Text | "China Science Daily" reporter Wen Caifei
The rocket launch is in a vertical ascending state, and it will enter a curved state when it encounters resistance during operation. By analogy, the new type of research university is that it is developing strongly at first, but it will slow down at a certain time.
"In the process of construction and development, the new research university is likely to undergo various changes in the attitude of the organizers, the degree of government control, the rise and fall of social prestige, the change of school leadership, the tightening of the financial situation, and the maintenance of the inflow of teachers. These changes will have a direct impact on the sustainable development of new research universities. Shen Hong, chair professor at Southern University of Science and Technology, pointed out the various possibilities for the development of a new type of research university.
As a representative new research university in mainland China, SUSTech has gone through 13 years. Not long ago, at the 4th Forum on the Construction of World-class Research Universities held by the university, experts and scholars launched a heated discussion on the topic of "sustainable development of new research universities".
Evaluations pose a risk of homogeneity
"The core of the development of new research universities is to solve the problem of homogeneity in higher education. Chen Xingde, an associate professor at Xiamen University, said that the participants were prompted to think about whether the new research university has truly achieved bold innovation and exploration in terms of evaluation methods, integration of industry and education, and talent training, and is different from traditional universities.
"There is no tailor-made evaluation system for new research universities to judge how well they are running a school. Many people subconsciously compare it to a traditional research university. For example, if some of its scientific research indicators rise very quickly, it is considered to be doing well. Zhang Duanhong, an associate professor at Tongji University, told China Science Daily.
"This will lead new research universities to follow the path of traditional universities, consciously or unconsciously. Zhang Duanhong said that in the early stage of construction, new research universities are often eclectic in the introduction of talents. However, after a period of time, some schools will emphasize the number of "hat" talents and pay attention to the evaluation of rankings, rather than expecting the introduced teachers to have a strong spirit of reform and a strong relationship with the industry, so as to promote the reform and development of the school. "If you don't resist the temptation, the new type of research university risks losing itself in the pursuit of talent. ”
Jia Yongtang, a professor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, agreed. He believes that in order to break the organizational inertia, the new research university must realize organizational innovation as soon as possible and play the role of explorer, not only to increase resource support, but also to change the institutional environment.
On the issue of getting rid of the ranking framework, Wu Jianxin, associate professor of Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, suggested that the degree of "innovation-driven" should be evaluated, and the innovation-driven of new research universities should not only respond to the national innovation-driven development strategy, but also break the status quo of poor knowledge transformation in traditional universities, and contribute to society with organized innovation; Evaluation, especially for young teachers, provides a long-term and stable support mechanism.
Highly dependent on how to break the finances
"We often look to world-class universities such as Harvard University and Stanford University in the United States as examples, but we tend to ignore the 'fact' that most of the top American universities in the United States are private universities, which means that they are not under the same pressure as public universities. Wang Rong, a professor at Peking University, pointed out.
In particular, mainland universities adopt the fixed support method of European universities, and tend to support the hiring, rewarding and punishing system of American universities for teachers, and maintain the model of taking key universities as the main investment object in external support, so that the reverse pressure mechanism of teachers on universities cannot be formed. "If this continues, mainland higher education may benefit from the disadvantages of the European and American models, but not both. Wang Rong said.
In recent years, due to various factors, the economic situation in mainland China has been under great downward pressure, and new research universities with high financial dependence are facing great challenges. How to diversify funding is a real problem for new research universities.
"New research universities should enhance their hematopoietic capacity through industry-university-research cooperation and external fundraising. Cai Sanfa, a researcher at Tongji University, said. For example, the establishment of Westlake University is a typical example of external fundraising.
Wang Hongcai, a professor at Xiamen University, pointed out that forming a positive interaction with enterprises is the key to the formation of endogenous power for new research universities. "At present, a lot of academic work in colleges and universities accounts for a relatively large proportion of work, and the practicality is not strong, and there is a gap between schools and enterprises, which I am more worried about. Once the chasm is crossed, a new type of research university is an easy way to go, without which it will not be sustainable. ”
In addition, Zhou Sen, an assistant researcher at Peking University, said that the new type of research university does not have the historical burden of development, so can it boldly make some new explorations? For example, can it follow the example of Sino-foreign cooperatively-run universities and do a good job of internal control work while charging higher tuition fees, and control the per capita public or per student personnel expenditure? This is also an issue that the new type of research university should consider.
How to highlight the advantages of cultivating top-notch innovative talents
In the reform and exploration of new research universities, the training model of top-notch innovative talents is a topic worthy of attention. Shen Hong proposed four intrinsic characteristics of the new research university, the first of which is to insist on cultivating the majority of students to become the top innovators of the future.
In the study, Cai Sanfa's team drew a portrait of a new type of research university. They found that "the advantages of new research universities in cultivating top-notch innovative talent have not yet been highlighted".
How to cultivate top-notch innovative talents in a new type of research university?
Lu Xiaozhong, a professor at South China Normal University, pointed out that the new type of research university should keep its "research" as a research university, and create a new "interdisciplinary integration and grassroots academic organization reform".
He said that new research universities should play a "leading" role in the fields of basic disciplines, emerging disciplines and interdisciplinary disciplines. Actively pay attention to new fields and new tracks, and learn more about the productivity formed by emerging industries such as new energy and new materials. At the same time, it is necessary to carry out the reform of grassroots academic organizations that are consistent with the development of disciplines.
For example, he said, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) has replaced the traditional "faculties and departments" with "hubs and academic domains". The university hopes to truly achieve interdisciplinary integration by changing the grassroots academic organization.
According to Li Zhimin, vice president of the Chinese Society for Education Development Strategy, graduate education, as a key point of scientific and technological innovation and talent training, should become the top priority of talent training in new research universities. "Truly personalized education is at the graduate level. Teaching students according to their aptitude and individualized training can be best reflected in the postgraduate stage. ”
Li Zhimin believes that a new type of research university must adhere to several basic requirements: solid professional basic knowledge, keen inspiration, rich imagination, strong comprehensive analysis ability, and good expression ability. "If there is no solid professional basic knowledge, a person's research will have directional problems, especially in the field of mathematics, and it is impossible to make breakthroughs without relevant knowledge and literacy. ”
Because of this, Cai Sanfa said that it is necessary to better combine the development of new research universities with the spirit of educators and scientists, and promote the cultivation of top-notch innovative talents, which is a topic that needs to be further deepened in reform.
China Science Daily (2023-12-12 4th Edition)