The Influence Of Private Foundations On American Higher Education

The private foundation in the American society that is a wonderful bright, it not only played a very important role on the social improvement of American but also on the development of American higher education. On the one hand, private foundations donated a lot of money for higher education, in the meaning while supported the start of the American higher education and expanded the sources of American higher education funding ,thus provides a steady flow of power for the development of higher education; on the other hand, private foundations explored the effective solutions of American higher education problems spontaneously by many research project which carried out continuously and published in the form of a report. In this way, they provide so many references for the government to make better higher education policy. Therefore, the private foundation has become one of the most important civil powers which greatly influenced the reform of American higher education. In addition, which is more importantly, private foundations act in education especially the higher education field as a class of intermediary organizations, playing a role of a"middleman"between the government, the universities and the social. That is to say, the private foundations have played an irreplaceable role in coordinating the relationship, easing their contradictions and strengthening their communication between the three. At present, higher education funding shortage has become the "bottleneck"of the development of higher education in our country, the serious administration tendency ,the lack of effective autonomy and government, society and the contradiction between the government ,the universities and the social and so on, these factors have become a major obstacle to the development of higher education. The successful experience on private foundations in the U.S. higher education (on the solution of these problems) make an important reference for our country.This article mainly discussed from four aspects, the first part is the origin of the U.S. private foundations, content and purpose of the description and . The second part which is a brief review of the private foundations of the historical changes in American Higher Education, private foundations, that is according to different historical features during the development of participation in higher education, methods and effects of different periods which above four are described. Actually the third part is the core of this article, the point which from the U.S. private foundations the motivation of higher education, methods and the resulting benefits, both of disadvantages discussed in detail. The fourth part which analyses in the first three parts of the United States on the basis of private foundations in the development of higher education's role is analyzed. The last part of mainly for enlightenment which got by higher education of China ,that is on the basis of practice of the U.S. Foundation for Higher Education Development.