A flagship university quest : challenges and dilemma for a Chinese university

In this chapter, we analyze aspects of the NFU model to evaluate its compatibility with China’s current academic culture and the challenges faced by its leading universities. Since a systematic examination of all the aspects of the NFU model is not practical here, we will focus on a single university in northern China, examining four major components of the NFU model: (1) research productivity broadly defined; (2) international collaboration; (3) regional economic engagement, including technology transfer; and (4) governance and management capacity. This study utilizes seven interviews with faculty and academic leaders at this unnamed university, which we will call “University A”, as a window into the organizational behaviors, challenges, and opportunities for Chinese universities today. It is our sense that while Chinese universities may benefit from re-examining their larger purpose by exploring the Flagship model, they still face major challenges that relate to resource allocation and to the continued emphasis on research publications, which is now engrained in the cultures of these maturing institutions