In the short time span from 1990 to 2005, the Chinese higher education system has undergone dramatic changes. The number of postsecondary students rose from under 3 million to 23 million, a development that had far reaching effects by putting enormous pressures for democratization and the development of civil society on China’s highly centralized one-Party system. In addition, the Chinese government initiated a program of cultural diplomacy, establishing hundreds of Confucius Institutes for the dissemination of the Chinese language and culture around the world, and Chinese universities have been playing an important role in developing these centres.
These changes spurred a team of researchers to investigate how China’s universities have been transformed through the massification process of the 21st century and what implications these changes have for the development of civil society. Under the leadership of Ruth Hayhoe and sponsored by SSHRC, the four team members asked the following questions:
The research was carried out over four years and included a study of the policy development process at the national level, a series of case studies of different types of universities and surveys of 2,300 undergraduate students in all twelve of the case study institutions. Through these diverse sources, the voices of university administrators, faculty members and students were heard, contributing to a collection of diverse and insightful institutional portraits.
Given the breadth of the project, the outcomes were broad and far-reaching. One of the significant findings is the important role that scholars and researchers play in the policy process, indicating that the long noted phenomenon of “establishment scholars” continues to exist. The team also found out that the provincial and local level institutions carry the major burden of expansion, while top-tier universities have played a lesser role. However, it is the small number of top-level universities that is beginning to exert a global influence. Furthermore, this research project offers a great opportunity to better understand the concept of citizenship and civil society in a Chinese sociopolitical context, with unique Confucian heritage pertaining to civil rights and social responsibilities.
Since China is assuming an increasingly prominent role in world affairs, it is important to develop our understanding of Chinese universities. Hence the findings of this research project are of interest to university leaders, policy makers and governmental organizations around the world, as it provides a unique up-to-date picture of China’s universities from both an insider as well as an outsider perspective.
Please consult the project website at http://chinesehighereducation.org