Research On The Governance Structure Of American State University

In recent decades, much more new attention is paid to university governance, for it is the key to understand operation and management of a university. With the further reform and development of the Chinese higher education, the establishment of modern university systems and mechanisms becomes the key issue for both higher education researchers and university administrators to care about. The issue of university governance becomes more and more highlighting in this background. In the game of government power centralization and autonomy of the Chinese provincial universities, the Chinese government still intervenes a lot in the Chinese provincial universities. Meanwhile, the internal governance of the Chinese provincial universities becomes more and more administration-oriented seriously, and the administration-oriented governance becomes the obstacle for further development of the Chinese provincial universities.The governance structures of the American state universities have experienced a complicated historical development, the research and practice of their governance structures embarks on earlier than us, and makes a lot of achievements that are worth learning for us, such as the role orientation of government, partner relationship of government and university, theory and practice of shared governance.The nearly 200 years'development of the American state universities benefits considerably from the promotion of the federal and state governments. The most important roles that the federal government plays in the development of the American state universities are resource provider and condition creator, and it seldom intervenes in the American state universities directly. Its aid to the American state universities is not limited in what we usually called research contract and students aid, it helps the American state universities in wide fields that the state governments can not step into. The federal government also promotes and regulates development of the American state universities through various laws and rules. The main roles that the state governments plays in the development of the American state universities are resource provider, condition creator, coordinator and consumer supporter.The most excellent part of the American state universities' governance structures is that it can share viewpoints among the teachers, administrators and trustees on the most fundamental issues. The governance power of the American state universities is shared broadly among the governance body, and is not concentrated in the hands of a few leaders. It carries out check and balance of power that constantly change through sharing power among the teachers, trustees, staff and administrators.So, the university governance structures must be regarded as multiple places, the voices of external constituencies, administrators and academic circles all must be heard. We should not take the governance as a stratified and hierarchical system, and we had better take it as a process to reach new values and viewpoints through consultation and dialogue. University governance must be open and transparent.In the section concerning the establishment of modern university systems and mechanisms, the State Medium and Long-Term Program on Education Reform and Development points out that we should overcome administration-orientation, abolish administration rank and administration-oriented managing modes in the practice of the university governance. It is a key breakthrough point to implement shared governance in removing "the biggest cancer of administration-orientation in the Chinese provincial universities'governance. It is also an important way to realise sharing, checking and balancing of governance power; to avoid making university yield to government willpower; to avoid making scholars submit to officials'authority.