Five Critical Domains of Effective Leadership in Higher Education Administration

2022 ◽  
pp. 90-113
Author(s):  
Deirdre M. Conway

Higher education today consists of a complex myriad of varying levels with individuals tasked to perform multiple roles and responsibilities. Faculty and staff find themselves tasked with multiple responsibilities and fewer resources. Many who embark on the journey of becoming academic administrators and leaders in higher education often do so based on their technical expertise and successes as a faculty member within the institution. Few organizations prepare faculty to step into leadership roles with the appropriate training. One area which often lacks training is in the area of individual leadership capabilities and connecting with others within the organization to accomplish a common goal. This chapter will provide insight into five critical domains necessary for individuals to focus on developing before entering into a leadership role within a higher education institution. Within each domain are central and core competencies which help to determine effectiveness in higher education leadership.

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 192-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Arday

The dearth of representation regarding Black and Ethnic Minorities (BME) in senior educational leadership roles within higher education (HE) has become a salient issue as egalitarian notions associated with equality and diversity continue to be contradicted by university institutions, despite increased calls for greater diversification. Educational leadership in higher education within the United Kingdom (UK), particularly when aligned to the primacy of race, remains oblivious to some of the organizational barriers encountered by BME academics attempting to navigate a career trajectory towards senior leadership. The diversification of senior leaders within the Academy in the UK has increasingly become an issue that, although prevalent, has stagnated owing to the lack of visible BME senior leaders and penetrative change to address the disparity regarding recruitment and promotion of more BME academics to leadership hierarchies. This article draws on a collective biography methodology, which will utilize narratives from three BME academics in senior leadership positions within higher education in the UK, in an attempt to illuminate the challenges that saturate the Academy, concerning leadership opportunities and career pathways for BME academics. The issues drawn upon identify synergies between constructions of race and leadership, whilst considering the interplay between these two vehicles when situated within a higher education context.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 401
Author(s):  
Sardar Ali Shah ◽  
Usharani Balasingam ◽  
Saroja Dhanapal

Legal education in Pakistan was initiated before independence and dates back to the 1800s. The first legal education institution was established under the name of ‘University Law College’ in 1868. Currently, there are more than 150 institutions offering law programs, which include universities and law colleges. These institutions are regulated by the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and Higher Education Commission (HEC). Over the past decades, there have been a lot of concerns raised on the quality assurance mechanism with regards to legal education in Pakistan. In line with this, the objectives of the current study is to identify and analyse the roles and responsibilities of the HEC and the PBC as regulators of legal education in the country as well as to identify the strengths and weaknesses within this regulatory system as a result of an overlapping of powers between the two bodies. The article ends with recommendations for improvement.


2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-70
Author(s):  
David J. Burns ◽  
Debra Mooney

Purpose The increasing complexity of higher education has led to the need for a different type of leader that transcends traditional boundaries and individual self-interest. The purpose of this paper is to propose an alternative form of leadership consistent with the unique challenges faced by institutions of higher education today. Design/methodology/approach First, existing research on leadership is explored. Particular attention is placed on identifying the applicability of the primary leadership approaches to the unique organizational environment typically found in institutions of higher education. Transcollegial leadership is then developed as an alternative form of leadership better suited to colleges and universities in today’s dynamic environment. Findings After examining the inadequacies of existing forms of leadership in higher education, transcollegial leadership is introduced as the process involved in leaders systematically, but informally, relating to persons and groups of equivalent authority in different areas of an institution of higher education for its betterment and the advancement of its mission, not for person gain. Practical implications It appears that transcollegial leadership may be specifically suited for institutions of higher education given their unique organizational structure. Transcollegial leadership permits colleges and universities to better utilize the skills and expertise of their members. The skills and expertise of transcollegial leaders not only benefit their home organizational units, but can benefit the entire organization. Originality/value The paper examines a different approach to leadership to aid colleges and universities in facing the challenges of a rapidly changing and increasingly competitive environment.


The impetus for this book and the study mentioned was the author's intention to try to close a gap in scholarship related to Hispanic women's experiences and their positions of leadership in higher education. The existing literature did not offer ample information about Hispanic women who have achieved professional success in leadership roles. This chapter contains the preliminary findings that have already been shared in diversity conferences, recommendations, reflections from colleagues who are administrators, professors, and students as a way to address this subject. The author believes information must continue to be shared in order for more voices to arise and whom we can encourage while empowering other Hispanic women/Latinas. It is important to promote support for future strategic efforts among college students, faculty, and diversity fellows from different organizations and community partners across the nation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 508-518
Author(s):  
Nokwanda Jali ◽  
Sachin Suknunan ◽  
Anrusha Bhana

