Opinion | Through endowments, private capital can revitalise Chinese universities
Hu Shuli says, first, they must be given the autonomy to pursue the academic excellence that attracts willing donors, as Harvard does
Donations by Chinese entrepreneurs to top universities overseas have become a talking point. In July, Soho China's husband-and-wife team of Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin launched a US$100 million fund to help send poor Chinese students to the world's top universities, beginning with a US$15 million donation to Harvard.
More recently, a foundation set up by Hong Kong property tycoon Ronnie Chan Chichung and his brother Gerald Chan Lok-chung made a donation of US$350 million to Harvard's School of Public Health.
These gifts are made voluntarily in support of a commendable cause. They deserve our praise. But many Chinese people can't help but wonder: why has the money not gone to the Chinese universities that desperately need it?
Let's turn the question around. What can the largely government-funded Chinese universities do to attract support? In other words, what kinds of reforms are needed to ensure they have access to the "deep pockets" vital for the long-term development of China's higher education? After all, the country's future depends on its bright young minds.
The issue at hand is not why China's tycoons do not see fit to support Chinese universities, but why Chinese universities do not appear to be suitable candidates for their largesse.
In his interview with Caixin, Ronnie Chan noted that Chinese academia is plagued by fraud and corruption. "Without the rigours of academic discipline, universities cannot produce top-class research," he said. Besides, on the mainland, charitable works too often invite trouble and aggravation, he noted.