Constructing Campus Cultural Values and Promoting Soft Power of University

[a]Professor. The Research Center of Marxist Theory, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.

Doctoral supervisor, deputy director, the research center of Marxist theory of Southwest University. Research direction: innovation research of organizational culture and ideological and political education.

*Corresponding author.

Supported by the Humanities and Social Science Research Planning of Education Ministry (No.12YJAZH149).

Received 9 October 2013; accepted 2 February 2014

Abstract

Campus cultural values, is soul of soft power of university. Cultivating, compacting and constructing campus cultural values are essential requirements for promoting soft power, consolidating Marxist guiding status and forming teachers and students’ common ideal faith, strengthening their patriotism education and forming their common goal purist, and carrying out the education of socialist outlook for honor and dishonor and forming campus civilized new trend. The soft power of university is promoted by deeply excavating and researching historical and cultural remains of university, systematically summarizing and compacting historical and cultural traditions, and energetically inheriting and developing great culture of university. Furthermore, cultural environment including “soft”, “hard”, “virtual” and “realistic” environment that are run through campus cultural values should be powerful built.

Key words: Campus cultural values; Soft power of university; Cultural remains; Cultural environment

WANG Yongyou (2014). Constructing Campus Cultural Values and Promoting Soft Power of University. Canadian Social Science, 10(1), -0. Available from: /index.php/css/article/view/j.css.1923669720141001.Z015

DOI: /10.3968/j.css.1923669720141001.Z015

INTRODUCTION

Campus cultural values, is soul of soft power of university. The soft power is promoted and strengthened by actively cultivating, compacting and constructing campus cultural values, which is regarded as a long-term fundamental and strategic task.

1. CULTIVATING, COMPACTING AND CONSTRUCTING CAMPUS CULTURAL VALUES ARE THE FUNDAMENTAL REQUIREMENT FOR PROMOTING SOFT POWER OF UNIVERSITY

Campus cultural values, is a kind of concept system that is formed in the practical process of running a university, and is also a kind of deep recognition for behaviors of running a university. In general, it both includes runners’ rational thinking for behaviors of running a university and teachers and students’ rational thinking for behaviors of conducting and learning. Furthermore, it is common value orientation and standard of behavior that is abided by runners, teachers and students, which reflects their common value pursuit. Therefore, cultivating, compacting and constructing campus cultural values are the fundamental requirement for promoting soft power of university.

1.1 Cultivating, Compacting and Constructing Campus Cultural Values Are the Requirement for Consolidating Marxist Guiding Status and Forming Teachers and Students’ Common Ideal Faith

In the first place, consolidating Marxist guiding status is one of the basic tasks of the Party’s construction in colleges and universities. The most fundamental task of the Party’s leadership is to ensure that the direction of running a university is correct and the trained students will grow up the qualified builders and reliable successors for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Secondly, socialist core value system is to be run through and, Marxist guiding status and the common ideal faith of socialism with Chinese characteristics will be reflected in the whole educational concept system by means of cultivating, compacting and constructing campus cultural values.

1.2 Cultivating, Compacting and Constructing Campus Cultural Values Are the Requirement for Strengthening Teachers And Students’ Patriotism Education and Forming Their Common Goal Purist

In fact, strengthening patriotism education is the basic requirement for developing national spirit and spirit of the time as well as strengthening emotional appeal to teachers and students. It is well known that servicing for national development, pushing forward social progress and realizing national revival are historical mission and responsibility of colleges and universities. As a result, socialist core value system is blended in the mission, and national spirit with patriotism as a core and spirit of the time with reform and innovation as a core are blended in education teaching, research service, reform development and management practice of colleges and universities through cultivating, compacting and constructing campus cultural values. Consequently, the mission is translated into educational practice and conscientious behaviors, which results in further strengthening teachers and students’ ideological education and forming their common goal purist.

