Institutional governance of Chinese private universities: the role of the communist party committee

ABSTRACT

The relationship between the state and the university is predominantly shaped at a national level which tends to reflect the specific traditions and circumstances of individual countries. In China the Communist Party has played a crucial role in university governance making it different from any other country. However the role of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in universities, particularly in private universities, has rarely been discussed in English literature. This paper examines how the University Communist Committee of the Party (UCCP) is set up and works within private universities, and the various patterns of institutional governance that can emerge. It draws extensively on documents of the CCP and interviews with 32 senior managers on 44 separate occasions. The study shows that while allowing private entrepreneurs considerable freedom to invest in higher education, the CCP still has control over the private universities in their socialist development. This is partly achieved through the requirement that every private university must have a UCCP to oversee the implementation of CCP policies in the university.

KEYWORDS:

• Institutional governance
• Private universities
• UCCP
• China

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Prof. Ian McNay for constructive criticism and feedback on the manuscripts. This study is supported by a grant from the Ministry of Education in China for Philosophy and Social Science Research. The research title is the Innovation of the Operating Model of Not-for-Profit Private Schools in China (The programme number is 19JZDO51).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

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Funding

This study is supported by a grant from the Ministry of Education in China for Philosophy and Social Science Research. The research title is the Innovation of the Operating Model of Not-for-Profit Private Schools in China (The programme number is 19JZDO51).