A comparative study of governance in Chinese and American universities

The governance of universities around the world differ greatly from nation to nation, ranging from direct, detailed control by the central government to relatively free and independent operation with minimal government interference.; This study is an empirical and a cross-national comparative analysis of governance in Chinese and American universities. The purpose of this study is to discover, compare, and analyze how decisions are made at the university level.; This study consists of seven chapters. In Chapter I the author introduces the governance issues and frames the study on university governance in China and in the United States. In Chapter II the author reviews the literature on governance. In Chapter III the author describes the methodology and the three major issues to be examined in this study. The three issues are: (1) How are decisions made regarding the approval of new degree programs? (2) How are decisions made regarding the appointment of new full-time faculty members? (3) How are decisions made regarding the admission of students for doctoral studies?; In Chapter IV the author compares and analyzes Chinese and American higher educational systems and the administrative structures through which universities shape their governance processes. In Chapter V the author describes governance structures of the university in China and in the United States and compares the different groups which participate in institutional governance. In Chapter VI the author studies and compares two major research universities--Nanjing University in China and the University of California, Berkeley--to illustrate governance structures and processes based on the three key areas of academic and personnel decision-making in Chapter III.; The author concludes the study in Chapter VII by presenting recommendations for the Chinese government and universities. Basically the chapter describes lessons that can be derived from the American experience which are suitable to the Chinese situation and, correspondingly, what aspects of the American experience have little value for Chinese universities.