University Design Institute

Executive Summary

The need for new models

The Universities needed for the 21st century have no precedent. University leaders have no “best practice” models to emulate. Some universities are learning, through the hard trial of experience, how to build new models and how to construct new kinds of programs and new modes of teaching, learning, and research that still build upon the best of the old.

As we enter the 21st century, we can not afford to become dependent on the models of the past. The world’s universities today are derived from a few excellent, but in many ways antiquated, models of learning, teaching, and research. The complexity and scope of our current social, environmental, and economic challenges necessitate changes in the ways that universities approach their work and understand their responsibilities to their students, to their faculty, to their communities, and to the global society.

Universities—public universities in particular—must apply their significant stores of knowledge and capacities for problem-solving to challenges facing their immediate communities. As the world economy becomes ever more integrated, it is no longer sufficient, however, to explore local issues solely in local, or even in national, terms. In order to be effective knowledge generators and innovation hubs, universities must be both locally active and internationally engaged.

As significant growth and challenges have rapidly emerged throughout the world, the University Design Institute will explore innovative organizational models for the emerging universities of the 21st century. The University Design Institute seeks to understand and guide the ongoing evolution of innovative organizational models for public universities worldwide.

The Institute will facilitate research on university design and management approaches, build communications networks among scholars of member universities, and publish materials that illustrate Institute findings and discussions. The Institute convenes university leaders on a regular basis and provides a virtual space for collaborative work and knowledge exchange among university presidents, while helping universities around the world to pursue productive one-on-one institutional partnerships in research, teaching, and staff development.

Because of the synergies that can be built through collaborative efforts between the United States and China, the Institute will initially examine universities in these two countries. Two teams of professionals will each be managed by their respective Secretariat in each country.

“Massification” and diversification

The 21st century will see more students seeking to attend tertiary institutions than at any other time in world history. These students are also more diverse than those of any previous era—they come from more varied social, economic, and cultural backgrounds than those of any previous generation. The universities of yesterday are not sufficiently equipped to help these students reach their multiple and varied goals. Universities must, therefore, both expand (massification) and innovate at the same time.

We must create learning institutions that are flexible, adaptable, and diverse in order to approach and understand the complexities of our era and to seek solutions to the challenges we face around the globe.

Internationalization

The university system itself has also become more global. Students and faculty are internationally mobile, and many will scour the globe for the education that best fits their needs. Universities cannot, therefore, afford to be mere imitators; they must all seek to be innovators. University leaders must now more than ever understand the educational systems of other nations as they seek to understand enhance their own strengths and seek the most effective approaches to university design, planning, and management. No university can afford to develop in isolation. The University Design Institute will enhance international engagement among universities in China and the United States by encouraging university leaders to share ideas, generate solution mechanisms, and expand mutual understanding.

Universities have a responsibility to maximize their ability to harness existing knowledge and produce new knowledge to address the challenges we face locally and globally.

Background and Origins

China-U.S. Forum for University Design

Roundtable of Public University Presidents

Social Embeddedness and Regional Economic Development

Chengdu, China

June 1-2, 2005

Vice Minister of Education Wu Qidi, the Office of the President at Arizona State University, and Sichuan University convened the first China-US Forum on University Design on June 1-2, 2005 in Chengdu, China. Sichuan University and Arizona State University were honored to facilitate this special discussion of U.S. public university leaders and 30 Chinese university leaders on higher education policy reform and innovations in university design, planning, and administration. The economic context and policy frameworks for higher education in both China and the United States are undergoing extraordinarily rapid change. The Forum provided an environment for university leaders with a broad range of perspectives on these shifts to engage in meaningful discussion on tactical and strategic approaches.

The Forum took place over a two-day period. Each U.S. university leader co-chaired a session with a Chinese university leader on one aspect of the changing landscape for public higher education in the United States and in China. The discussions focused on shared challenges related to ensuring that the university plays a proactive role in economic and community development.

Participants in the meeting have been asked to serve as charter members and leaders of a new Institute of University Design. The purpose of the Institute will be to sustain and expand the conversations initiated during the Forum. The Institute will undertake and publish research on issues of university design in the 21st century (see Appendix 1 for a full report of the proceedings of the Forum).

