MANAGING STRATEGIC CHANGE IN CHINESE UNIVERSITIES IN THE TRANSITION FROM ELITE TO MASS SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION: TAKING GUANGDONG UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN STUDIES AS AN EXAMPLE

The paper presents the situation of Chinese teaching-led universities in the transition from elite to mass system of higher education, which characterizes as rapid expansion and increasingly financial decreasing because of budget constraints. It emphasizes the importance of managing strategic change in Chinese teaching-led universities in the transition within the context. The results of this study indicate that the strategic change in Chinese teaching-led universities appears to be environmentally driven. Various factors drive the universities to make system-wide changes. By examining the literature, the paper implies that higher education managers should emphasize strategic thinking, pay special attention to strategic management and be flexible in strategic planning in managing strategic change. Using qualitative inquiry, the paper takes Guangdong university of Foreign Studies(GDUFS) as a case study. It specifies the inquiry with the strategic analysis (mission statements analysis, external factors analysis, internal factors analysis, stakeholders analysis and strategic dilemma analysis and management of strategic change (managing transition, managing transformational leadership, implementation of change and managing the change of culture of the university . It shows that GDUFS has been experiencing the strategic change with its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It suggests that the university should enhance the fundamental change of its culture in order to succeed in managing the strategic change in the transition from elite to mass system of higher education in China.