西南联合大学联合与拆分的选择

The Choice of National Southwest Associated University:United or Separated

西南联合大学是全面抗战时期由北京大学、清华大学和南开大学合组而成的一所临时捆绑式联合的著名高等学府,三校从长沙临时大学联合办学开始,西迁昆明后一如既往,坚持联合办学,直到全面抗战胜利。其实,西南联大的捆绑式联合方式暗藏着拆分独立的诸多因素,从长沙时期开始,到云南蒙自时期,再到昆明办学过程中,拆分独立险象环生。校长迟迟不到任,便有人提出散伙;北大认为联大用人偏清华,力主独立;梅贻琦打算辞校长职,联大到了解散的边缘;三校要求教育部分校拨款,也是独立办学的前奏。但最终都化险为夷。之所以能排除一切拆分因素一联到底,是因为联大有深明抗战建国大义的知识分子和信任谦让真诚合作的校长群体,并有教育部维护三校联合办学的保障措施,西北等联大拆分解体的教训也是其联合到底的前车之鉴。

National Southwestern Associated University was a prestigious institution of higher learning resulting from the temporary forced merger of Peking University,Tsinghua University and Nankai University during the Anti-Japanese War.When the three universities first merged to form Changsha Temporary University,they started running the university together,and continued to do so when they later moved west to Kunming until the victory of the war.In fact,there were actually possible risks of separation and independence due to the forced merger of the schools.From Changsha period,to Mengzi period in Yunnan province,and then to the process of running the school in Kunming,the unity of the university was at stake on several occasions:some people suggested breaking up when the president did not arrive for his job;people from Peking University believed the university authority favored people of Tsinghua University;the university verged on separation when MEI Yi-qi intended to resign;the three universities requested the Ministry of Education to allocate funds to them respectively,which was also a prelude to separation.Fortunately,National Southwestern Associated University stayed united throughout the war despite all these twists and turns.The reason behind this is that the university had wise and patriotic intellectuals,trustworthy,modest and collaborative principals,and the safeguards of the Ministry of Education to maintain joint running of the three schools.Besides,it also learned a hard lesson from the separation of other associated universities such as National Northwestern Associated University.