| On November 2015, the Sate Council of China officially issued "The world first-class push forward University and the first-class discipline construction overall plan", in order to improve a group of high-level universities and discipliners into the world-top or forefront, promoting the comprehensive strength of higher education and international competition, supporting strongly for realizing the Chinese dream of the nation’s great rejuvenation. The university presidents, who were the soul of Universities, are practitioners of national education policies, decision-makers and overseers for development strategy programming of Universities. Furthermore, they are also creators and shapers for campus culture and students’ belief. Building the world first-class university can not be done without the presidents who have excellent leadership. However, the leadership of university presidents contains multiple of elements. It is no doubt that the thought of leadership is the corn part of leadership itself. Consequently, it is significant for researching into the thought leadership of university presidents. This study is beneficial to strengthen the presidents’ understanding of leadership, improve their level of thought in the leadership, and propel building and developing the world first-class university.In 2007, Drew Gilpin Faust became the first female president of Harvard University. As the president of the leader of world first-class university, it was extremely important to research on Faust’s thought leadership. This study has adopted a document reading method and case study method to explore these problems as follows:The main contents of Faust’s thought leadership and how her thought leadership practices into the process of Harvard runs, Harvard governing and talent-cultivating. According to the arrangement and analysis of Faust’s speeches and related news, the conclusions show that Faust’s thought leadership consisted of three parts:school-running thoughts, school-governing thoughts and talents-cultivating thoughts. School-running thoughts were her rational knowledge and ideals and pursuits about the university which play a vital role in university reform and development. School-running thoughts include her understanding of essence of the university, purposes of higher education and characteristics of university nowadays. By reshaping Harvard values pushing forward scientific research, highly undertaking social responsibilities, Faust brings her thought into reality. School-Governing thoughts indicate her fundamental concepts and ideas about how to lead Harvard management and development involving in scientific management on staff and resources, realizing missions efficiently. Faust’s School-governing thought contains Democracy and Liberty, opening-up and cooperation, sustainable development and emphasis on teaching as Harvard’s one of its core missions. Following her school-governing thought, Faust expands the campus landscape, allocates resources appropriately, and speeds up the internationalization talents-cultivating thoughts which are her expectation of educational outcomes and her aims and pursuits of talents-cultivating. Faust reckons that Harvard should cultivate citizens with noble moral and responsibility who can solve big problems and have critical spirit. For carrying out her pursuits, Faust focuses on reforming courses for undergraduates, strengthen the teaching staff though a series of measures and improve student’s morals standards and responsibility consciousness. It draws a conclusion that,thought leadership is the soul of university presidents and their leadership. Faust’s thought leadership plays a leading and dominating role in the process of Harvard running, Harvard governing and talents-cultivating. Constructing world-class university, contemporary university Presidents must improve their own leadership and play a vital role of thought leadership... |
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