ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the development of higher education institutions over time, from the foundation of Al Qarawiyyin University in ad 859 to the present day. It looks at the contexts that have shaped the development of institutions in different parts of the world. In structuring the discussion, Frijhoff's suggestion that three elements - learning, utility and virtue - are the guiding forces behind the development of higher education institutions is used, both in the past and to the present day. In establishing the foundations on which contemporary higher education institutions have been built, this chapter makes the case that ensuring relevance to the demands of one's contemporary and highly globalised world is of paramount importance. It concludes by introducing the qualities that make cosmopolitan education a solution to the demands and challenges of the modern era.
