Kuala Lampur, Sept. 14 -- The role of the public university has long been a subject of contestation across the world.

Since their emergence in medieval Europe, universities have been torn between competing imperatives: the pursuit of universal knowledge, the cultivation of citizens, the service of the state, and, increasingly, the demands of the market.

The modern research university, as shaped in 19th century Germany, was founded on ideals of academic freedom and the integration of teaching and research.

Yet even then, it served a national purpose, producing knowledge to strengthen the state and cultivating elites who could govern.

In the 20th century, particularly after the Second World War, public universities expanded dramatically...