First, what is a university?
1. University, the scientific name of ordinary colleges and universities, is an organization with unique functions. 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.
2. Universities have a history of thousands of years. At first, it mainly developed from Germany, Britain and other countries. Modern universities in China originated in the West, which evolved from European medieval universities, British universities, German universities and then American universities. It is generally believed that the establishment of 1809 Berlin University in Germany marks the birth of a university in the modern sense.
3. Educators have many classic remarks about universities. For example, Cai Yuanpei thinks: "A great scholar includes many schools of etiquette." British educator Newman said: "University education should provide universal knowledge (truth with ordinary meaning) and complete knowledge, not narrow professional knowledge." The knowledge he said includes both concrete scientific truth and abstract and scientific philosophical knowledge.
4. Characteristics of university culture: University culture is gradually formed on the basis of long-term school-running practice; University culture is accumulated and created with university people as the main body; University culture is based on knowledge and its disciplines (majors); University culture is the result of the blending of local culture and international culture.
Second, the function of the university.
1. Talent cultivation, scientific research, social service and cultural inheritance and innovation are the four major functions of higher education in China in the new era. Cultivating talents is the basic function of colleges and universities; Developing science is an important social function of colleges and universities; Serving the society is the objective need of the society, and it also conforms to the logic of the development of colleges and universities themselves. Cultural inheritance and innovation are the basic requirements of colleges and universities.
2. For universities, talent cultivation is the core, scientific research is the premise of talent cultivation, and talent cultivation is the direct expression of serving the society and inheriting innovative culture.
3. Scientific research, social service and cultural inheritance and innovation should be carried out around talent training and realized through scientific research, social service and cultural inheritance and innovation. They are an organic whole and should go hand in hand.