Background on Higher Education in China

Over the last 20 years, Chinese universities have undertaken rapid expansion in both the scale and scope of their operations. In 2005, China’s higher education system boasted the largest student enrollment in the world. China’s universities, which 50 years ago were teaching institutions where professors did little or no research, now produce 70 percent of the publications by Chinese scholars appearing in the Science Citation Index and Engineering Index. The changing profile and reputation of Chinese universities and of China and the rising Chinese economy more broadly, are not only enticing scholars and students to stay in China, but also are attracting others to return to China after years working abroad. Despite this, no Chinese universities are currently among the top 100 in the world, and no Chinese universities even sit among the top ten in the Asia-Pacific region, according to rankings by the Institute of Higher Education at China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

As Chinese universities move forward, many are searching for new and alternative frameworks for building a higher education system that is both inclusive in teaching and excellent in research. The Ministry of Education of China is clear that they cannot pursue a singular, traditional model of higher education if China’s universities are to serve the economic and social demands for workforce development, general education, and research.

Agenda and Activities

The Institute of University Design will support the collaborative work and knowledge exchange among university leaders, while helping universities in member countries to pursue productive one-on-one institutional partnerships in research, teaching, and staff development.

The University Design Institute will have a multi-prong approach to studying and implementing university models. The Institute will undertake research (survey and analysis) of university design strategies and implementation. The Institute will begin with a focus on U.S. and Chinese universities but will seek to expand its network to include universities in other countries.

Goals and Objectives

Activities:

The Institute will undertake research (survey and analysis) of university design strategies and implementation around the world.The initial focus will be on innovative public universities but can expand to encompass other university models.

The Institute will identify 2 issues every 2 years on which to focus its efforts.

The Institute will maintain a webspace showcasing innovative models. The webspace will be a locus for interactive discussion, issue framing, and goal-setting.

The Institute will publish a monograph series in Chinese and English. Institute members will work to publish papers in Chinese- and English-language journals and popular press.

The first book produced for publication by the Institute will be the University Design Toolkit, which will be based on the results of the 2005 China-US Forum on University Design.

Organization:

The China Secretariat for the Institute will be located at Sichuan University in partnership with the Ministry of Education.

The U.S. Secretariat for the Institute will be located at Arizona State University.

Each Secretariat will be staffed by a project team.

The Institute will seek extramural funding for its work. Prospective supporters include foundation/philanthropic, the U.S. and Chinese governments, and also international agencies.

Heping Xie, President, Sichuan University, speech at the China-U.S. Forum on University Design, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, June 1, 2005.

Website of the Institute of Higher Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2004/top500list.htm


