A genuine partnership between academia and industry can be the locomotive for a knowledge economy. Such an economy is a firm reality now based on the premise that “Ideas are Products.”

The traditional view of academia as a community of scholars working in isolation to push the frontiers of knowledge has all but given way in our complex, digital and rapidly changing world. Universities that have for long prided themselves on keeping the world of practice at arm’s length have gradually moved away from this model toward an engagement model based on multiple patterns and modalities of interface beyond their gates. This was partly caused by a shifting intellectual climate and partly imposed by the necessity of transitioning to a future different than anything we have known before. While inquisitiveness and discovery continue to be prime drivers for universities, economic utility has become closely aligned with sustainability in the life of academic institutions.

Dynamics of Push and Pull

A plethora of novel factors further accelerated this transition. Three in particular are noteworthy. 

• Universities’ loss of historic near-monopoly over knowledge generation which is now shared by a wider range of institutions through innovations, and the dazzling digitization of the universe. Knowledge companies dominate the corporate landscape today. 

• Fund shortages experienced by both public and private universities. This led to exploring alternative revenue sources to augment what is available in pursuit of strategic goals that are no longer attainable with the available resource base.

• The major expansion in our understanding of research to include new categories in addition to basic or classical. The list includes applied research, translational research, commissioned studies, and grant-based research. 

It will be noticed that these three streams include both push and pull factors that are now being increasingly taken for granted. Offices of grants and contracts, specialized research centers, and interdisciplinary institutes are visible landmarks to be found at most universities today. This massive transformation went hand in hand with other closely related developments. Two in particular stand out: Predominance of professional schools, and mounting interest in fundraising at universities. Both phenomena by their very nature require industry engagement. 

Local Manifestations of the Transformation

Major private universities in Lebanon have historically been keen on staying abreast of major international trends in higher education and encompassing them with record speed. Some of them occupy relatively advanced slots in global rankings and can only go by global norms.  

Getting and staying there was not easy and it often required major changes that were both structural and functional in nature. By way of example, we find at some – if not all – of these universities offices for grantsmanship, research centers, institutes, enterprise offices, business development units and the like. For these novel additions to work well, two key conditions will have to exist: A change of culture driven by the executive level but permeating all veins of the institution, and the ability to integrate, package, amplify, and market interdisciplinary skills. 

The Challenge Today

Oddly enough, the crisis that is currently rocking the higher education sector in Lebanon has also opened up opportunities for us to embrace. The threat of marginalization is real, our business model has serious sustainability problems, talent retention is a strategic imperative, student employability is a top priority and the list continues. Those institutions that have been around for over a hundred years, know all too well that their glorious past cannot be a guide for their present and future. We have to leave the box behind and do things that until recently were not on the menu. 

Forging a Strategic Response: LAU as a Case in Point

In response to the challenges listed above, LAU is evolving into an entrepreneurial university where the integrity of discovery is safeguarded in harmony with leadership in online delivery, and spreading our network of campuses in Lebanon, the US and soon the MENA region. Another addition is a new medical center in Jounieh as part of the newly developed LAU Health system. What is common among all these developments is packaging and offering our expertise way beyond our gates and partnering with multiple constituencies in pursuit of building multilateral synergies and financial sustainability in a knowledge economy. 

LAU Modes of Partnership

Firm in its belief that the future requires a major university turnaround in the direction of industry partnerships, LAU has taken, or is in the process of taking, the following steps:

• Partnership with major global educational firms for online delivery of graduate degrees: Two are already under implementation and a few more are still in the planning phase.

• Partnership with a few leading companies to benefit from our continuing education programs customized to answer their own needs.

• Partnership(s) related to our quest for building “LAU without borders” through establishing and/or managing institutions of higher learning outside Lebanon.

• Partnerships around the idea of an “industrial park” on the Byblos campus intended to host companies and create an environment where our research endeavors are integrated with their R&D.

• Partnerships pursued in the context of fundraising where a multi-faceted relationship is built based on synergy through an umbrella agreement and mutual win-win dynamics. 

From Estrangement to Engagement

The old model of gates and walls protecting gown from town is an anachronism that has outlived its purpose. The challenge facing universities today is how to cross-pollinate with industry without compromising their integrity or diluting their mission in pursuit of “pure” knowledge. Integrating the knowledge drive and the growth drive has proven its worth the world over and it is up to us as a university community to adapt in ways aligned to our own ecosystem and circumstances. 

Years of erecting firewalls between town and gown made universities vulnerable to criticism of irrelevance, whereas total mergers of missions can threaten to turn universities into training centers. What is needed in the best interest of universities and industry is a roadmap for strategic alignments where mutual reinforcement prevails. A case in point is the pursuit of ranking on the part of universities where employers’ input is critical. Such input should be viewed in the broader context of an ongoing process of building trust and cooperation avenues.    

The prevailing university model which has taken its current shape in the 19th century is increasingly becoming no longer tenable. Early adopters of the entrepreneurial model can expect first-mover advantage. Laggards will, once again, be left behind. LAU knows where it wants to be and extends an invitation to other institutions to join. The future is about impact and the road is clear.