葫蘆畫瓢難題叢生 在眾多亞洲國家中，有些選擇了複製世界著名大學 的模式。效仿頂尖大學無可厚非，但照葫蘆畫瓢依 舊會難題叢生。比如史丹福大學的創業文化舉世聞 名，其之所以蓬勃發展，全因鄰近全球創業投資的 大本營，只要有好的創意，資金便會隨之而來。 哈佛大學傳奇校長查爾斯‧艾略特有這樣的真知灼 見：偉大的大學必定獨具特色；任何優秀的大學必須 從「種子」成長而來，「而非外國院校的複製品」。 在中國內地，隨著經濟從低技術出口轉型為以創 新為主導，頂尖的大學肩負起振興經濟的重擔。 但經濟創新是否單靠培育科技型人才？事實上， 大家可能已經注意到，創造經濟奇蹟的往往是那 些勇於冒險的人。 思考現代大學意義 失敗並不可恥。正如溫斯頓‧邱吉爾所說：成功就 是歷經一次又一次的失敗而不灰心，這就是典型的 西方人對待失敗的態度。有些亞洲人臉皮薄，懼怕 失敗的心理深植文化之中。令人驚訝的是，中國人 正在打破這種傳統。那些信念堅定、敢於冒險的中 國人，為國家經濟飛躍提供了動力，造就了中國相 比鄰近國家的優勢。 Cloning Presents Its Own Challenges In many Asian countries, some have chosen to ‘clone’ the world’s leading universities. ! ere is nothing wrong with copying the best. But borrowing wholesale presents its own challenges. Stanford University’s world-famous startup culture, for example, thrives because of its proximity to a venture capital community ready to bankroll innovative ideas. Harvard’s legendary president Charles Eliot was correct in saying that any great university is great in its own ways, and that any good university should grow from ‘seed’, and ‘not be a copy of foreign institutions’. In mainland China’s case, its top universities are charged with the burden of revitalising its economy, as the age of low-tech export yields to the age of innovation. But is economic innovation just a matter of training technologically-savvy graduates? Economic miracles, you might have noticed, are o% en performed by those with the courage for risk-taking. Rethink the Purpose of the Modern University In the West, failure doesn’t stigmatise. Winston Churchill’s statement that ‘Success is stumbling from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm’ typi# es this attitude. In thin-skinned Asia, we have a cultural fear of failure. Surprisingly, China is defying this tradition; its edge over its neighbours is in the ranks of self-believing risk-takers who power its economic great leap forward. One such self-knowing risk-taker is Jack Ma. Mr Ma is no technology wizard. But what he lacks in technological knowledge, he more than makes up for 大學承擔著激發學生潛能的特殊使命 A university’s special mission is to bring out the best in students 11 umagazine issue 16
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