Pioneer To Follower: The Research Of Fluctuating Development Of The Johns Hopkins University

There is a series of problems in building world-class university, such as low level of teaching, lack of creativity etc. The solution is to learn successful experience from foreign universities. Choosing Johns Hopkins University as learning target has several reasons. Firstly, it was the first modern research university in American higher education which establishment was regarded as a turning point in American higher education history. It also leaded other American universities to transform into modern university, which made America higher education champion of the world. Secondly, the developing track of Johns Hopkins University was fluctuated. Its experience in prosperous period may help us understand the true meaning of research university and facilitate the building of world-class university in China. Its experience in slowing development period prevents us from zigzagging along the way building world-class university. Lastly,there are some similar difficulties in adapting to social development both for current Chinese higher education and American higher education before the Civil War. In a word, the experiences and lessons in the development of Johns Hopkins University have reference to the development of Chinese higher education.Different from the previous studies, this study does not regard Hopkins slowing development period as an irrational situation, but an inevitable outcome of historical development. At that time, American colleges have succeeded in transforming to modern universities, so that Johns Hopkins University lost its greatest advantage, and led from the pioneer of American higher education to the follower. Therefore, from the historical need, policy of the trustees and principal,interaction with the community of the Johns Hopkins University to find out real reasons of her fading and to improve the level of our university.