PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

The expectations that the society and its different segments have from the university are influenced by historical circumstances and social, economic, political and cultural environment as the widest context within which the university interacts with its surroundings. Having this in mind, this paper aims to identify and analyze the explicit and implicit needs articulated by different social actors towards Serbian universities. This is done with an understanding that these needs arise in the context of comprehensive and deep social (economic, cultural, political) transition. The ‘third mission’ of the university, which includes the university participation in economic development as well as in building the civil society and democratic values, is considered to be especially important in the transition period. However, this mission is least present in practice given the fact that Serbian universities are so overburdened by other new roles in scientific research and education that they do not manage to systematically and strategically formulate their tasks within this new mission.