“双一流”大学建设的筹资功能新解

The new understanding of fund-raising during the “Double World-Class” university construction

世界一流大学的竞争在一定程度上是大学办学经费的竞争。我国启动"双一流"大学建设,办学经费问题尤应引起足够重视。当前,我国对大学筹资功能的认识还局限在弥补办学经费不足的初级阶段。大学筹资功能的新时代认识应该是:保障大学有足够办学经费争创世界一流;为大学保持办学特色提供自有资金;建立"基金池"规避周期性危机带来的办学经费与筹资困境。如何在"双一流"大学建设中落实筹资功能新解,大学需要采取多元化筹资战略,充分利用校友捐赠,加强校企合作、争取企业投资,积极争取国际组织和国外资助来发展自身。同时,校长需要制定大学"双一流"建设筹资年度规划,并承担筹资份额。

The State Council formally issued the overall scheme of promoting world-class universities and firstclass disciplines construction on November 5 th, 2015. The State Council puts forward the overall goal of this scheme, which hopes that the number and the actual strength of world-class universities and first-class disciplines in China will be in the forefront of the world and China will become a powerful country in higher education basically reached by the middle of this century. The competition of world-class universities is, to some extent, the competition of operation funds. China has started the "Double world-class" construction, and university operation funds should be given adequate attention. At present, our understanding of the university fund-raising function is still limited to the primary stage of merely making up for the shortfall of university operation funds, which is a kind of thought inertia for relying on government appropriation. It is the premise and foundation of "Double World-Class" university construction to understand the university fund-raising function correctly and accurately. The understanding of the university fundraising functions in this new age should be: firstly, enough university operation funds is the guarantee of universities to strive for the world first-class level; secondly, fund-raising can provide own funds for universities to keep their characteristics; and thirdly, a "funds pool" should be constructed to avoid the funding and financing difficulties brought along by the periodic crisis.University fund-raising can help diversify the channels for funds, and provide extra funds for universities to strive for the world-class. The source of university operation funds is relatively fixed in China, mainly relying on fiscal appropriation since the founding of the People's Republic of China in1949. There are two prominent problems of fiscal appropriation: firstly, the development of universities is vulnerable to the cyclical change of political or economic development and university objectives may be subject to the pressure of the environment; and secondly, university development autonomy is not enough--universities can only fulfill the mandatory plan according to the funds allocated by the government; self-designed development projects of universities are subject to too many restrictions. Any fixed source of university operation funds is unreliable. The relationship between the university and the government can be characterized in the following aphorism, "there is no permanent enemies or permanent friends." University development may be aff ected by the change of government and even may be full of risks if it relies entirely on fiscal appropriation. China is now in the process of constructing world-class universities and first-class disciplines, which requires a huge amount of university operation funds. In accordance with the experience of higher education development in the world, it is helpful for universities to reach the world-class level if they are good at opening up diversified ways to get university operation funds.University fund-raising can not only increase the "quantity" of money, but also change the "quality" of university operation funds. Fund-raising can provide own funds for universities to keep their characteristics. Universities must learn to be creative and develop their unique development projects for the world-class construction. Universities can develop projects they want in accordance with their bases and characteristics if they raise money from society and individuals. University fund-raising can make best use of the advantages and bypass the disadvantage in the course of the university development, it can overcome the shortcomings in the world first-class university construction, and maintain the advantages or boost the new strengths.University fund-raising is not only the reform that is being taken to maintain the world-class status at present, but more importantly, is to set up a "funds pool" to ensure that universities can continue to develop in the face of a periodic crisis. This can help universities avoid the crisis interference like "man-made" and "natural" disaster, and retain their competitiveness in the course of the construction of world class universities and disciplines. Many of the first-class universities in China are operated with liabilities and the "funds pool" in Chinese universities is diff erent from those in the United States. Therefore, Chinese universities must raise more money and set up their own "funds pool" for being the world first-class universities.Universities must explore diversified ways of fund-raising in order to implement the new understanding of university fund-raising functions in the process of the "Double world-class" construction. Universities should make full use of alumni donations and strengthen cooperation with enterprises. Last but not the least, universities need to strive for funds from international organizations to develop themselves. At the same time, the university president needs to formulate the annual plan of fund-raising and undertake fund-raising share.