Unified Multi-ethnic Country The University Mission

After thousands of years' development, the universities, which approached the verge of the society from outside the society and have eventually entered the center of the society, have become one of the liveliest and most conspicuous social organizations promoting social progress. After human society marched into the era of knowledge-based economy, the development of the universities has become more closely related to a country's prosperity and national progress. As a result, the countries all over the world regard construction and development of the universities as one of the important state strategies. This paper, based on the actual situation of China and the universities in China, studies the mission of universities of unitary multinational states and explores the social functions of contemporary universities and their developments so as to fully understand the social effects and roles of contemporary universities, which will be helpful for the country and government to endow the universities with realistic expectations and tasks and also helpful for the universities to accurately determine their positions in the society and give play to their roles. On this basis, the author puts forward appropriate assessment mechanism and methods so that the functions of the universities can be brought into full play and the values of contemporary universities can be maximized. This paper is divided into four parts:Part 1: Introduction (Chapter 1). This part mainly explains the purpose and significance of selecting the topic and makes a survey of the research paradigm, research methods, theoretic framework, main content and main innovative points of the paper.Part 2: Historical Survey (Chapters 2, 3 and 4). This part briefly reviews the basic processes of universities of China and Westerncountries and their function formation, the social reasons of three important development stages of universities (ancient, modern and contemporary) and internal activity factors of universities (Chapters 2 and 3). By comparing historically the development of universities between China and the Western countries, the author has further explored the basic laws and core elements in the development of universities. This part is the basis on which the research of this paper is conducted.Part 3: Study of Theoretic Development (Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). By making use of the cultural character, national character and social character of universities, the author reveals the internal structure and external manifestation characteristics of universities and has thus deepened the structure theory of universities (Chapter 5, 6, 7). Then, by analyzing and studying the research achievements made by the scholars on the function development of contemporary universities, the author puts forward the principles of establishing the new functions of universities. On this basis, the author sets forth and illustrates the fourth function of universities in the developing nation states: Function of national responsibility, which has further enriched the theory on the functions of universities (Chapter 8,9).Part 4: Application Research (Chapter 10). In this part, the author puts forward the basic idea of "assessment of university functions" for the purpose of "promoting full realization of university functions" and establishes the "assessment program for assessment of university functions", "assessment index system" and assessment operation mechanism mainly based on the four functions of contemporary universities, namely, talent cultivation, scientific research, social service and national responsibility. This effort is of great realistic significance to maximize university values and give full scope to universities in the development of a state and nation. Meanwhile, it has also deepened and developed the assessment theories of contemporary universities.Guided by Marxist historical materialism and the socialist theories with Chinese characteristics, the author illustrates his arguments by applying the basic theories in the fields of higher pedagogy, national pedagogy, sociology of education, education administration (assessment theory), philosophy of education, ethnology and nation states.There are mainly three innovative points in this paper. First, it is the first time to put forward the concept of university character and it is the first time to depict the main basic characteristics of contemporary universities by making use of the cultural character, national character and social character of universities. Second, it is the first time to propose that the function of national responsibility of universities is the fourth function of contemporary universities in the developing nation states and profoundly illustrates the idea. Also, it is the first time to put forward the five principles of establishing the new function. Third, it is the first time to propose the university assessment idea of "promoting full realization of university functions" and it is the first time to establish the assessment program and index system of university functions as well as assessment mechanism.