The literature on the idea of the contemporary university tends to analyze higher education institutions in normative terms. In contrast, this paper suggests that the idea of the university is socially constructed. By focusing on the Chilean university legislation and quality assurance, it is argued that the university is no longer understood as an institution with three different functions (research, teaching, and extension) but as an institution whose main function is to fulfill its own mission. It is suggested here that Readings’s notion of ‘university of excellence’ can help to explain these changes.
Key words:
Idea of the university; Massification; Higher education.