1.3 Cultivating, Compacting and Constructing Campus Cultural Values Are the Requirement for Carrying Out the Education of Socialist Outlook for Honor and Dishonor and Forming Campus Civilized New Trend

Generally speaking, launching education of socialist outlook for honor and dishonor would be the basic requirement for promoting construction of spiritual civilization in colleges and universities and pushing forward universities to further lead progress of social civilization. As is well known, development directions of social thought and culture are led by colleges and universities all the time. Hence, no matter what personnel training or scientific research in colleges and universities has a profound influence on development and progress of the whole society. Consequently, socialist core value system is blended in the educational system, and education of socialist outlook for honor and dishonor is combined with university spirit, teaching style and learning style and combined with various educations such as integrity education, psychological education, love education, the graduates’ thanksgiving education and so on by cultivating, compacting and constructing campus cultural values. Therefore, colleges and universities are being become the vivid classroom that socialist outlook for honor and dishonor is practiced, and then teachers and students’ moral education are further strengthened and the new style of campus civilization is formed.

2. INHERITING AND DEVELOPING GREAT CULTURAL TRADITIONS OF UNIVERSITY ARE THE IMPORTANT CONTENT OF PROMOTING SOFT POWER OF UNIVERSITY

The important content that campus cultural value is cultivated and constructed and soft power of university is promoted, is that historical and cultural traditions are summarized and compacted by excavating and researching historical and cultural remains of university, which pushes that socialist core value system is combined with the specific university-running practice and characteristic campus cultural value that university-running behaviors and teachers and students’ thought and behaviors are guided is formed in the end.

2.1 Historical and Cultural Remains of University Are Deeply Excavating and Researching

Actually, a lot of remains that are profound or abundant connotation have been kept in the process of historical development of every university. Among remains, material remains can be touched, but spiritual remains only can be felt. On the one hand, the material remains should be deeply excavating from their own development history and purposeful repaired and protected. As a result, teachers and students have strong sense of honor and pride to history and achievements of university’s development and also have sincere sense of respect to builders and masters, which are sentimental foundation of promoting soft power of university. On the other hand, the spiritual remains like thought, ideas, goal or strategies that were reflected in different historical periods and formed in the process of running a university should be deeply researched. These spiritual remains were not only a guideline of running a university and teaching, but also an important premise that colleges or universities achieved success. Meanwhile, leaders ’university-running thought, ideas, personality glamour and work style in the different historical periods were reflected. As a result, teachers and students have sense of identity with these spiritual remains that became a kind of value pursuit by deep researching them, which are the thought foundation of promoting soft power of university.

2.2 Historical and Cultural Traditions of University Are Systematically Summarized and Compacted

As a matter of fact, every college or university has its unique historical and cultural traditions. Firstly, based on deeply excavating and researching itself historical and cultural remains, these historical and cultural traditions are systematically summarized from the different layers and aspects like university-running purpose, development strategy, educating idea etc.in the various periods of development of university, which is an important foundation to promote soft power of university. Secondly, based on summarizing great cultural traditions, university’s motto, university’s spirit, university-running thought or ideas of university are systematically compacted and brought out, and then campus cultural value is formed. General speaking, various layers including spiritual culture, behavior culture, academic culture and system culture of university are all covered by it. Therefore, colleges or universities should combined their own development goals or situation and further compact these culture that teachers and student have sense of identity and conscientiously practice by systematically summarizing, which results in enriching and improving its connotation.

2.3 The Great Culture of Universities Are Energetically Inherited and Developed

Only when the great culture of universities including university-running aims, development strategies, characteristic ideas, scientific research orientation or talents construction and so on are inherited and developed by decision-making collective and teachers will have an influence on the present university-running behaviors and teachers’ educating ideas; only when these cultural traditions are blended in the process of educating, managing and servicing for students have an influence on students’ mode of thinking and ideas, which are an important prerequisite to promote soft power. What’s more, excellent university’s culture are directly inherited and developed in the process of teachers ’educating, managing and ethics constructing, and important role in culture is given full play; teachers ’various aspects of work like teaching or management service directly affect students’ ideas and manners how to conduct themselves or how to learn. Moreover, based on inheriting cultural traditions of university, the shaped cultural values are comprehensively run through the process of teachers’ teaching and scientific research, students’ growing and employment, universities’ management service and campus construction, and are blended in organization system, management system and working system of university.

3. BUILDING CHARACTERISTIC CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT IS A REAL WAY TO PROMOTE SOFT POWER OF UNIVERSITY

If soft power of university is to be promoted, characteristic cultural atmosphere that is run through campus cultural value and campus cultural value is reflected must be hard constructed and, this value is extensively accepted and actively practiced by teachers and students.

