While universities all over the world are discussing ways to promote the quality of education, critical thinking, creativity and innovation among their students, a gathering of vice chancellors and academics from various universities in Karachi brainstormed for ways to promote and maintain peace on campuses. Universities are a key to progress but that can only be true when peace and tranquillity can be taken for granted. Dr Tariq Rafi, the vice chancellor of Jinnah Sindh Medical University, rightly said that university campuses are a reflection of the society. What do our universities tell us about the society? They indicate that the society lacks direction; lacks maturity in most of social endeavours and tolerance for differences of opinion. The quest for discovery is on the wane in our universities, thanks to the chaos in the society. Many university teachers are into politics of benefits while students are deprived of union politics. No wonder the politics of ethnicity, religion and non-issues trumps healthy debate and social participation. University administrations rarely tolerate open-minded teachers and teachers hardly welcome differences of opinion in classrooms. Ad hoc-ism rules the roost. The growing number of visiting faculty is one sign of the malaise. The most frustrating thing about our universities is that they look up to their foreign counterparts for solution of local problems. There has been no meaningful collaboration between local and foreign universities. To most of the teachers, collaboration with a foreign university means foreign visits and research funds. The primary purpose of collaboration – benefiting from each other’s experience – is frequently forgotten. It is encouraging to see that vice-chancellors and the academia have sat together to discuss the issues. Such discussions, will, however, fail to bear fruit if they do not draw purposeful conclusions. Universities campuses are the best place to discuss their problems and find their solutions through a variety of research tools. Every campus may have some problems unique to it but many of the problems may have their roots in an approach to higher education that focuses on careers. The society hardly encourages scholarship in social sciences, arts and philosophy. Now that meeting has concluded, it is suggested that the vice chancellors and deans go back to their campuses and start research on the factors responsible for fanning violence on campuses and in the society. Once they have identified the factors, another research will lead them to solutions. We hope that they meet soon to discuss the findings of their research. *