美国高校社会服务工作对我国高校草坪科学学科建设的启示

除了教学和科研工作外,大部分美国高校对农业类学科包括草坪学科的专业师资在职责要求方面还有重要的一项-"Extension",即社会服务。社会服务的工作量因人而异,但总体来看基本都做到了"分配到人";除了专业教师,学校对于学生也要求或鼓励其参与各类校内外拓展活动。这与我国高校教师社会服务(或专业拓展)工作,以及基于此提出的"产学研"等类似的工作模式都有较大不同。草坪科学是一门新兴的学科,应用性较强,知识生产和知识创新都离不开实践。因此从学术驱动的内因和大学的价值来讲,大学的社会服务工作是极其重要的。本文简略介绍美国高校草坪科学教师的社会服务工作情况,希望能够对我国的草坪科学学科建设以及师资组建和培养提供参考。

Introduction to turf extension work in universities of the United States and its reference value to the development of turfgrass science in China

In the United States,most faculty members who specialize in turfgrass science are required to fulfill a certain amount of extension work.Usually,the required percentage of such work is assigned at the appointment of employment.Meanwhile,students are encouraged to participate in outreach activities.This is quite different compared to the Chinese higher educational system where turfgrass science is a developing and relatively new discipline.Most US turfgrass science courses comprise a combination of practical skills and knowledge components,as both problems and solutions can be identified and tested in real-world scenarios.Therefore,extension is extremely important for the development of both the industry and science of turfgrass.In this article,turf extension work in the United States is explored with the intent of informing turf discipline development,particularly turf faculty recruitment and cultivation,for the Chinese higher educational system.