3.1 Soft Power of University Is Promoted by Hard Building Cultural “Soft” Environment That Is Run Through Campus Cultural Value

On the one hand, the soul of characteristic cultural “soft” environment is made by explaining and propagating some ideas and logos such as university motto, spirit and university-running thought and so on. First of all, teachers and students will have sense of identity and conscientiously accept the connotation of university motto based on deeply understanding by organizing seminars or publishing the interpreted articles; they will have sense of honor to university’s development, at the same time have sense of identity and abide by it through making publicity in university-running achievements that were obtained under the guidance of university-running thought and ideas; they will have sense of honor to culture and spirit of university and conscientiously pursue them by making publicity in lofty pursuit of university’s spirit and loyal practice to service mission. On the other hand, the body of characteristic cultural “soft” environment is built by re-establishing or wide using hearing markings like university’s song or university’s signs and vision markings like square or buildings. Firstly, by means of playing university’s song in the break, organizing students to sing it, holding match of singing it and holding ceremony of rising university’s flag in some significant festivals as well as naming campus roads with famous people or matters about university’s history etc., students will profoundly understand the cultural connotation brought by these hearing and vision markings when teachers and students sing university’s song and use university’s flag or signs. Furthermore, the spirit of characteristic cultural “soft” environment is built by deeply excavating and wide spread the historical culture stories that teachers and students are educated and affected. A development history of university that is the history of struggles, devotion and growing includes a great many exciting and moving culture stories in which campus culture values is involved. The stories can be filmed TV documentaries or rehearsed dramas, and then are wide spread on campus. As a result, teachers and students both are deeply affected and education by them when they listen and watch them by various ways.

3.2 Soft Power of University Is Promoted by Building Cultural “Hard” Environment That Is Run Through Campus Cultural Values

On the one hand, the backbone of characteristic cultural “hard” environment is built by some cultural stadiums and facilities such as history museums or memorial halls and so on. In the first place, the development history, university-running course and glorious university-running achievement of university, and founders’ life experience and their ideas, and core technology or innovative product of university etc. are sufficiently displayed by these cultural stadiums and facilities with full and accurate historical data and abundant content. In the second place, teachers and students’ ideal and faith in all ages, their goal pursuit, spirit of patriotism and spirit of the time etc. are displayed by them. As a consequence, they will unconsciously have a shock of history and take pride in achievements when teachers and students are visiting these cultural facilities and stadiums, which lead to them to conscientiously pursue ideal and goals of university, to conscientiously undertake mission and responsibility, to conscientiously strengthen confidence and determination to be a great nation in culture. On the other hand, the branch of characteristic cultural “hard” environment is built by protecting and making use of important material culture remains as well as planning and constructing new landscapes with campus culture values. Above all, former sites and old buildings that are full of history should be repaired and recovered their original appearance. What’s more, some historical figures who are founders, models or contributors with great achievements should be molded a statue. Besides, new landscapes with university-running characteristics and ideas should be built on campus. In fact, cultural stories, cultural meaning, cultural connotation are involved and displayed in these remains and landscapes. Consequently, under this cultural environment, teachers and students are naturally educated and affected, and constantly feel their university shouldering sacred mission and lofty responsibility.

3.3 Soft Power of University Is Promoted by Building Cultural “Virtual” Environment That Is Run Through Campus Cultural Values

On the one hand, the “virtual” environment is built by constructing network display platform of historical culture, which is beneficial to expand new space of cultural construction. To begin with, university-running experience, brilliant achievements and cultural construction achievements are displayed in the form of micro encyclopedia that is composed of articles, pictures, and videos that are made up of historical moment, historical evolution, historical figures, outstanding schoolfellows, research findings and cultural markings and so on. Secondly, owing to the richer content of network platform and its convenience, the increasing number of teachers and students are willing to know historical traditions and to appreciate cultural landscapes and to conscientiously accept cultural education by it. On the other hand, characteristic cultural “virtual” environment is built and new position of cultural construction is expanded by building network display platform of characteristic culture. The platform is formed through constructing some special websites. For example, universities with bright national defense characteristics can construct special website about a series of national defense education to build thick the atmosphere of network national defense education, and then to strengthen teachers and students’ the sense of mission and responsibility and to firm their ideal and faith in constructing national defense. Due to the network platform echoing with characteristic culture, teachers and students will be attracted by this cultural atmosphere and are willing to learn and chat under the network environment.

