Institutional and governance structure of university faculty in China: a multiple-case study

In the context of internationalization and globalization, the development of disciplines is becoming more detailed and the number of faculties is increasing, making it difficult to oversee schools. The contradiction between academic, administrative, and political powers is intensifying. This study aims to explore the effective paths of faculty system reform, clarify the characteristics of its models, and thereby help universities address the aforementioned issues. This study adopts a combined method of classified analysis and typical case analysis, and conducts a detailed analysis of the reform and establishment models of the faculty system at Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Jiangsu Normal University, Dalian University of Technology, and Zhejiang University in China respectively. Chinese university faculties can be divided into three types: virtual, real, and combination. A virtual faculty coordinates academic affairs and the work of school leaders; as for management, it provides strategic consultation and academic management. A real faculty is under the university’s leadership and is responsible running the college; it handles complex administrative affairs and has no real power. The combination type has both academic and administrative powers. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of carrying out flexible reforms of the faculty system to adapt to the long-term development of disciplines and universities.