The Strategic Change of Industry-featured Universities in China in the Process of Marketization: A Case Study of China University of Geosciences

The 1970s witnessed the deepening of marketization because of the introduction of reform and opening up in China. Profound changes were observed in the ties among Chinese industry-featured universities, government competent authorities and the market. Faced with ever-evolving environment, China University of Geosciences (CUG) managed to transform itself from a single-discipline-group geological college to a multidisciplinary university with geological disciplines as its major feature, with integrated development of multiple disciplines. Drawing on the Second Curve Theory, this research presents a case study on CUG, with the strategic change concepts, practices, accomplishment and effects in various stages of its transformative development comprehensively covered and analyzed, making an attempt at summarizing features and implications of its strategic change. Findings of this research reveal that being adept at grasping well the timing for university change, establishing clearly-defined shared vision, developing the system of school running concepts and strategic planning, stressing management on strategic process and clearly identifying roles among leaders at all level, prove to be pivotal to the strategic change of CUG. The strategic change analysis framework of university transformative development could further add insights to theoretic discoveries in this field, and experience could be provided to transformative development of Chinese universities, and even those in other countries in the world.

Keywords:

Marketization, industry-featured universities transformation, strategic change, the Second Curve Theory,

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