Training the Heavens

Chapter 296 Noun Unification
Ma Xiangbo had pondered this question for a long time. He explained to Zhang Xingjiu, Ma Jianzhong, and the others, "Aurora comes from the Sanskrit word for China, and in English it also means dawn or first light. We named it Aurora College in the hope that this school would be like the rising sun, shouldering the important task of ushering in the dawn of China through education."

Next, they discussed the school's regulations. Ma Xiangbo wanted to first establish two majors, "Literature" and "Quality" (i.e. science), with a two-year study period. If there was enough strength, he could expand the program to include four majors: literature, image and number (mathematics), form (science), and knowledge (philosophy).

Zhang Xingjiu disagreed. "Two years is too short to train qualified personnel. It should be at least four years. The division between literature and science is too crude. We could follow the example of countries like Britain and France and establish a Faculty of Arts and a Faculty of Science, with further divisions into literature, law, philosophy, education, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and other majors."

"Whether you're studying the humanities or sciences, you must take a foreign language in addition to your major. China's science and technology lags far behind those of Europe and the United States. If you want to make a difference, you must master a foreign language. This way you can understand foreign papers and journals, communicate with foreign scholars, and if you excel, you can even go study abroad."

Of course, Zhang Xingjiu also wants Chinese to replace the international status of English and French, but unfortunately it is far from being possible now. Therefore, it is best for the outstanding students of this generation to master a foreign language, otherwise they will not even be able to understand foreign papers.

You can ask a translator to help you translate, but this will create a layer of separation, which is far less intuitive than browsing it yourself, and it is also easy to make various mistakes. These translators may not necessarily have advanced professional knowledge.

"Dad, Zhou Ping and I have been to many countries, whether it is the UK, the US, Germany or France. Most universities in these countries adopt this model. Since there are mature cases in front of us, we might as well do the same." Ma Zongwen also expressed his support.

Unlike most people nowadays, Zhang Xingjiu did not mind bringing Ma Zongwen to such occasions, and was very supportive of her expressing her opinions. She was a graduate of education from a French university, and in terms of professionalism, few people present could compare with her.

Several older men in the room couldn't help but frown when they heard her talking. These people were considered open-minded people at the time, otherwise they would not have discussed the matter of running a school with Ma Xiangbo. But despite this, they were still not used to listening to a woman talking about serious matters with them. It was only out of self-control that they did not interrupt Ma Zongwen.

Zhang Xingjiu ignored their unhappiness. Many of them had served as officials in the court. When Yehenara Lan'er scolded them in the court, they did not show any dissatisfaction.

Ma Zongwen has a very deep understanding of the European and American education systems. He has read many papers and monographs specifically on higher education. Now he talks about it systematically, which is an eye-opener for everyone present.

Those who were dissatisfied gradually put away their contempt. The brothers Ma Xiangbo and Ma Jianzhong laughed happily. They looked at each other and felt that they had found the right son-in-law.

Without Zhang Xingjiu's support, how could Ma Zongwen have the opportunity to study in France? How could he have achieved his current skills? If Aurora University were truly established in the future, with Ma Zongwen's level of skill, he could definitely become a teacher in the Department of Education.

After listening to her, someone hesitantly asked, "What Madam Zhou Pinghe said does make sense, but China is in imminent danger right now. If we still insist on taking four years to graduate, isn't that a bit too long?"

"We can adopt a credit system. If you are able to complete enough credits within three or even two years, then it's okay to graduate early," Zhang Xingjiu added.

By the way, he gave them some information about the credit system. "Six years ago, Harvard University in the United States took the lead in implementing the credit system, which divided the courses students needed to take into different credits. Students could obtain corresponding credits for completing each subject and passing the exam. When the credits accumulated to a certain number, it meant that the student's level had reached the graduation requirements, and they could be awarded a degree certificate and a graduation certificate." Zhang Xingjiu also used Confucianism as an example. For example, how many credits could be obtained by reading "The Analects of Confucius" and how many credits could be obtained by learning to write eight-part essays. Once a certain number of credits were accumulated, they could graduate from the academy and take the imperial examination.

After hearing this, most people understood. "This credit system makes sense. If you come across someone who is exceptionally talented or someone who can concentrate on studying, it's possible for them to accumulate enough credits to graduate early. If they can't even complete enough credits, then it means they haven't met the graduation standards. They should just keep studying!"

"In order to avoid students specifically picking easy courses or courses they are good at to earn credits, courses should be divided into compulsory courses and elective courses. The accumulated credits of compulsory courses must reach a certain number before graduation." Zhang Xingjiu continued to popularize knowledge to them.

After talking about the required and elective courses, he also talked about the GPA system, which made everyone feel dizzy. They didn't expect that running a school would be so difficult. But after thinking about it carefully, they felt that this system was indeed reasonable.

While discussing the school rules and regulations with them, Ma Xiangbo was begging for money everywhere. He visited Zhang Jian, Yan Fu, Xiong Xiling and others, hoping that they could donate money to support education.

When soliciting donations, it was specifically pointed out that if a certain amount of donations is made, one can become a trustee of Aurora University. The trustees will form the school's board of directors, which will be responsible for formulating the school's long-term development plan and strategic goals; formulating the school's policies and rules and regulations to ensure the normal operation and development of the school; and supervising the school's management and operations to ensure that all decisions are in the best interests of the school.

However, they cannot interfere with the daily operations of the school, which is also to prevent them from interfering with the normal operation of the school.

Harvard adopts a similar model, and it is better to leave professional matters to professionals.

Some people expressed their confusion. "You want my money, but you don't let me take care of school affairs. How can this be justified?" They had originally wanted to give some money for Ma Xiangbo's sake, but now they didn't plan to give it.

Ma Xiangbo did not continue to insist, as allowing such a person to enter the board of directors would only affect the future development of Aurora University.

Some people also realized the benefits of doing so. In fact, they were not unfamiliar with this model. In the past, many famous academies were managed by great scholars who were responsible for managing the internal affairs of the school. Landlords and wealthy businessmen also contributed money, but they could not interfere with the management of the academies.

Yan Fu, Zhang Jian, Xiong Xiling and others donated generously, which significantly increased the school's preparatory funds.

During this period, Zhang Xingjiu was not idle. He was doing something very important and far-reaching, which was to unify the professional terms in the field of physics.

(End of this chapter)