Study On Internal Governance Structure Of First-class Universities In Singapore ——Take The National University Of Singapore As An Example

Higher education is the source of knowledge creation and the cradle of cultivating talents,and the construction of first-class universities is the strategy of high-quality development of higher education in China.The construction of a first-class university needs to be supported by a first-class system,and improving the internal governance structure of the university is the only way to build a first-class university.China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations are geographically close to each other,and the National University of Singapore is always ranked high in the world university rankings.This study takes the internal governance structure of Singapore’s first-class universities as the research object,and uses research methods such as documentary research,historical research and comparative research,by exploring the internal governance structure of the National University of Singapore,analyse the historical changes and the current situation of the National University of Singapore,summarise its basic features and experiences,and provide reference for improving the internal governance structure of universities in China.This study consists of four parts.The first part divides the internal governance structure of the National University of Singapore into three stages in terms of historical development: the initial exploration of the internal governance structure of the university before its formal establishment in 1980,the establishment and development of the internal governance structure of the university after its formal establishment in1980,and the change of the internal governance structure of the university after the reform of university autonomy in 2005.The second part is an analysis of the current internal governance structure of the National University of Singapore,which consists of the Board of Trustees,the Senate,and the senior management under the President,with mutual checks and balances,interconnectedness and coordination among the three.Based on the historical evolution and the current situation,the third part summarizes that the internal governance structure of the National University of Singapore is characterized by a diverse composition of internal governance organizations,shared governance among stakeholders,a clear vertical hierarchy of authority,checks and balances between academic and administrative powers,clear authority of each functional department,strong internal and external supervision,a university constitution as a rule,rule by law,and participation of social elites in the governance of the university.The fourth part is to draw on the experience of the internal governance structure of National University of Singapore,which has the following inspirations for improving the internal governance structure of universities in China: firstly,to strengthen the participation of multiple interests in the common governance of universities;secondly,to manifest the academic discourse and strengthen the internal power checks and balances of universities;thirdly,to improve the internal and external supervision and promote the efficient operation of the internal governance structure of universities;fourthly,to build a modern university system with the university constitution as the core;fifthly,to make full use of social resources and strengthen the connection between universities and society.