Professor from Clark University visited GDUFS and Introduced the Development of Research University in the USA

The third session of the Great Culture Forum in 2013 took place in North Campus, GDUFS. It was jointly initiated by the Publicity Department of GDUFS, Department of Academic Research, and co-organized by Faculty of English Language and Culture and National Key Research Centre for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics. The third session this time came with Prof/Dr. Nancy Budwig, Associate Provost, Dean of Research from Clark University who gave a lecture titled the New Trends in the American Research University- A Case Study of Clark University. 

At the very beginning of the lecture, Nancy recalled three pivotal phases during the development of research universities in the USA. Afterwards, she mentioned the present situation of research universities including the researching fund, the management and arrangement of teaching staff as well as the general ranking of the university. In comparison, one aspect that we can seek the common ground with the USA is the system of life tenure, covering professors, lecturers, university staff, postdoctoral students and postgraduate students. When it comes to the general ranking of the university, she accentuated that the academic achievements of a university are far more important than reputation and social recognition. Therefore, universities should always put priority on teaching quality as opposed to merely pursuing different kinds of quantified indicators for the sake of a better name.

Nancy was giving her lecture

Based on the configuration of Clark University, Nancy primarily introduced the contemporary features of American Universities and other research institutes. Then, from the perspectives of global interaction, cross-disciplinary curriculum, practicality of the research, equality of educational opportunity, Nancy gave a further elaboration and analysis of the developmental trend of research universities in the USA, including cross-university cooperation and multi-disciplinary research.

When talking about the challenges and opportunities facing the research universities in the 21 century, Nancy pointed out that the top-notch research institutes are required to be equipped with high-end facilities and consequently, universities should accordingly focus on some specific fields of research for the reason that the leading position in a certain filed is so effective at enabling a university to distinguish itself from other mediocre ones and outshine others. So she argued that control should be placed in terms of the scale of a university and meanwhile more attention should be paid to the humanistic concern and social science education.

Nancy Budwig with professors of GDUFS