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Abstract Faculty members play a pivotal role in fostering innovation in knowledge production, enhancing the quality of talent cultivation, and elevating the standard of social services. Establishing an exceptional faculty team serves as a fundamental catalyst for enhancing the competitive edge of higher education. Consequently, world-class universities have seamlessly integrated faculty team construction into the strategic planning of pivotal developmental domains, engaging in numerous initiatives and explorations to refine faculty management and foster professional development. Embedded within the modernization of higher education governance, the construction of a faculty team represents a multifaceted and intricate principle, possessing profound connotations and extensions. It conforms to the underlying construction logic of “principle-system-technology” of modern governance. Previous research on this subject tends to be focused on single or fragmented perspectives concerning principles, systems, and technologies. However, few studies have approached it from an international standpoint to holistically integrate these three fundamental frameworks and crucial elements that shape the trajectory and impact of faculty team construction. Consequently, this paper establishes an integrated analytical framework focusing on “principle-system-technology” to systematically examine the trajectory of high-quality faculty team construction in world-class universities. Among them, the principle is the value forerunner that leads the action of faculty team construction. System is the key guarantee to support the process of faculty team construction. Technology is a direct factor affecting the effectiveness of faculty team construction. Three dimensions are independent in form and mutually shape and support in internal logic. Commencing with the aforementioned analytical framework and drawing on the 2022 Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, this paper employs a multi-case analysis approach to investigate the routes pursued by 10 globally renowned universities in establishing their faculty teams, including Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and so on. The enlightenment of the experience of the world-class university faculty team construction on Chinese universities is expounded.
These universities are found to foster faculty development through the principles of autonomy and specialization, stimulate the academic governance effectiveness via the principles of performance and freedom, and cultivate social equity through the principles of diversity and inclusion—all of which drive the harmonized progress of faculty, universities, and society. Within the institutional system, the personnel management system is staunchly established with rigor and equity as the guiding principles, while the organizational culture is firmly centered on faculty members, thereby engendering a cohesive structure that seamlessly integrates formal and informal systems. From a technical standpoint, the accumulation of faculty intellectual capital is internally propelled through mentoring programs and consultation services, whereas external advancements in digital technologies foster the development of teachers’ professional acumen, incorporating conventional platforms grounded in social interaction and intelligent, digital mediums. In general, these universities form a faculty team construction path with principles guided from top to bottom and enabled by technologies from bottom to top. To emulate the faculty team construction practices of world-class universities, Chinese higher education institutions should embrace a faculty-centered approach and embrace open, inclusive, and mutually reinforcing principles. Efforts should be made to refine the standardization and humanization of the construction system, embrace instructional community guidance, and leverage digital technology to reinforce the construction process. These measures aim at continually advancing the efficacy of faculty team construction, boosting the innovative momentum of faculty members, fostering a cohesive alliance across the dimensions of principle, system, and technology, and ultimately achieving a harmonious, synergistic relationship between cultivating esteemed educators and building world-class universities.
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Published: 21 November 2023
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