This book offers an empirically informed and philosophically grounded reimagining of the university in the 21st century. Confronted with polycrises, geopolitical tensions, student activism, academic freedom disputes, and growing Epistemic Asymmetry, the book examines the deeper tensions shaping contemporary higher education.
Drawing on global academic interviews, Strategic Foresight-In workshops, and student dialogues, the authors analyze conditions of Strategic Drift and institutional misalignment between the university’s epistemic and democratic commitments. The book reflects on the university’s responsibility to steward knowledge with integrity, pluralism, and care.
Through innovative metaphors, including the forest farm and the spinning top, the university is reimagined as a dynamic knowledge ecosystem capable of cultivating both short- and long-term inquiry, with disruptive science as its distinctive mandate. The design philosophy of Integrating Simplification provides a framework for harmonizing epistemic, ethical, and operational dimensions.
Bridging higher education management, governance, and organizational design, this book offers a clear pathway for renewing the university’s coherence, academic freedom, and societal responsibility.
Sharda S. Nadram is Professor of Business & Spirituality at Nyenrode Business University and Professor of Hindu Spirituality and Society at the School of Religion and Theology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where she also serves as Chief Diversity Officer. She serves as Adjunct Professor in Banasthali Vidyapith, India. In addition she is member of the steering committee of the European Spirituality in Economics and Society (SPES), member of the Leadership Team of the Management, Spirituality and Religion Division in the Academy of Management, associate editor of the Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion. With a background in psychology and economics, she earned her PhD in social psychology and has pioneered the integration of spirituality into business, leadership, and entrepreneurship. She is the author of several books, including The Spirit of Entrepreneurship and Organizational Innovation by Integrating Simplification. Her research focuses on Organizational Innovation, Spirituality and Management, Integrative Intelligence, Intuitive Decision-Making, and Spiritual Values in professional settings. Her work spans multiple sectors, promoting inclusive, conscious leadership and sustainable innovation. Deeply rooted in her Indian heritage and Surinamese upbringing, Sharda bridges Eastern philosophy with Western organizational practices to inspire meaningful transformation in institutions. Her scholarship offers a visionary yet practical approach to modern leadership and organizational change.
Puneet K. Bindlish is with the School of Religion and Theology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His interdisciplinary research bridges Hindu spirituality, Indian epistemology, and Indigenous knowledge systems with contemporary ethical, theological, and organizational thought. Specializing in dharma-centric frameworks, his work explores spiritual care, Hindu ethics, and philosophical hermeneutics in pluralistic societies. He engages with non-translatable concepts to reveal their deeper ethical and ontological significance, offering alternatives to dominant Western categories. His scholarship contributes to evolving discourses on spirituality, relational ethics, and leadership in complex global contexts. He also brings prior experience in consulting and organizational research, particularly in areas such as integrative intelligence, self-managed organizations, and the philosophy of management. At VU Amsterdam, he supports the university’s commitment to epistemic diversity and inclusion by fostering cross-cultural dialogue and reimagining academic inquiry through indigenous and integrative lenses.
