Research On The Development Of Regional Integration For Higher Education In The Yangtze River Delta And Its Promotion Strategy

Under the new era background of the implementation of major regional development strategies by the state,building a strong region of higher education is an important part of the powerful country of higher education.Especially after China’s higher education has entered the era of popularization,it is a major and urgent task to actively explore a new mode of regional higher education reform and development,and gradually form a new regional pattern in which higher education better supports the national strategy,serves economic and social development,and achieves higher-quality development of its own.As an important "Polarization and Increasing Area" in China,the Yangtze River Delta region plays an important strategic role in the overall situation of national modernization construction and all-round opening up.At present,in the process of regional integration in the Yangtze River Delta,the research on regional integration development for higher education has also set off a new upsurge.This research will be integrated into,support and promote economic and social integration development,which is a subject of great theoretical value and practical significance.By using literature analysis method,interview method,questionnaire method and statistical analysis method and other research methods,this paper study and analyze the theoretical basis,policy basis,practice process,dynamic mechanism,related personnel’s opinion and dilemma investigation,and promotion strategies of regional integration development for higher education in the Yangtze River Delta.Taking the concept of regional integration as logical starting point,the paper makes a clear definition of regional higher education integrated development in the Yangtze River Delta,that is,in the Yangtze River Delta region(including Shanghai,Jiangsu,Zhejiang and Anhui provinces),higher education aims to meet both the needs of the overall regional integration and the demands of self-development quality,by breaking through various obstacles such as concept,policies,systems,and mechanisms that hinder cross-temporal and spatial flow of resources and elements of higher education,optimization of resource allocation and functional complementarity in the region,so as to enhance comprehensive competitiveness and influence of the regional higher education,and realize the symbiosis,growth,strength and prosperity between the higher education system and its stakeholders,which is a process and state of forming an organic ecosystem.Based on the analysis of symbiosis theory,growth pole theory,cooperative game theory and strategic alliance theory,integrated innovation theory,institutional innovation theory and other theories and the context of the policy combing,the following conclusions are drawn:(1)Constructing an ideal model of integrated symbiosis and mutually beneficial symbiosis in the regional higher education system can reduce the flow cost of resources and elements and costs of management and control,thus bringing about the improvement of overall competitiveness and influence;(2)The theory of growth pole is of guiding significance for building the "Growth Pole" of higher education in Yangtze River Delta;(3)It is of great significance to fundamentally change the behavior pattern of individual universities in the region,that is,to change the behavior pattern from non-cooperative game and irrational competition to joint game and coordinated game for eliminating the segmentation tendency of "non-integration" and effectively increasing the overall benefits of the region;(4)Promoting the "new combination" of higher education resources and elements in different provinces and cities will contribute to the formation of a high-quality higher education system with collaborative innovation capability and overall competitiveness;(5)In a sense,the whole process of regional higher education integration itself is the process of institutional innovation aimed at "institutional uncertainty";(6)Combing relevant policies,it is found that there is already a certain policy basis and institutional guarantee.The process of regional higher education integrated development in the Yangtze River Delta has experienced four stages:germination,comprehensive promotion and gradual expansion,rapid promotion,and towards high-quality integrated development,which shows the evolution characteristics of "spontaneous cooperation and communicationcollaborative linkage--cooperative alliance--high-quality integrated development",and compared with the whole regional economic integration,it has experienced the evolution path from relative lag to moderate synergy.Its integration power comes from national political leadership,regional economic integration,regional social network and cultural cohesive,international successful practice and the endogenous reform of higher education system,but there is still the problem of the relative imbalance between internal and external driving force.Focusing on the current situation and dilemma of regional higher education integration development in the Yangtze River Delta,a questionnaire survey was conducted among 649 decision-makers of higher education reform and related practice subjects.The results show that:The vast majority of them believe that it is necessary to promote integrated development and are optimistic about the prospects of integrated development,but they do not have a high evaluation of the current situation of integrated development.At present,the difficulties of the regional integration for higher education in the Yangtze River Delta are mainly manifested in four aspects:(1)On the institutional level,the barriers of administrative divisions are still obvious;(2)On the condition level,the development gap of higher education in different provinces is still wide;(3)On the organizational level,there is lack of top-level design and overall planning;(4)On the power level,the endogenous power of regional higher education integration development is insufficient.On this basis,the promotion strategies for higher education integration development in the Yangtze River Delta region is explored.Firstly,the strategic goal "one pole,three ares and one highland" was established,that is,strive to build the Yangtze River Delta region into a growth pole for higher education in the country,a model region and demonstration region for regional higher education integration development,a leading region for the modernization of higher education,and a new highland for form and innovation of regional higher education in the new era.Secondly,the following strategies from the overall level are put forward.First,the reform process of regional higher education should be deeply promoted,the concept of main functional area of higher education should be established and strengthened.Second,we need to take integrated actions and measures with "top-down" and "bottom-up"coordination,which can be divided into five aspects:(1)carry out scientific top-level design and strategic planning,(2)strengthen the collaborative leading force of the governments of one city and three provinces,(3)perfect the integrated development mechanism of regional higher education,(4)further develop and implement the integration-related projects,(5)attach importance to the positive guiding and promoting role of monitoring and evaluation.Third,we must deal with some relations in the integration process correctly.Finally,in order to implement the strategy of "promoting development by evaluation",the paper specifically to build a set of evaluation index system of the Yangtze River Delta regional integration level for higher education,which includes "programming and overall planning,linkage and synergy,coordination and balance,opening and sharing" 4 first-level indicators,9 second-level sub-indicators and 28 third-level sub-indicators.The purpose is to promote the integration process by giving full play to the positive guiding and promoting role of evaluation.