Soulware: The American Way in China's Higher Education

by Way Kuo

Overview

This book is a critical account of the history, evolution and challenges of higher education in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, with important reflections on other systems, notably those in the US, UK, Korea and Japan. In addition to hardware and software, it introduces the concept of "Soulware" in global higher education and analyses its importance for internationalization and the pursuit of excellence. In an age where robots and artificial intelligence are impacting our jobs and our daily lives, its critical analysis and insightful reflections provide considerable value for a range of global stakeholders interested in higher education reform to nurture talent and promote innovation to prepare students for an unpredictable future.

"Professor Kuo’s perspective provides considerable value for a range of global stakeholders both in the east and the west. As American universities awake to the realization that the demand for higher education is an increasingly global phenomena, his contribution could not be more timely."
Mike Crow, PhD President, Arizona State University

"Way Kuo advances a powerful historical argument for the means to achieve excellence in Asian universities. His recipe is bold leadership, combining excellence in teaching and research, and embracing the lessons of western university successes and failures. A superb combination of history and forward thinking."
Michael Kotlikoff, VMD, PhD Provost, Cornell University

"Way’s book is not just about the past or the present. Rather, it offers useful insights into the future. In an age where robots and artificial intelligence are impacting our jobs and our daily lives, he introduces the concept of “soulware” and analyzes its importance for higher education."
G. P. “Bud” Peterson, PhD President, Georgia Institute of Technology

"Differing from their Western counterparts, Chinese universities will demonstrate their own cultural characteristics. In this regard, Professor Kuo’s book offers us many valuable insights."
Yong Qiu, PhD President, Tsinghua University, Beijing

"Wisdom is the ultimate goal of higher education. It is the illumination of that wisdom among audiences, English-speaking or Chinese-speaking, to which Way Kuo’s book hopes to kindle a spark."
Frank H. Shu, PhD President, 2002-06, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, and University Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley and San Diego

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781119509912
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	04/24/2019
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Professor Way Kuo is President of City University of Hong Kong. He is a Member of US National Academy of Engineering, Academia Sinica in Taiwan, ROC, and Academy of Sciences of Hong Kong; and a Foreign Member of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Russian Academy of Engineering.

Before joining CityU, Professor Kuo was on the Senior Management team of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and served as Dean of Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Head of the Department of Industrial Engineering at Texas A&M University. He has worked at Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ, before assuming the professorship at Iowa State University. He received PhD in engineering in 1980 from Kansas State University, and BS in nuclear engineering in 1972 from National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan. In 2011, he was granted Dr. Phil. Honoris Causa by the People's Republic of China through Beijing Institute of Technology.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Foreword by G. P. “Bud” Peterson xv

Foreword by Yong Qiu xvii

Foreword by Frank H. Shu xix

Trump vs Roosevelt: A Historical Overview xxiii

Introduction xxv

PART I The Internationalization of Higher Education 1 Internationalization without Soulware 1

2 Higher Education in Post-1980 England, Wales, and Northern Ireland 15

3 On Universities across the Strait 21

4 Simplicity Is the Ultimate Sophistication 43

5 Blind Spots and Loss of Scholarship 51

6 Languages Carry Doctrine 61

7 English, English Alone – Distorted View of Communication 73

PART II Integration of Teaching and Research 83

8 Integration of Teaching and Research – The Essence of University 85

9 Practicing the Integration of Teaching and Research 95

10 Strategies for Nurturing Generalists or Specialists 107

11 Academic Degrees: No Guarantee for Success 115

12 Pitfalls of Whole-Person Education 127

13 No Team Spirit Is like Being Poor with Nothing but Money 141

PART III Quality and Evaluation 147

14 Quality and University Rankings 151

15 Rankings in the Humanities and Liberal Arts 165

16 Course Design and Choice of Major 173

PART IV The Right Mindset for University and Governance 181

17 Enhancement of Soulware in Higher Education 183

18 Academic Freedom and Power Politics Do Not Mix 195

19 Accomplished Hermits behind Unprepossessing Gates 207

PART V Creativity and Innovation 213

20 Curiosity Engenders Discovery and Innovation 217

21 What Is Missing in Society? 223

22 Promoting Innovation and Technology: Whose Responsibility? 235

23 No Risk by Government, No Innovation at University 245

24 Innovation in Education and Beyond 255

25 Avoid Nano-Management 267

Acknowledgements 273

Appendices 277

Epilogue 281

Author’s Bio 285

Index 287