A Dual System of Chinese University Governance: Perceptions of Employees and Students

In the leadership of higher education globally, national governments play their role differently, and nowhere more so than in China, where the relationship between Chinese institutions and the government is significantly different from that experienced by Western institutions. In essence, what exists in Chinese higher education institutions is a dual system of university governance, which involves, on the one hand, the Communist Party Committee, and on the other, the university president, administrators and faculty. This paper presents an exploration of the dual managerial system in a university in southern China that is less than ten years old. Is a dual system of leadership the most suitable one for universities in today’s China, given the increasingly rapid pace of changes in the educational landscape? This case study aims to explore how this dual system is perceived by staff and students, by examining their experiences of a twin-pronged leadership system. A qualitative approach is employed in order to gain a more in-depth understanding of their university experiences. Results illustrate a system that works effectively mainly because of the personalities involved, though tensions are increasingly emerging and, in the future, will most likely have to be managed more purposefully, to respond to an ever-changing higher education environment.