Universities in the modern sense developed from the Middle Ages. The University of Bologna in Italy has a history of more than 600 years. In the Middle Ages, the University of Paris in France established the tradition of professors running the school.

Oxford University and Cambridge University in England were founded in the Middle Ages. Newman's "Idea of University" established that universities should take teaching as their basic function. Humboldt of Germany put forward the idea that universities should take research as their basic function. President Hayes of the University of Wisconsin put forward the idea that universities should take service as their basic function.

President Kerr of the University of California, Berkeley put forward the idea that universities should take international communication as their basic function. President Burton of Harvard University put forward the idea that universities should take leading social development as their basic function. Li Zhengdao further put forward the idea that universities should take cultural inheritance and innovation as their basic functions.

At this point, the basic functions of universities, such as teaching, scientific research, service, international exchange, leading social development, cultural inheritance and innovation, together constitute the basic functions and concepts of universities, namely: teaching+scientific research+service+international exchange+leading social development+...+cultural inheritance and innovation+the construction and application of interdisciplinary knowledge centers.

Universities (colleges) are a kind of schools that implement higher education, including comprehensive universities, colleges and universities. It is an organization with unique functions, an institution of higher learning that inherits, studies, integrates and innovates advanced academic knowledge, and is interrelated with social, economic and political institutions.

It is not only the product of the development of human culture to a certain stage, but also a unique culture gradually formed on the basis of long-term school-running practice through historical accumulation, self-efforts and external environmental influence.