Dimensions of the Universities Third Mission from the University Teachers and Students Perspective

Abstract

The new roles of universities result in the expansion of traditional missions (teaching and research) in the direction of institutionalization and strengthening of the third mission and connecting the university with the community. Accordingly, the aim of the paper is to examine the perceptions of university teachers and students about different university missions, with special reference to the civic dimension, which is less studied in relation to the economic dimension of the third mission. The research included a total of 1 048 respondents, including 582 students and 466 teachers of the University of Novi Sad, and used the Questionnaire on the civic mission of the university and education for sustainable development. The obtained results indicate that there are more similarities between teachers and students than there are differences in the perception of the importance of different university missions. When it comes to differences, teachers attach more importance to the role of the university in promoting civic advocacy, while students attach more importance to the role of previous levels of education. Key words: civic engagement, third mission, teaching, research, university.