3.4 Soft Power of University Is Promoted by Building Cultural “Realistic” Environment That Is Run Through Campus Cultural Value

On the one hand, the “realistic” environment is built by combining education in patriotism with education in historical and cultural traditions as well as extensively launching characteristic cultural activities and matches. Firstly, some famous experts or scholars are arranged to give some speeches that are be in combination with university-running characteristics to explain historical mission of university. Secondly, activities that teachers and students sing university song or read university history are launched, which help them further understand history and inherit culture. Thirdly, seminars or forums about university-running traditions are organized so that teachers and students’ cohesion and appeal to history and culture are strengthened. Furthermore, teachers and students will have confidence in university’s history and development that can be strengthened by holding school fellow’s reports or documentaries and film broadcast of university’s development. As a consequence, they are ceaselessly brought up and nurtured by university’s history and culture when they take part in the cultural activities or matches that are run through campus cultural value. And then wide spread of campus cultural value is promoted and practice of its consciousness and determination are enhanced. On the other hand, the “realistic” environment is built by combing construction of university spirit, teaching style and study style with education in socialist outlook for honor and dishonor and extensively launching cultural activities like honesty education or civilization education and matches like innovation of science and technology etc. At the start, the standardization and normalization of honesty education are pushed forward by launching some activities such as honesty discussing, honesty oath and so on, for the purpose that teachers and students’ awareness of honesty can be improved and their quality can be promoted. In addition, elegant campus style and graceful campus environment are formed by launching some civilized activities. Moreover, students’ awareness and quality of innovation can be strengthened and innovation atmosphere can be built by organizing all kinds of activities such as academic lectures and cultural reports as well as holding various matches or exhibitions and so on. Consequently, teachers and students actively participate in these matches and activities, which contribute to establish good university spirit, teaching style and learning style, and to further improve ideological and moral cultivation and to further consciously practice campus cultural value.

CONCLUSION

Soul of soft power of university is campus cultural values. A key to promote it is to cultivating, compacting and constructing campus cultural values, which depends on deeply excavating and researching historical and cultural remains of university, systematically summarizing and compacting historical and cultural traditions, and energetically inheriting and developing great culture of university.

Soft power of university is promoted by hard building cultural “soft” environment that is run through campus cultural values. Firstly, the soul of cultural “soft” environment is built through explaining and propagandizing some ideas or markings such as university’s motto, university’s spirit and university-running thought etc. Secondly, the body of cultural “soft” environment is built through re-establishing or wide using hearing markings and vision markings like university’ song, university’s signs, buildings or gardens. What’s more, the spirit of characteristic cultural “soft” environment is built through deeply excavating and wide spread the historical culture stories that teachers and students are educated and affected.

Soft power of university is promoted by building cultural “hard” environment that is run through campus cultural values. On the one hand, the backbone of cultural “hard” environment is built by planning and constructing some cultural stadiums and facilities such as history museums or memorial halls and so on. On the other hand, the branch of cultural “hard” environment is built by protecting and making use of important material culture remains as well as planning and constructing new landscapes with campus culture values.

Soft power of university is promoted by building cultural “virtual” environment that is run through campus cultural values. On the one hand, the “virtual” environment is built by constructing network display platform of historical culture and expanding new space of cultural construction. On the other hand, the “virtual” environment is built by building network display platform of characteristic culture and expanding new position of cultural construction.

Soft power of university is promoted by building cultural “realistic” environment that is run through campus cultural value. On the one hand, the “realistic” environment is built by combining education in patriotism with education in historical and cultural traditions as well as extensively launching characteristic cultural activities and matches. On the other hand, the “realistic” environment is built by combing construction of university spirit, teaching style and study style with education in socialist outlook for honor and dishonor and extensively launching cultural activities like honesty education or civilization education and matches like innovation of science and technology etc.

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