A Study On The Association Of American Universities’ Participation In Higher Education Governance

Nowadays, under the background of the modernization of higher education in our country, it is necessary for the development of higher education to reasonably handle the relationship between universities, government and society, and then to form a diversified governance pattern. Given that the development of higher education and associations in the United States are the most perfect in the world, this paper selects its representative elite research universities’alliance----the Association of American Universities (hereinafter referred to as "AAU"), in-depth studies how does AAU participate in American higher education’s internal and external governance and what are the favorable factors, so as to enrich the theoretical results of higher education governance, and eventually to provide a reference for our country to establish the association of universities and improve higher education governance structure.Employing the methods of literature, case study and historical research, the paper explores AAU’s participation in higher education governance, including five parts. The introduction analyzes the research origin, the definitions of core concepts, literature review, research significance, research ideas and methods; The first chapter introduces the general situation of AAU (including its establishment, development, organization structure and operation mechanism); As the focus of this study, the second and third chapter probe how does AAU participate in higher education governance. AAU’s promotion of higher education’s self-discipline and coordination of the relationship between universities and government have been considered; The fourth chapter discusses the favorable factors of AAU’s participation in higher education governance, which is divided into two aspects, the overall operating environment of higher education in America and the factors of AAU itself.Based on a detailed analysis, the paper finds that:As an intermediary organization, AAU is independent of universities and government. Though it’s difficult to judge the real effect of AAU’s governance, it has undoubtedly become an important force in American higher education governance. On the one hand, through certificating the quality of higher education, establishing strict membership criteria, monitoring and improving talent cultivation quality and formulating college governance and scientific research management rules, AAU regulates the practice of the main research universities in North America and provides guidance for universities’internal decision-making on scientific research and talent cultivation; On the other hand, AAU actively involves in the federal government’s higher education policy making process and lobbies for higher education via reports, letters and hearings on the policy issues that higher education most concerns, which include providing legal advice and scientific research policy recommendations, fighting for federal funding, recommending setting up key positions and nominating their candidates, rejecting excessive intervention from government, etc. AAU can participate in governance, not only due to the operating environment of higher education in America, but also closely related to its various efforts. The experience of AAU’s participation in governance is worth absorbing and learning critically.