On the morning of July 18, Professor Levin, President of Yale University in the United States, delivered a keynote speech entitled "How Universities Serve the Society". The lecture was presided over by Professor Zhong Binglin, President of Beijing Normal University. In his speech, President Levin first fully affirmed the significance of the theme of this forum, and thought that how universities serve the society is a problem worthy of consideration. On this issue, President Levin's own view is that universities can serve the society in many ways, but there are three main types, namely; Basic research, personnel training and fulfilling the obligations of institutional citizens. In his speech, combined with the experience of American universities, he discussed these three ways of universities serving the society in turn.
First, basic research in universities is the driving force of economic growth.
President Levin believes that basic research in universities promotes the development of scientific knowledge, technology and medicine, which is the basis of economic growth, improving material living standards and improving human health. Universities also mainly serve the society with basic research. In modern economy, the competitive advantage of globalization mainly depends on a country's ability to innovate, develop new products and provide services, which are inseparable from the basic research of universities. As the main position of basic research, American universities play an important role in improving national competitiveness and promoting economic growth.
President Levin emphasized that the basic research he said is not a practical goal, but a curiosity and pursuit of knowledge. This kind of basic research is the source of business and production, because although it will take a long time for the knowledge created by this foundation to be transformed into commercial products, the commercial and production value of many research results will eventually be recognized by people. For example, at first, people didn't know its commercial and production value, but after many years, people finally realized its value. The reason why basic research in American universities is in a very important position in national development is related to some policies formed in history, especially the following three items: first, the federal government must bear the main funding responsibility for basic research; Second, only universities are places to engage in basic research, not some institutions of the government or private enterprises, which enables first-class scientists to gather in universities and have access to the best scientific research equipment; Third, most of the federal government's funding is not based on its commercial value or its political influence, but on its scientific value through peer review. These policies not only promote scientific research in American universities, but also promote the development of teaching, because many first-class scientists are concentrated in universities, exposing students to the most advanced scientific ideas and methods. It is this policy that has made America a great success.
In order to ensure that academic research in universities can really contribute to national development, we need to shift our ideas from theory to practice. For quite some time after World War II, except for MIT, most American universities did not actively seek to turn scientific discoveries into production and services. In the mid-1990s, MIT graduates founded more than 4,000 companies nationwide, and since then, 150 companies have been established every year. This has greatly affected the local economic development. 25% of the manufacturing industry in the area where MIT is located comes from the enterprises founded by the school. If the participation of American universities in industrial activities was once an exception, it has now become a common phenomenon. Since 1980s, 4,000 companies have used technology from universities.
Second, the cultivation of university talents is the foundation of innovation and leadership.
President Levin pointed out that creating knowledge through basic academic research is by no means the only important contribution made by universities to society. Cultivating students' ability to better serve the society in the future is as important as academic research. In China, the number of trained engineers is increasing. People think it is very important to provide students with the necessary knowledge so that they can find and keep a good job. But President Levin thinks it is more necessary to discuss a more sensitive and far-reaching university education goal in such a forum, which is also the goal of some of the best universities in the United States, that is, to cultivate students' creativity, flexibility, and ability to solve problems, innovate and lead. In fact, it is through this cultivation of students' ability that universities actively serve the society and make their own contributions to the society.
President Levin believes that the world is changing with each passing day, scientific discoveries are emerging one after another, and various theories are constantly being introduced. In such a world, it is not enough for students to have professional knowledge, but also to have the ability of critical thinking and innovation. Nowadays, many universities in the United States are carrying out general education. The purpose of this kind of education is not to give students specific professional knowledge, but to let them absorb all kinds of information, ask questions from different disciplines, and cultivate their curiosity, strict logical thinking and the ability to think independently and solve problems practically.
According to President Levin, the best universities in America generally believe that education is not a one-way street. Some educational methods that were once considered good are no longer suitable. In the past, teaching methods focused on students' memory of knowledge. Now it is not enough to have memory. Students must learn to think independently. American universities mainly cultivate students' ability through some participatory seminars. This kind of participatory discussion can stimulate students' thinking and produce and defend their own opinions. Although there are still large classes for undergraduates, there are also discussions on such large classes, especially in humanities and social sciences. Of course, teaching is inseparable from exams, but President Levin believes that exams are not a test of students' memory, but a test of their problem-solving ability, as well as their critical and creative thinking.
Third, fulfill the obligations of institutional citizens.
In addition to the two ways mentioned above, President Levin believes that there is another important way for universities to serve the society, and that is to be good institutional citizens. He pointed out that as a good institutional citizen, universities can directly contribute to local economic development, improvement of neighborhood relations, public education, medical care, social services and environmental awareness by participating in community building and providing intellectual support. Universities can also indirectly make their own contributions to society by setting an example, so that students can establish a strong sense of social responsibility and be good social citizens.
In his speech, President Levin explained to the participants how the university can serve the society by being a good institutional citizen, combining with the actual practices of Yale University, such as designing and building plans for the community, providing employment training for the community, and carrying out literacy education.
After the speech, President Levin enthusiastically answered questions from several Chinese participants.
-President Hao Ping of Beijing Foreign Studies University asked: What do you think is the most urgent challenge for Yale University in the next 3-5 years, and what needs to be done most? What is the biggest problem facing China University?
