A Comparative Study Of Student Affairs Management Between Chinese And American Universities From Cultural Perspective

As an important support and guarantee of personnel training, the management of student affairs plays an implacable role in the management of universities and the students’growth. The transition of socity has led the urgency of student affairs reform, the reform of education has led the inevitability of student affairs reform, the change of Management target shows the importance of student affairs reform, the development of management shows the adequacy of student affairs reform. Having worked in student affairs in the last10years, the author of this thesis has realized the challenges and opportunities to student affairs management in times change, and the successful experience of student affairs management in American universities. Therefore, the author has researched a comparison of student affairs management between Chinese and American universities from cultural perspective, in order to develop the useful and discard the useless in reference and comparison, in order to explore the fresh perspective to look into the possibilities of reforms and improvements student affairs management in Chinese universities.On the basis of the definition of concepts of student affairs and the regulation of student affairs, the author conducted a comprehensive survey and analysis of the historical evolution of student affairs management between Chinese and American universities, explored and showed the clear historical vien of student affairs management in two countries. The reform and development of student affairs is based on history and culture as the logic starting point, with the development of higher education inseparably. The direction of evolution of student affairs management in two countries has amazing similarity, but has the heritage of the respective national characteristics, and the different progression. Ideas are the guidelines of student affairs management practice. Because of the different backgrounds of politics, economy, culture and education in China and the United States, because of the difference of theoretical support, historical traditions and realistic environment, the ideas of student affairs management are different in two counties. The value orientation of Chinese universities is "social standard", the target is "the management of students", the view of students is adhere to the all-round development of students, the view of practice is combined with the ideological and political education. The ideas can maintenance stable management, but constrain the development of students’ personality. The value orientation of American universities is "individual standard", the target is "the development of students", the view of students is equality of subjects, the view of practice is fused with academic affairs and interacted with theoretical study. But looking from development trend, the ideas of student affairs in two countries show convergence.The operation mechanism of student affairs is the carrier and the safeguard of the practice of ideas and contents. Chinese and American universities have set up specialized student affairs administrations, but the educational administrations have different influence on them, the organization and operation mechanism of them is different. The characteristics of Chinese universities are two stage operation, influenced by the party organizations, combination of centralization and decentralization, mainly to block, arranged in a crisscross pattern. The models of student affairs management in Chinses various universities are basically convergence. In American universities, The characteristics are flat management, strip running mechanism, diversified models. There are many differences of the humanization, democratization, modernization in management methods of student affairs management between Chinese and American Universities, but all contain the moral education method.The pursuit of specialization is the main train of development of student affairs management in Chinses and American universities, but the professional degree is different. Professional features of student affairs in American universities are specific role orientation, diverse work contents, independent set of management mechanism, strict admittance qualification system, professional discipline system, complete occupation training system, improvement association system, clear professional standard. There are differences in the management of Student affairs between Chinese and American universities, such as personnel allocation, theory research, discipline construction, association evelopment, system construction, professional assessment.On the basis of qualitative comparison of history, management concept, operation mechanism, professional development of student affairs management between Chinese and American Universities, the author reflects the reasons of homogeneity and heterogeneity from cultural perspective. The "grand unification" of Chinese culture makes student affairs management cultivate standard students. The "diversification" of American culture makes student affairs management respect students’ personality development. The tradition of Chinese culture makes student affairs management focus on mechanism conformity. The modernity of American culture makes student affairs management pay attention to system innovation. The political nature of Chinese culture makes organization structure of student affairs management vertical obviously. The economics nature of American culture makes organization structure of student affairs management flat. In the influence of traditional Confucian culture, student affairs and academic affairs remain independent development in Chinese universities. In the influence of open and pluralistic culture, student affairs and academic affairs promote collaborative fusion in American universities. There is more rule of man and humanistic care in student affairs management of Chinese universities. There is more respection of scientific rationality and legal management in student affairs management of American universities.Successful experience of student affairs management in American universities has the important enlightenment for China. The process of learning is creative transformation and blend integration, is the unity of the traditional culture succession and the moderate system transplantation, but not the complete copy. The process is the inheritance of traditional Chinese culture and the essence of management, the accommodation of the development trend of the reform of university management. In the management of student affairs, we should construct harmonious culture among the organization elements of student affairs. We should maintain cultural atmosphere of echoes between student affairs management and the ideological education. We should innovate the management culture of student affairs, establish the scientific view of development that unites individual standard and social standard, advance system mechanism construction that coordinates flexible management and institutional norms, realize the management culture innovation that organically combines the education in management and culture. On the basis of these principles, the author carefully reflects the train of thought and practice of student affairs management in China, learns and draws lessons from theoretical results and practical experience of student affairs management in America. Under the guidance of the Scientific outlook on Development, the author creatively proposes the thought of constructing of student affairs management that is full of Chinese characteristics——idea of humanism, localization of harmony, development of specialization, scientific patterns. We should continuous exploration in practice to find a suitable road to success for student affairs management in China in the reform and development.Theory needs to be tested and be perfected in practice. The author analyses the practice model cases of student affairs management innovation in China, designs practical ideas and working standards of the models of "counselor studio","student senate system","one stop service","cloud sharing mechanism", hopes to provide reference to the practice of student affairs management of Chinese Universities.