Publication Type
Magazine Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
3-2026
Abstract
Dr Lily Kong, president of Singapore Management University, argues that the social contract between universities and society has fundamentally shifted and that higher education must evolve in response. The contract isn’t fraying for the usual reasons. It’s not about Ivory Towers or access as critics often claim. Rather it’s because technology, science and society are changing too fast and people are living much longer. A model built on credentialing 18-22 year olds and sending them off to a lifetime of work is obsolete. As Dr Kong puts it, “Universities can no longer function as institutions for the young only. They must become lifelong partners — institutions that accompany individuals not just at the start of their journeys, but through the multiple transitions, pivots, and reinventions that will define a 100-year life.”
Discipline
Higher Education
Publication
Not Alone: Leaders in Focus
First Page
1
Last Page
5
Publisher
Elsevier
Citation
KONG, Lily, "The new social contract for universities: Designing higher education for the 100-year life" (2026). Research Collection School of Social Sciences. Paper 4428.
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/4428
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/4428
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://www.elsevier.com/connect/the-new-social-contract