Research On The Academic Council Institution Of Chinese University

In recent years, effectively play the role of the academic council in "shared governance" within universities of our country has become a top priority on the agenda of higher education reformation in China. Up to the present, academic council in the university internal governance of our country does not play its proper role as we would expect, but stuck in a bind of efficiency weakening functions. Obviously the reasons are complicated and diversified, but the lacking of a reasonable system for the actual operation of academic council by providing specific and effective institution basis and guarantee, is undoubtedly one of the most critical contingency factors. This research takes the shortcomings that existing in the institutional design as the core issue, by choosing round institutional system which generated by academic council as the study subject, and points out the corresponding suggestions on system optimization as the ultimate destination.Academic council, as an important institution of university organizations, its existence, establishment and management are all closely related to that the university exists as the properties of the academic organization. To clarify the correlation between them, this research first, started from the interpretation of academic organization properties in universities. Then by explaining the relationship between advanced knowledge and universities, the specific relationship formed within universities around the advanced knowledge, and finally draw the conclusion that: The legitimacy of the academic council in the university organization is laid by the characteristics of the advanced knowledge, personnel in academic council shall be based on the professor as the main body determined by hierarchical and differentiated structures which formed from teacher groups around the advanced knowledge.As to clarify the academic senate institutional design made by American universities, and provides valuable theoretical references for the improvement of our systems, this paper reviews the historical transition of the inner government structure in American universities, unscramble the intension of shared governance idea which pursued by the inner government structure in American universities. Through eight cases study of institutional design and its characteristics and value orientation of academic senate in American universities, this paper concluded that:The internal governance structure of American university (early colonial college) changed from dilettante board of trustees control model to shared governance model. Based on the result of separation and authorization of powers by dilettante board of trustees due to the constantly struggle of teacher groups and mature of social groups, gradually formed of modern administrative system, limited their ability other factors. Shared governance theory emphasizes in understanding, trust, participation, responsibility and coordination. Characteristics of relevant institutional design in university cases including the coexistence of completeness and meticulous, certainty and flexibility, feature and gradually adjustable, and embeds with the value orientation of democracy, high quality and efficiency in the operation and high resolution or suggestions of the execution.The premise of reflective thinking in the advantages and disadvantages for institution design of practical terms is the clear of reference that ought to be. Thus, based on the content of the first chapter and the second, with the teasing out of historical changes of the academic power and parsing with the political ecology within the university in our country, this paper makes the corresponding explanation of what academic council ought to be in China. That is, it should be an organization with representativeness, democratic and coordination in essence. Its power and responsibility should be performed multiple functions on the related academic affairs. It is formed of the professor as the main body and generated by democratic process with subject balance. Its organization structure should be divisional structure with the decomposition of responsibilities and rights. Its meeting institution design should be based on the principle of effective, it should maintain effective communication with other governance structures or main body and proper distance also should be kept at the same time.The relevant content of academic council in texts of related higher educational institution by the country provided is undoubtedly the basic foundation of institutional design and practical operation for academic council in school level under the collective system of higher education. With the analyzing of historical institutionalism framework, this paper reviews the historical transition of academic council in texts of related higher educational institution by the country provided. Meantime by analyzing the content of academic council in texts of related higher educational institution in all periods, related content of academic council and Procedures of the Academic Council of Colleges and Universities, then got the conclusion:according to the key nodes, the changes of the academic council institution can be divided into several periods, there are, period of appeared and disappeared changes, period of inadequate institution, period of institution implementation and period of optimization and adjustment. Since 1956, relevant texts of higher educational institution related to academic council all provide different institutional arrangements. The institutional design of Procedures of the Academic Council of Colleges and Universities reflects the significance of relevant institutional innovation, though lacking of relevant information and unrealistic issues also exist.For purpose of getting a clearer analysis of institutional design and its existing problems for academic council in our higher education level, this research took 21 "985" engineering universities as analysis cases, made cases study on inspection and examination of institutional design in Charter of the Academic Council in accordance with correlative standard, then lead to the conclusion. On the dimension of conforming to the regulations both in Procedures of the Academic Council of Colleges and Universities and Charter of University, only a small number of universities, their regulations both in Charter of the Academic Council and Procedures of the Academic Council of Colleges and Universities are highly consistent with these related in Charter of University. On the dimension of completeness and rationality, three issues have been involved in general of institutional design of Charter of the Academic Council in all 21 cases study of universities; these are omission issue, roughness issue and unrealistic issue etc. In the last, the corresponding optimization suggestions from the above conclusions proposed are made on the common issues existing in institutional design of Charter of the Academic Council in case study of universities.