It is argued that Universities exist to address societal challenges and to cultivate humanity. Prof Sizwe Mabizela, the Vice Chancellor of Rhodes University, has since his inauguration, acknowledged the importance of universities being good for society and not just good at what they do. Rhodes University's recent webinar, the ‘Higher Education Community Engagement Dialogue: The Cultivation of Humanity’ on 8 and 9 May created an opportunity for practitioners across the globe to share their insights on the public good role of Universities.

The dialogue raised important questions about what it actually means to educate students for both a life and a living. 

The dialogue provided a platform for guest speakers: Dr Victor Paul (Christ University, India), Dr Sharli Paphitis (King’s College, London), Dr Kanya Padayachee (Free State University), Prof Vhonani Netshandama (University of Venda), Dr Grey Magaiza (Free State University), Dr Amey Deshpande (Sri Sathya Sai Centre for Human Values, India), Emeritus Professor Peter Clayton (Rhodes University) and Dr Pedro Tabensky (Rhodes University).

The speakers prompted discussions on how Engaged Research, Service Learning, Volunteerism and Innovation can facilitate the cultivation of Humanity in Higher Education. 

 

Cultivating Humanity in Higher Education

The focus on Community Engagement (CE) suggests that participatory approaches are neccessary to realise this vision of the University. Community Engagement invovles different approaches to collaboration and co-design and co-learning engagement across all aspects of the University's functions. 

"'Yes, community participation is not that easy, but once you make it, once you do it, make it a practice. It is not that difficult. That is what we feel," says Victor Paul. 

Critical self-examination, global citizenship, and narrative imagination are argued to be foundational aspects of higher education. Designing curricula to be socially relevant, to align research projects with solving community problems is vital to the development of students. The  role of peer modeling and mentoring, with students learning from their seniors, has been advocated as a practical means of cultivating these relational dynamics. 

One approach to encouraging these values in teaching and learning suggested is Value-based Education. Value-based Education when introduced early, even at the primary school level and when it involves all relevant stakeholders, including parents, can contribute to integrating community values into classrooms. Doing so in a way that is inclusive and healing can involve developing a sacrosanct document, like a vision document or constitution, to align everyone's interests within the organisation. Another approach, Integral Education has also been suggested as a means to develop a sense of wholeness and connection with self, family, community, society, nation, and world. Integral education approaches integrate the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions of human beings. This framework also emphasises the importance of developing the self before making changes or transformations.

"In this way, scholars are equipped to become agents of societal change and contributors to meaningful social transformation. Such students are able to strengthen and deepen the democratic values and advance social justice and human solidarity in our society. It is our responsibility to educate them for a life of meaning, a life of purpose, and we must educate and prepare them For a life of consequence," says Prof Mabizela. 

This process is not without challenges. Socialisation and commodification prevalent in institutions can impact education and individual development. Universities often play a role in reinforcing societal norms rather than encouraging critical thinking and self-formation. Community engagement has been posited as ways to resist these pressures and to nurture intelligent growth. The ethical aspects of all disciplines must be recognised to understand the forces shaping students' minds.

It is understood that understanding and engaging with marginalised communities is central to achieving the vision of the University as spaces for the cultivation of humanity. In contexts such as South Africa and Africa, race has played and continues to play a significant role in perceptions of humanity and epistemology. Particularly in African universities, Ubuntu can serve as a means of making sense of the construction of race as a colonial concept. 

By describing the fluidity and ideological underpinnings of race, Dr Grey Magaiza suggests that Ubuntu can offer humanistic pathways beyond race. Through collaborative approaches and by engaging with their communities to prioritise the needs of the community over their own interests, Universities can begin on this pathway. Understanding the dynamics between individuals and the group and requirements for community survival are central to this discussion, as is unpacking and unlocking systems that justify inequality.

 

Next steps for Universities

Acting on this vision for holistic co-learning in higher education requires all faculty sensitised to the main purpose of the institution. Change needs to come from both the top and the bottom, and that it is a process that needs to be worked on together. Redressing the relational practices among academics, transformative pedagogical relationships, and ethical research cultures is essential in cultivating humanity in higher education.

"It's through our relationships, through our teaching and through our research. And these changes in our way of being academics are not easy. They require a lot of institutional will, not just our own individual commitment," says Dr Paphitis. 

 

Action Items from the Dialogue

• Community engagement leaders to form a task team to map out and review existing literature on community engagement impact.
• Universities to develop and implement sustained frameworks for integrating community engagement into performance management and curricula.
• Higher education institutions explore ways to implement value-based, self-directed learning approaches that expose students to community challenges.
• Universities to consider offering micro-grants for lecturers to redesign courses with a community engagement focus.
• Higher education leaders to work on transforming curricula to produce more socially responsible graduates within a 5-year timeframe.
• Launch of the latest issue of the African Journal of Higher Education Community Engagement
• Planning for the 2026 International Community Engagement Conference on the Cultivation of Humanity