Soulware
The American Way in China's Higher Education
1. Edition May 2019
336 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
This book is a critical account of the history, evolution and challenges of higher education in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, with important reflections on other systems, notably those in the US, UK, Korea and Japan. In addition to hardware and software, it introduces the concept of "Soulware" in global higher education and analyses its importance for internationalization and the pursuit of excellence. In an age where robots and artificial intelligence are impacting our jobs and our daily lives, its critical analysis and insightful reflections provide considerable value for a range of global stakeholders interested in higher education reform to nurture talent and promote innovation to prepare students for an unpredictable future.
"Professor Kuo's perspective provides considerable value for a range of global stakeholders both in the east and the west. As American universities awake to the realization that the demand for higher education is an increasingly global phenomena, his contribution could not be more timely."
Mike Crow, PhD President, Arizona State University
"Way Kuo advances a powerful historical argument for the means to achieve excellence in Asian universities. His recipe is bold leadership, combining excellence in teaching and research, and embracing the lessons of western university successes and failures. A superb combination of history and forward thinking."
Michael Kotlikoff, VMD, PhD Provost, Cornell University
"Way's book is not just about the past or the present. Rather, it offers useful insights into the future. In an age where robots and artificial intelligence are impacting our jobs and our daily lives, he introduces the concept of "soulware" and analyzes its importance for higher education."
G. P. "Bud" Peterson, PhD President, Georgia Institute of Technology
"Differing from their Western counterparts, Chinese universities will demonstrate their own cultural characteristics. In this regard, Professor Kuo's book offers us many valuable insights."
Yong Qiu, PhD President, Tsinghua University, Beijing
"Wisdom is the ultimate goal of higher education. It is the illumination of that wisdom among audiences, English-speaking or Chinese-speaking, to which Way Kuo's book hopes to kindle a spark."
Frank H. Shu, PhD President, 2002-06, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, and University Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley and San Diego
Foreword by G. P. "Bud" Peterson xv
Foreword by Yong Qiu xvii
Foreword by Frank H. Shu xix
Trump vs Roosevelt: A Historical Overview xxiii
Introduction xxv
PART I The Internationalization of Higher Education 1 Internationalization without Soulware 1
2 Higher Education in Post-1980 England, Wales, and Northern Ireland 15
3 On Universities across the Strait 21
4 Simplicity Is the Ultimate Sophistication 43
5 Blind Spots and Loss of Scholarship 51
6 Languages Carry Doctrine 61
7 English, English Alone - Distorted View of Communication 73
PART II Integration of Teaching and Research 83
8 Integration of Teaching and Research - The Essence of University 85
9 Practicing the Integration of Teaching and Research 95
10 Strategies for Nurturing Generalists or Specialists 107
11 Academic Degrees: No Guarantee for Success 115
12 Pitfalls of Whole-Person Education 127
13 No Team Spirit Is like Being Poor with Nothing but Money 141
PART III Quality and Evaluation 147
14 Quality and University Rankings 151
15 Rankings in the Humanities and Liberal Arts 165
16 Course Design and Choice of Major 173
PART IV The Right Mindset for University and Governance 181
17 Enhancement of Soulware in Higher Education 183
18 Academic Freedom and Power Politics Do Not Mix 195
19 Accomplished Hermits behind Unprepossessing Gates 207
PART V Creativity and Innovation 213
20 Curiosity Engenders Discovery and Innovation 217
21 What Is Missing in Society? 223
22 Promoting Innovation and Technology: Whose Responsibility? 235
23 No Risk by Government, No Innovation at University 245
24 Innovation in Education and Beyond 255
25 Avoid Nano-Management 267
Acknowledgements 273
Appendices 277
Epilogue 281
Author's Bio 285
Index 287
Before joining CityU, Professor Kuo was on the Senior Management team of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and served as Dean of Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Head of the Department of Industrial Engineering at Texas A&M University. He has worked at Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ, before assuming the professorship at Iowa State University. He received PhD in engineering in 1980 from Kansas State University, and BS in nuclear engineering in 1972 from National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan. In 2011, he was granted Dr. Phil. Honoris Causa by the People's Republic of China through Beijing Institute of Technology.
