A Study On The Turnover Of University Presidents: The Experience Of The United States

As the leader,academic model and chief executive of a university and an educator with a sacred mission as well,the president plays an essential role in the development of a university.So does the selection and succession of a university president.With the complication and exacerbation of university president's task,it becomes increasingly difficult to be a university president.In the critical period of Chinese higher education development,the theoretical and practical significance of research on principal succession gradually stands out.Under this situation,it emerges to be more important to provide theoretical support for principal succession improvements in Chinese universities through analyzing American experiences.Based on existing researches,through document study,this thesis conducted a systematic study on the factors,stages,influences and improvements etc.of succession for university presidents and summarized the merits of American higher education transition.Findings of this thesis are:the factors affecting principal succession in universities are environment,university internal structure and faculty etc.;the main stages of succession of a university president are adaption and stabilization etc.;principal succession will influence the organizational structure,cultural atmosphere,faculty psychological condition,fund raising and internal and external relations of a university;and the improvement of principal succession in a university can be conducted through selection,succession environment,succession plan etc.The researcher also found that the merits of American principal succession system are:firstly,there is an impeccable president selection system and rigorous supervision system in American university;secondly,the succession plan helps a lot in principal succession and also the tenure of president in American university is reasonable.Finally,this study summarized the lessons can be learned from American principal succession system in universities,so as to providing references for the practices in China.As for the government,certain policies are endowed to be implemented by education ministry to create a favorable outer environment and education departments are supposed to provide material and other supports for principal succession in local universities.For the university,it ought to set up a feasible succession plan involving all faculty and students and be fully prepared so as to provide a beneficial internal environment for principal succession.In a word,the fundamental guarantee for principal succession in a university is the acceleration of higher education system reform.