Boulton, G. and Lucas, C. What are universities for?. LERU, Leuven, 2008.

The League of European Research Universities (LERU) has released a new paper calling for a reinforced understanding of the fundamental role of university in today’s society. While, on the one hand, as the paper highlights, there has been an evolution towards regarding universities as a “vital resource for the future” and as crucial national assets, these evolutions, on the other hand, also caused a certain amount of loose thinking about the roles that universities can play in society. Drawing attention on these issues, the publication also articulates the main challenges, which both universities and governments have to address. 

LERU, founded in 2002, is an association of 20 leading research-intensive universities animated by the values of high-quality teaching, within an environment of internationally competitive research.

The publication can be downloaded from the LERU website.

LERU