The purpose of this paper is to understand the international evolution of the concept “university autonomy”, and its implications for Taiwan. University autonomyhas conceptual and experiential levels, as well as instrumental, contextual, political, relative, and contingent characteristics. It is an evolving notion, and external higher education governance and trends in higher education reforms are the primary impetus for thisshifting concept. Consequently, numerous governments utilize accountable financial mechanisms for universities to address social needs and political goals. In Taiwanese higher education, the centralized power structure and governance model are now known as the Napoleonic model, or the state-controlled mode. In this aspect, university autonomy is substantively constrained, with emphasis onthe restricted definition of university autonomy as the capacity of a single institution to carry out its functions. This indicates that Taiwan’s university autonomy has become more functionally oriented. In order to comprehend Taiwanese policy and research on university autonomy, it is crucial to improve the legal framework governing university autonomy, strike abalance between funding and accountability, and develop an evaluation system, indicators, and complementary measures of university autonomy.
本研究主要爬梳不同國家間大學自治概念內涵的轉變趨勢,藉以評析我國大學自治現況、增進我國對於大學自治概念的系統性理解及提出實踐大學自治的可行策略。依據彙整分析結果,各國大學自治概念呈現概念層次及經驗層次的轉變趨勢,並分別具有工具性、脈絡性、政治性、相對性及條件性等特質。影響大學自治概念的轉變趨力多來自外部高等教育治理及改革趨勢,進而影響各國政府選擇結合經費補助與課責手段作為主要的治理策略,用以敦促大學回應社會需求及施政目標。就現況而言,我國高等教育治理形式呈現拿破崙模式/國家控制模式,且我國大學自治內涵逐漸被限縮至單一機構的運作能力層次,凸顯出單一且特定的工具性特質。為求完備我國大學自治政策及研究相關內涵,宜進一步思考完善我國大學自治法制基礎、平衡高等教育經費補助及課責機制之方式等相關作為。