美国大学联合会入会“门槛”之变

Reform:Changes Caused by New Membership Policy and Principles of the Association of American Universities

近两年,美国大学联合会(AAU)开始实施新的组织规则,劝退、除名与邀请加盟相继产生,打破了以往的惯例,引起了美国高等教育界的关注和争论。争论的焦点集中在AAU的成员资格指标、组织规模和组织使命三个方面,反映了人们对研究型大学科学研究实力的评价、对AAU组织功能与价值等方面的不同认识。新规则的实施缘自于外部环境的挑战和AAU自身的难题和困境,AAU作为大学利益集团为保持其活力所作的努力,自有维护其既得利益的目的,然而,也表明了它坚持不为政治程序所左右、维护研究工作科学价值的独立精神。

In recent two years,the Association of American Universities(AAU)has implemented a new membership policy and new membership principles,characterized by revoking membership of universities that have failed to meet the revised criteria and inviting non-member universities to join the association. These changes have caused public concerns and controversies,focusing on the association’s membership indicators,size and mission and reflecting different understandings about the evaluation of research universities and about the association’s functions and values.The reform was carried out so that the association could cope with internal and external challenges and remain healthy and vigorous.It is a means for AAU to protect its interests,yet it also indicates the association’s independence from politics in defending the values of scientific research.