‘What do you want to do when you leave university?’

When I go home after a term at University there is one question that I will unequivocally be asked: ‘what do you want to do when you leave university?’ This is typically met with a disinterested ‘I don’t know’ and the conversation stops there. However, recently I was asked ‘what do you want to change when you leave university?’

I’d never thought about it this way. University was sold to me as a means to get a decent job, not to necessarily change anything. This I find a little bit odd: in a university that was founded upon the vision of discovery and advancement of knowledge, why do so many of us see it as means to just a job?

A lot of people may not necessarily see this as a bad thing, and for the most part I don’t either – universities are inevitably a place to learn skills that are highly valued by employers. My main concern is that if prospective learners only see university as an onerous means of getting a job, sometimes we may be in threat of placing a roof over blue sky thinking.

Looking at the year just passed, 2016 was a year of unprecedented change.  2017 is a year where nobody really knows what will unfold; there is no prevalent prediction as to what is going to happen. It is at times like these when we need innovative thinkers and creatives in all disciplines and universities have an immense capacity to foster and nurture these thinkers.

Institutions such as Birmingham were built upon the foundations of challenging the norm and ambitiously using newfound knowledge to make our communities, our countries, and our world a better place. This mission should be that of learners just as much as it is the institution. As such, universities should endeavour to ignite curiosity in students, and encourage them to push the boundaries of knowledge to help them change the world.

So what does that university look like? What do we need by 2026 to fully nurture world changers?

First, we need a system that allows learners to actively engage with multiple disciplines, allowing them to appreciate and work with a diversity of opinions and views. Second, we need modules that are challenging and educators that are willing to be challenged. The third is an opportunity for educators and learners to regularly collaborate: There is no dichotomy between educators and learners. Good educators appreciate the struggles of a learner, and good learners will educate those around them. Fourth, we should not assume that educators and learners solely exist in lecture theatres and seminar rooms: they exist in our communities. We should welcome community organisations and collaborate on projects that are so ambitious they hardly seem believable.

The bottom line is that universities currently have an untapped potential for nurturing innovative thinkers. By 2026, our university should be providing learners the freedom to challenge and collaborate with their educators. I hope that by 2026 our students will not be limited solely by what they want to do but valued for what they want to change, no matter how big or small.