Mission of the university as a response to the challenges of the time

This article discusses topical issues of the formation and transformation of the university’s mission in accordance with the needs of society in different historical epochs. It is shown that the main components of the university’s mission were and remain education, scientific research and service to society, to which other concepts were added at different times in accordance with public requests. It is noted that in the twentieth century the mission of the university was formed under the influence of significant conceptual changes in the social role of higher education associated with the transition from an elite model of university education to a mass one. It was aimed at meeting the needs of industry, producing humanitarian knowledge for the development of culture, intelligence and spirituality. It is shown that the mission of a modern university is transformed in accordance with the needs of a global society with a market economy by adding a number of other components related to economic, social and globalization factors to its classical components. It is emphasized that in the current realities, in connection with the conduct of a special military operation, the main task of university education is not only to convey information to students, but also to teach them how to work with it using modern scientific methods. The needs of modern Russian society encourage universities, in addition to scientific and educational, to fulfill a social mission.