		Home ASU Faculty in China China Council University Design Institute ASU related projects and programs China research initiatives News & Events Photo Gallery
Home > ASU in China > University Design Institute University Design News Presentations by President Crow at University Design Forum (ppt): The University as Knowledge Entrepreneur Knowledge Entrepreneurship as an Educational Tool Report from the June 2005 Forum on University Design Sichuan University coverage of the Forum on University Design	University Design Institute Executive Summary *The need for new models* The Universities needed for the 21st century have no precedent. University leaders have no “best practice” models to emulate. Some universities are learning, through the hard trial of experience, how to build new models and how to construct new kinds of programs and new modes of teaching, learning, and research that still build upon the best of the old. As we enter the 21st century, we can not afford to become dependent on the models of the past. The world’s universities today are derived from a few excellent, but in many ways antiquated, models of learning, teaching, and research. The complexity and scope of our current social, environmental, and economic challenges necessitate changes in the ways that universities approach their work and understand their responsibilities to their students, to their faculty, to their communities, and to the global society. Universities—public universities in particular—must apply their significant stores of knowledge and capacities for problem-solving to challenges facing their immediate communities. As the world economy becomes ever more integrated, it is no longer sufficient, however, to explore local issues solely in local, or even in national, terms. In order to be effective knowledge generators and innovation hubs, universities must be both locally active and internationally engaged. As significant growth and challenges have rapidly emerged throughout the world, the University Design Institute will explore innovative organizational models for the emerging universities of the 21st century. The University Design Institute seeks to understand and guide the ongoing evolution of innovative organizational models for public universities worldwide. The Institute will facilitate research on university design and management approaches, build communications networks among scholars of member universities, and publish materials that illustrate Institute findings and discussions. The Institute convenes university leaders on a regular basis and provides a virtual space for collaborative work and knowledge exchange among university presidents, while helping universities around the world to pursue productive one-on-one institutional partnerships in research, teaching, and staff development. Because of the synergies that can be built through collaborative efforts between the United States and China, the Institute will initially examine universities in these two countries. Two teams of professionals will each be managed by their respective Secretariat in each country. *“Massification” and diversification* The 21st century will see more students seeking to attend tertiary institutions than at any other time in world history. These students are also more diverse than those of any previous era—they come from more varied social, economic, and cultural backgrounds than those of any previous generation. The universities of yesterday are not sufficiently equipped to help these students reach their multiple and varied goals. Universities must, therefore, both expand (massification) and innovate at the same time. We must create learning institutions that are flexible, adaptable, and diverse in order to approach and understand the complexities of our era and to seek solutions to the challenges we face around the globe. *Internationalization* The university system itself has also become more global. Students and faculty are internationally mobile, and many will scour the globe for the education that best fits their needs. Universities cannot, therefore, afford to be mere imitators; they must all seek to be innovators. University leaders must now more than ever understand the educational systems of other nations as they seek to understand enhance their own strengths and seek the most effective approaches to university design, planning, and management. No university can afford to develop in isolation. The University Design Institute will enhance international engagement among universities in China and the United States by encouraging university leaders to share ideas, generate solution mechanisms, and expand mutual understanding. Universities have a responsibility to maximize their ability to harness existing knowledge and produce new knowledge to address the challenges we face locally and globally. Background and Origins *China-U.S. Forum for University Design* *Roundtable of Public University Presidents* *Social Embeddedness and Regional Economic Development* *Chengdu, China* *June 1-2, 2005* Vice Minister of Education Wu Qidi, the Office of the President at Arizona State University, and Sichuan University convened the first *China-US Forum on University Design* on June 1-2, 2005 in Chengdu, China. Sichuan University and Arizona State University were honored to facilitate this special discussion of U.S. public university leaders and 30 Chinese university leaders on higher education policy reform and innovations in university design, planning, and administration. The economic context and policy frameworks for higher education in both China and the United States are undergoing extraordinarily rapid change. The Forum provided an environment for university leaders with a broad range of perspectives on these shifts to engage in meaningful discussion on tactical and strategic approaches. The Forum took place over a two-day period. Each U.S. university leader co-chaired a session with a Chinese university leader on one aspect of the changing landscape for public higher education in the United States and in China. The discussions focused on shared challenges related to ensuring that the university plays a proactive role in economic and community development. Participants in the meeting have been asked to serve as charter members and leaders of a new Institute of University Design. The purpose of the Institute will be to sustain and expand the conversations initiated during the Forum. The Institute will undertake and publish research on issues of university design in the 21st century (see Appendix 1 for a full report of the proceedings of the Forum). Background on Higher Education in China Over the last 20 years, Chinese universities have undertaken rapid expansion in both the scale and scope of their operations. In 2005, China’s higher education system boasted the largest student enrollment in the world. China’s universities, which 50 years ago were teaching institutions where professors did little or no research, now produce 70 percent of the publications by Chinese scholars appearing in the Science Citation Index and Engineering Index. The changing profile and reputation of Chinese universities and of China and the rising Chinese economy more broadly, are not only enticing scholars and students to stay in China, but also are attracting others to return to China after years working abroad. Despite this, no Chinese universities are currently among the top 100 in the world, and no Chinese universities even sit among the top ten in the Asia-Pacific region, according to rankings by the Institute of Higher Education at China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University. As Chinese universities move forward, many are searching for new and alternative frameworks for building a higher education system that is both inclusive in teaching and excellent in research. The Ministry of Education of China is clear that they cannot pursue a singular, traditional model of higher education if China’s universities are to serve the economic and social demands for workforce development, general education, and research. Agenda and Activities The Institute of University Design will support the collaborative work and knowledge exchange among university leaders, while helping universities in member countries to pursue productive one-on-one institutional partnerships in research, teaching, and staff development. The University Design Institute will have a multi-prong approach to studying and implementing university models. The Institute will undertake research (survey and analysis) of university design strategies and implementation. The Institute will begin with a focus on U.S. and Chinese universities but will seek to expand its network to include universities in other countries. *Goals and Objectives* *Activities:* The Institute will undertake research (survey and analysis) of university design strategies and implementation around the world.The initial focus will be on innovative public universities but can expand to encompass other university models. The Institute will identify 2 issues every 2 years on which to focus its efforts. The Institute will maintain a webspace showcasing innovative models. The webspace will be a locus for interactive discussion, issue framing, and goal-setting. The Institute will publish a monograph series in Chinese and English. Institute members will work to publish papers in Chinese- and English-language journals and popular press. The first book produced for publication by the Institute will be the University Design Toolkit, which will be based on the results of the 2005 China-US Forum on University Design. *Organization:* The China Secretariat for the Institute will be located at Sichuan University in partnership with the Ministry of Education. The U.S. Secretariat for the Institute will be located at Arizona State University. Each Secretariat will be staffed by a project team. The Institute will seek extramural funding for its work. Prospective supporters include foundation/philanthropic, the U.S. and Chinese governments, and also international agencies. Heping Xie, President, Sichuan University, speech at the China-U.S. Forum on University Design, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, June 1, 2005. Website of the Institute of Higher Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2004/top500list.htm

	Copyright and Trademark Statement \| Contact \| ASU Home