Research On The Merger Of French Universities From The Perspective Of World-class University Construction

France has a long history of higher education development and an excellent higher education system.In recent years,France has reorganised and established a number of world-class universities,represented by the University of Paris Saclay and the Sorbonne,through the implementation of a university merger strategy.The merger of French universities has promoted the concentration and optimisation of French university resources,providing a boost to the performance of French higher education on the global stage.The policy practice of French university mergers can provide certain policy reference for the creation of world-class universities in China.Based on this,this study takes the merger of French universities as the object of study from the perspective of the construction of world-class universities,and analyses the origin of the merger of French world-class universities through a comparative research method;interprets the policy practice and model of the merger of French universities;discusses the effectiveness,problems and challenges of the merger of French universities;summarises the revelations conveyed by the practice of the merger of French universities,and takes into account the construction of "double first-class" in China.It also summarizes the inspirations conveyed by French university mergers and puts forward corresponding policy suggestions in the light of the construction of "double first-class" in China.The merger of French universities is the result of a combination of factors such as the continuous promotion of the internationalisation of higher education,the pull of the construction of the European Higher Education Area,the special political and economic reform background of France and the needs of the development of the French higher education industry itself.Under the Sarkozy government,the model of higher education and research clusters became the mainstream merger model of French universities;under the Hollande government,the university-institution community took the place of clusters and became the mainstream model of French university mergers;under the Macron government,the university-institution community was further developed while experimental public institutions began to emerge as a new model of university-institution mergers in French higher education Under the Macron government,the community of universities and institutions was further developed and experimental public institutions began to emerge as a new model of university merger.In the past two decades,the merger of French universities has achieved some successes,such as optimising the structure of higher education,improving the standard of university provision,and promoting internationalisation and institutional cooperation.However,there are also problems with the uneven distribution of resources within institutions,increased cultural conflicts,difficulties in organisational governance and bureaucracy.In addition,French university mergers also face the challenges of maintaining continuity in the policy practice of building first-class universities,continuously optimising the higher education system,and promoting the internal construction of the merged universities.The experience of French university mergers shows that: university mergers are helpful to the construction of world-class universities;university mergers should focus on model innovation;and first-class universities should focus on internal development.Drawing on the experience of French first-class universities,the construction of "double first-class" in China should be led by a first-class system,enriched by organizational transformation,and nourished by disciplinary culture to promote the theory and practice of "double first-class" construction.The university will be able to improve and enrich the theory and practice of "double first-class" construction,and promote the continuous development and depth of the "double first-class" construction process.