Guo Bingwen’s Thoughts On Higher Education Management

The idea of higher education management is the view and proposition about how to deal with relationships between higher education institutions and the government,society and the main body within higher education institutions.As a well-known reformer and administrator on education during the period of the Republic of China(1912-1949),Guo Bingwen(hereafter as Guo)promoted the reform of "integrating normal education into university",improved the educational mechanism and the system of university governance,making National Southeast University the only National University by the authority in the south of Yangtze River at that time.The National Southeast University and the Peking University were called two pillars in China’s higher education at that time.In the current field of higher education in China,there are some reforming trends such as running normal colleges into comprehensive universities and promoting the modernization of university governance system.Guo’s thoughts on higher education management and practice undoubtedly provide useful historical experience.This study divided Guo’s thoughts on higher education management into three parts,which are presented in three chapters.In Guo’s thought on "integrating normal education into university",it shows that normal education should achieve the balance between "generalists" and "professionals",the integration and development of multi disciplines,the common development of "learning" and "skills",and the combination of social education.In the thought on "Three Educations Simultaneously",it emphasized that training education should "cultivate people who are responsible for the country".The intellectual education should "foster the ability of thinking and put it into practice".The physical education should "develop the strong physique and enrich the spirit".It is suggested that we should combine social practices with school training,improve the curriculum,stimulate self-consciousness and improve the quality of education so as to achieve the "Three education Simultaneously" step by step.In the thought on "university autonomy",it shows the idea about relative independence of education;university governance by professors;academic freedom and student autonomy.By establishing the "system of three Councils"(that is the board of directors,student autonomous union and academies),he tried to implement his thought on university autonomy.By studying Guo’s thoughts on higher education management and practical reform under the guidance of his thoughts,it can give us some enlightenment and prospect:first,the current comprehensive university should lay equal stress on the nature of academic and normal in its normal education;second,the structure of internal governance system in universities should be improved continuously.The university should establish its top-level design of university system in accordance with its actual situation,and pay more attention to the "care" of stakeholders in university;third,we should give full play to the president’s ability to coordinate resources.