| The university board system in late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China played an important role in Chinese modern university history,and went through complex systematic transition.By sorting out and comparing the board systems in the church universities,private universities and national universities in late Qing Dynasty,tracing the their roots,studying the periods and the entire view,comparing the multi-elementary state,and summarizing the tracks and subjects of the changes,this research seeks to probe into the deep causes of the system transition from the angles of system history and perception history.The university board system in late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China had its local and outer roots.First,it evolved from the traditional board system in Qianlong period in Qing Dynasty.It was not mature in system and was not expressed as "board",however,it had taken shape in directors,structures,functions and running,which was controlled by the government and showed democratic buddings.In the system designing,there was no regulated written systems."Directors",vague in definition,were chosen democratically or succeeded from forefathers,and the boards were seen as routine administrative organs.The form and perception of the board system in traditional academies were all,to some extent,carried on to the new schools and reformed traditional academies at the end of Qing Dynasty,and even to the private and national universities in the Republic of China.The outer roots of the university board system in late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China include the corporation board system in late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China and American university board system.The corporation board system in late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China learned from and imitated that in western countries.The corporation board system saw non-administrative financing as its function and power because of the centralization of political power and the traditional idea of official supervision.American university board system had a great influence on that in late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China.It was a sample taken by the church universities American churches established in China.Since the end of Qing Dynasty,with the trend of learning from the west,American university board system had some conceptual influence on the board system in private and national universities.The university board system in late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China experienced four periods---budding,blooming,formation,and adjusting,the designing of which developed from disorder to regulation.Since the system budding in Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty,as church academies at the end of Qing Dynasty transformed into church universities,church universities began to construct the mode of double-board(ie.western trustee and Chinese university board)administration accordingly.At the same time,a variety of new schools run by Chinese also began to try the construction and practice of board system.In this period,as a system that did not dominate in amount,university board system remained its "verge survival".At the beginning of the Republic of China,the university board system was formed.Multi-elementary university board system appeared,matured and was localized in private and national universities.During Nanking Government administration,the university board system was adjusted.Under more policies and regulations of the central government,the double boards in church universities were,to some extent,localized after reorganization for many times;those in private universities had the inner managing contradictions partially relieved after adaptation time and again.The transition of the university board system in late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China went from nongovernmental occurrence to governmental control and from the center of power to system verge.The transition was accompanied by the power competition among the related people and organizations such as the government,churches,warlords,merchants and universities.The government's interference,churches' control and union,warlords' and merchants'investment and involvement,and universities' management and independence all determined the transfer of power,and caused the transition of structures and functions of the university board system.National university board was banned because of the conflict with the central government.The management of church universities transferred from the "vestern trustees" to the "boards in China".After relapse and adjustment of the functions,the boards in private universities were defined as financing and consulting agencies.In the end,the boards in church universities and private universities were all transferred to the central government.The boards in church systems had different orientation of power from those in private and national universities.Balanced against such institutes as the appraisal committee,the double boards in churches were defined as financing and macro-policy-making institutes,and did not set foot in academic or teaching power.The boards in national and private universities usually did more than financing and macro-policy-making.They interfered in and controlled academy and teaching,thus conflicted with appraisal committee and frequently caused problems in university management.Compared with the board system in the USA,the board system in late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China grew in completely different phases and backgrounds.Centralized political institutions and lack of democracy and rules of law made a special transition of Chinese university board system.Influenced by the perception of "directors" in traditional academies in Qing Dynasty,directors were usually seen as the supervisors of a school.Influence by the idea of"non-administrative investment" in the corporation board system in late Qing Dynasty and theRepublic of China,few investors were involved in the management of universities.Therefore,governments,average people,school runners and investors all had their special understanding of the university board's function. |
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