.
The ripple effects of corrupt university management and the focus on profit can lead to a deterioration of ethical standards, ultimately threatening the very foundations of higher education. If left unchecked, the damage can be irreparable, causing a systemic disillusionment with the value of universities. The stakes are high: the future of innovation, progress, and societal advancement hangs in the balance, and this is all the more critical in the face of rising AI, as good universities where human intelligence and ideally morals are cultivated, can play a key role in helping society control its impact and mitigate potential risks.
It is therefore imperative that university managers uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability to ensure that institutions of higher learning remain beacons of trust, knowledge, and excellence, driving positive change and prosperity for generations to come. Society must reclaim the true purpose of universities:
To foster a love of learning, promote intellectual curiosity, and educate the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and innovators.
Anything less would be a betrayal of the public’s trust and a squandering of the immense potential that higher education has to transform lives and society.
You can find my submission to Parliament here.