President Levin replied: Each of us will face many problems and challenges. The crux of the problem is how to turn these problems and challenges into opportunities for us to achieve greater development. In my opinion, one of the biggest challenges facing Yale University and other American universities is how to get enough research funds. We hope that the government's support for our funds can be guaranteed. On the issue of research funding, the biggest problem of Yale University is medical college. 1998 from 2003 to 2003, the medical college's research funding increased rapidly, but now it has hardly increased, and many researchers have been recruited. At the same time, the remuneration of medical college professors for clinical research is also decreasing. This is indeed an urgent problem and challenge we are facing. Secondly, in the United States, we should take a positive attitude towards the internationalization of universities. I am actively promoting the international exchange of Yale students, but sometimes the visas for international students are very slow. For example, many international students in China will not get their visas in time, which will lead to their failure to enroll in school in time. It is a pity that many excellent international students go to other countries instead of the United States because it is rumored that the United States does not welcome international students. In fact, we want the best international students from China to come to the United States. Related to this, we have differences with the federal government on sensitive technologies. Some people in the government want to formulate many cumbersome, harsh and bureaucratic measures to prevent students from China and other so-called sensitive countries from using so-called sensitive technologies and facilities in the laboratory. Several presidents of Yale University have tried their best to prevent the introduction of these measures. As for China University, the biggest problem, as I have discussed with many presidents in China, should be how to make students in China more interactive and let them learn to think independently in interaction. It is quite difficult for students to give up the traditional practice of blindly listening to their parents and teachers, learn to think independently and learn to innovate, but it is very important for the future of China. If China wants to create his own future through innovation, then students must be encouraged to learn to think independently and critically.
-President Cui Xiliang of beijing language and culture university Q: Many good universities in the United States are in small cities, but almost all good universities in China are in big cities. Will this affect the way and result of the university serving the community and the relationship between the university and the community? What are the admission criteria for Yale University?
President Levin replied: many top universities in the United States are indeed located in small and medium-sized cities, but some famous universities in the United States are located in big cities. For the function of universities serving the community, it should be said that being located in a small city has more advantages. Because, if a good university is located in a small city, it will become a big employer and employer in this city, making it easier for school students to participate in community activities, thus setting an example for the community in many aspects and promoting its development. If a good university is located in a big city, the service will be more difficult, because the city itself does not need college students to participate in community activities and serve the community.
There are many discussions about the admission criteria of students in China, and some schools have carried out their own examination reforms. As far as the United States is concerned, enrollment is not so much a science as an art, and we should be selective in the process of enrollment. As for the selection criteria, we should not only look at some objective factors, but also look at some subjective factors, such as the recommendation letter from senior high school teachers and students' participation in extracurricular activities. Of course, whether this practice is right or not is also being discussed internally.
Zhou Zhewei, Vice-President of Shanghai University, asked: There are different views on the traditional indoctrination training model in China. Some famous scholars in China who work in the United States believe that a group of overseas students in the 1980s were trained by traditional methods. So how to evaluate China's traditional education model and American education model?
Principal Levin replied: This question is really intriguing. It is possible that the mode of cultivating students' critical thinking is not suitable for all students, but as far as the economic research I am engaged in is concerned, the teaching mode that emphasizes innovation and flexible thinking is very important for the development of the country. Why does Japan's economy lack stamina? An important reason is that it adopts the traditional Asian training mode. They do a good job in imitating products such as automobile production, but in the field of technological innovation, such as software and internet, the Japanese can't catch up with the United States and some other countries. Japan's economy has been weak for 15 years, but if there were innovative companies like Microsoft and Google, it would not be so weak. The advantage of China's current economic development is mainly the low labor cost, but to a certain extent, this advantage will disappear. At this time, the ability of innovation will be particularly important, so in the process of cultivating students, we should emphasize innovation and flexible thinking, and pay attention to cultivating their ability of independent thinking and critical thinking.
-Zhang Xinsheng, Vice Minister of Education Q: Due to the needs of development and the influence of tradition, in the past, we mainly focused on cultivating students' professional ability, but did not do enough in cultivating innovation and leadership ability. We don't pay attention to cultivating students' independent thinking ability and critical thinking as in America. There are three main reasons for this situation: first, some people think that senior high school education in Europe is better than that in the United States, so they are unwilling to follow the American teaching methods; Second, many of our teachers think that the current teaching methods are conducive to the continuity and systematization of knowledge and conform to the cognitive law, while the American teaching methods are too leaping, which is not conducive to students' mastery of knowledge; Third, some people think that private university education in the United States is too expensive to emulate. So what do you think of these problems?
Principal Levin replied: Some situations and viewpoints mentioned by the Minister are very interesting. I admit that some high schools in Europe do better than those in the United States, but there are also some high-level high schools in the United States. But among the students admitted to Yale University, the proportion of these high school students is very small. We insist on all-round education, emphasizing the first pan-specialty, the first pan-specialty and the second deep in teaching. This is very important. But the key to the problem is not the content of teaching, but the way and method of teaching. People can cultivate talents in different ways, but we emphasize the cultivation of students' independence and critical thinking. As for the problem that the financial situation of American private universities and public universities is different, it does exist. American private universities have a large fund, which is the result of donations from several generations of alumni. The gap between the top five universities in the United States and other universities in terms of per capita resources is getting bigger and bigger, which is not necessarily a good thing for the United States, but it is a good thing for these five universities themselves. Although public universities have less funds, they also have their own advantages, that is, they are more easily supported by the state government and do not need to spend considerable energy to raise funds.
-President Li Peigen of Huazhong University of Science and Technology asked: There is a considerable gap between China society and China students' innovation ability and that of the United States, so what do you think is the reason for this gap? Is it influenced by China's "supremacy" culture?
Principal Levin replied: I think the teaching method I just mentioned restricts students' innovative ability. We should encourage students to think independently, but independent thinking does not mean opposing parents and teachers, especially in the cultural background of China. In America, students also respect teachers very much, but they also argue with teachers and express their different views.