Those Europeans who are tempted, in the light of the dismal scenes in New Orleans this fortnight, to downgrade the American challenge should meditate on one world: universities. Five years ago in Lisbon European officials proclaimed their intention to become the world"s premier "knowledge economy" by 2010. The thinking behind this grand declaration made sense of a sort: Europe"s only chance of preserving its living standards lies in working smarter than its competitors rather than harder or cheaper. But Europe"s failing higher-education system poses a lethal threat to this ambition. Europe created the modern university. Scholars were gathering in Paris and Bologna before America was on the map. Oxford and Cambridge invented the residential university: the idea of a community of scholars living together to pursue higher learning. Germany created the research university. A century ago European universities were a magnet for scholars and a model for academic administrators the world over. But, as our survey of higher education explains, since the second world war Europe has progressively surrendered its lead in higher education to the United States. America boasts 17 of the world"s top 20 universities. American universities currently employ 70% of the world"s Nobel prize-winners, 30% of the world"s output of articles on science and engineering, and 44% of the most frequently cited articles. No wonder developing countries now look to America rather than Europe for a model for higher education. Why have European universities declined so precipitously in recent decades? And what can be done to restore them to their former glory."? The answer to the first question lies in the role of the state. American universities get their funding from a variety of different sources, not just government but also philanthropists, businesses and, of course, the students themselves. European ones are largely state-funded. The constraints on state funding mean that European governments force universities to "process" more and more students without giving them the necessary cash—and respond to the universities" complaints by trying to micromanage them. Inevitably, quality has eroded. Yet, as the American model shows, people are prepared to pay for good higher education, because they know they will benefit from it: that"s why America spends twice as much of its GDP on higher education as Europe does. The answer to the second question is to set universities free from the state. Free universities to run their internal affairs: how can French universities, for example, compete for talent with their American rivals when professors are civil servants? And free them to charge fees for their services—including, most importantly, student fees.
单选题
According to the text, the European dream is likely to come true