Universities need sense of mission

Lin Jianhua, former president of Zhejiang University, on Sunday officially took the job as president of Peking University, known as Beida. He is the university's 27th president since 1898.

As Lin said in his inaugural speech, "Beida has never been simply a university, she is a totem in people's minds, bearing the future and hope of the nation." The public has great expectations of this university, both realistic and idealistic.

Beida has been dogged by negative comments on the Internet in recent years. When talking about Beida and other universities in China, many people cannot help but compare them with those of the West and those of the Republic of China era in the early 20th century.

It is true that the first-class universities in China are still less competitive than the top universities in the West in terms of the levels of scientific research and the accumulation of social sciences.

However, the argument about the superiority of the Republic of China's universities is questionable. In those days, the number of universities and students was much fewer than today. In 1936, for example, there were only 41,922 college students in the entire country, less than the total in today's Tsinghua University.

Today's Beida and other universities must find their right positions in space and time outside the coordinates of the West and the Republic of China. Emphasizing too much on internationalization or freedom of thought will only make them lose their sense of place.

The university faculty, especially the president, should be clear and resolute about the current mission of a university. Today's universities must prioritize national rejuvenation, educating first-class talent to love the country, providing scientific and technological innovations and advanced and positive thoughts. They should not produce discontent or a contentious or violent atmosphere.

In the old time when China was weak and bullied by world powers, the intellectuals represented by college teachers and students showed a strong sense of mission and patriotism.

It is a pity that when China has become more powerful and is experiencing rejuvenation, some universities talk more about themselves than their responsibility for the country.

Without a bigger goal to gather intellectuals around, the universities will find it hard to accumulate strength.

Chinese society needs to seriously think about what kind of Beida the country needs. Before we find the answer, please do not compare Beida with Harvard, or Lin with Cai Yuanpei, the first president of Beida during the Republic of China.