A Preliminary Study On Neil L. Rudenstine's Ideas And Practices Of Higher Education

Educational reform in the world was the most frequent in the 1990's. American Higher Education faced many opportunities and challenges. During this situation, Neil L.Rudenstine took up the post of the president of Harvard University. He had a far-reaching influence on the development of Harvard University,the United States and world education. He set an example for higher education in the world.Based on exhaustive data, in light of Neil L.Rudenstine's ideas of higher education, combined with Neil L.Rudenstine's practices, this research will try to explore him from various aspects and angles and hope to provide the development of higher education in China with lessons and experience through the research of Neil L.Rudenstine's ideas and practices of higher education.This thesis mainly includes three parts.The first part analyzes the background of Neil L.Rudenstine's ideas of higher education, mainly including the background at that time and his educational background .The second part analyzes Neil L.Rudenstine's ideas and practices of higher education in greater detail. This part consists of four aspects as follows: subject construction, faculty administration, students management and fund raising. The part of subject construction is composed of paying great attention to humanism education, attaching great importance to basic research, developing cooperation research and devoting much attention to Harvard teaching . The part of faculty administration is composed of selecting, employing, appraising and impelling teachers by taking many measures. The part of students management mainly introduces how to select and foster excellent students while Neil L.Rudenstine was the president of Harvard University. The part of fund raising is composed of the reason and measures of raising fund and how to apply for fund.The third part mainly inquires into the significance of Neil L. Rudenstine's ideas of higher education. They are as follows: firstly, paying great attention to humanism education and improving humanism accomplishment .Secondly, attaching great importance to basic research and paying attention to teaching at the same time. Thirdly, developing cooperation research and advocating subject crossing. Fourthly, emphasizing the quality of teachers and insisting on selecting the better teachers and eliminating the worse teachers. Fifthly, paying great attention to students'quality and holding the diversified learning . Sixthly, using the mixed model and expanding the methods of raising fund.