The study shows that a patriarchal society where women are still in the minority when it comes to leadership positions is still dominating. A few studies are exploring the role of women in leadership in government and industry, and very little focus is paid on higher education institutions and more especially – from a female leadership perspective. Therefore, this paper aims to determine the factors that hindered female students from attaining leadership positions and simultaneously make recommendations to create more leadership opportunities in a nationally recognized student-led organization known as the Student Representative Council at a large public South African higher education institution – the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The target population was 16 female leaders who served in the University’s Student Representative Council from 2019 to 2020 of which 13 had responded. A qualitative approach was followed and interviews were conducted. The study employed inductive qualitative thematic analysis using NVIVO 12. Findings revealed that the Student Representative Council structure at the university was patriarchal with little commitment to gender equality. Males outnumbered women in leadership roles. Portfolios assigned to women were mainly administrative rather than leadership. Females were subjected to stereotypical behavior. The study recommended ways to promote female student leadership whereby policy and constitution change is required to facilitate gender equality and the implementation of quotas. Women should be empowered to enhance their leadership skills via effective leadership development programs specifically designed for females to address the leadership gap between males and females.


Author(s):  
Robin Grenier ◽  
Morag Burke

This cogenerative ethnography explored the lived experiences of two graduate students balancing Ph.D. studies and motherhood through McClusky’s (1963) Theory of Margi n. Specifically, we asked ourselves: What impact does pregnancy have on personal and academic selves and how are multiple roles and responsibilities managed? Through an analysis of dialogues, artifacts, conceptual maps, and narratives, examples of internal and external lo ad revealed the dynamic nature of the female experiences in graduate school. Excerpts from the data showed how roles, relationships, and experiences are characterized and how similar or different those example s were, given individual context. Implications of this research for students, faculty, and higher education policy are explored.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (8) ◽  
pp. 20-28
Author(s):  
Siti Norzaimalina Abd Majid

The role of a mother alone is very challenging. With an additional role as a student or a worker add more burden to them. It is undeniable that Malaysian women in the 21st century has more roles than women in the pre-independent era. Nowadays, women have equal opportunities to work and pursue higher education like men. The need to provide quality life to the children has also encouraged women to contribute more in the family income. Despite the multiple roles play by women, the household tasks are still managed by them. For this phenomenological research, in-depth interviews were conducted with two participants who studied in public university in Malaysia. By using thematic analysis, four themes were emerged from this study. The themes were challenges, role management, assistance/support and coping strategies. In this study, the major challenge was to balance the role of mother and student. But whatever challenges they faced; family was their priority. Furthermore, spousal support also helped the mothers in managing their multiple roles. From the findings, it is hoped that it gives some insights on the type of support that student mother needs and ways of coping in challenging situation.


Author(s):  
Sharon E. Norris

Higher education administrators face unprecedented changes that require not only faster decisions but also strategic ones. Unfortunately, institutionalization and isomorphic pressures weigh heavily on college and university administrators making it challenging for these individuals to envision the type of changes needed to formulate diverse strategies and lead the strategic change necessary in higher education. How many of today's higher education administrators have the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully lead their colleges and universities through the competitive, global, and technological advances that influence education today? The focus of this chapter will be on the need for strategic leadership in higher education, the outcomes that results when higher education administrators lack strategic leadership skills, and why it is important for administrators to develop associative thinking and collaborative innovation skills in order to successfully navigate the future.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Safiya Okai-Ugbaje ◽  
Kathie Ardzejewska ◽  
Ahmed Imran

The extant literature on mobile learning in higher education has mainly focused on students and academics. This study conducted in a Nigerian university considered a wider group of stakeholders (students, academics, IT personnel, and administrative leaders) in its investigation of stakeholders’ awareness, willingness, and readiness for mobile learning adoption, using a mixed methods approach. The findings revealed that while the awareness of mobile learning amongst students was low, they were keen on adoption. Academics were more tentative, for while they were willing, it was clear that a shift in their teaching philosophy and pedagogy would be required for mobile learning to work effectively. For those in IT and administrative leadership roles, their perceptions were more resource-focused. While this study only considered the views of internal stakeholders, it also uncovered the need for the involvement of external stakeholders. Building on these findings, a strategy table which outlines the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder group was created. The table provides a blueprint which otherwise has been missing, to guide sustainable mobile learning adoption and implementation not only in higher education in developing countries, but which may have more global appeal.


Author(s):  
Ülkühan Bike Esen

The undeniable effect of education on economic development has also increased the importance of the success in higher education. The success of a higher education institution depends not only on the success of the academics it has, but also its leaders. These leaders in higher education institutions are referred as “academic leaders.”.Academic leaders are leaders who motivate academics in universities, faculties, or departments and provide challenging opportunities as well as creating appropriate academic environments for academics to improve themselves. Academic leaders have more responsibilities than business leaders. Because their success or failure affects not only a business but also the whole society, this broad influence of academic leaders requires further examination of the issue. This requirement is the basis of this chapter. The aim of this chapter is firstly to define academic leadership and then to emphasize the strategies that can be applied to the success of academic leadership.


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