Abstract: The newly-built local universities are the main undertakers of the popularization of higher education in China and the indispensable force for building a strong country of higher education in China. From the perspective of Parsons’ AGIL model, as a unique system, newly-built local universities have the functions of adaption, goal attainment, integration and latent pattern maintenance. However, at present, the newly-built local universities have difficulties in the functions of adaption, goal attainment, integration and latent pattern maintenance, which are manifested in the following aspects: weak ability to absorb resources, ambiguity of target orientation, inefficient integration function and fragmentation of organizational culture. In order to promote the development and transformation of the organization, the newly-built local universities should realize the common interests-improving the ability of resource acquisition, common objectives-reasonable positioning, clear objectives, common institution-establishing a modern university system, improving the internal governance system, and common culture-strengthening cultural construction and building a community of destiny.

Key words: newly-built universities, AGIL model, dilemma of function, transition