University Leaders Research Articles

ASSESSMENT OF ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP PRACTICES IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN NIGERIA

This study focused on evaluating the academic leadership practices within public universities in Edo and Delta States, Nigeria. Its primary objective was to identify the different types of academic leadership practices prevalent in these states. The research design employed was ex post facto, with a target population of 1,957 junior academics. A sample of 375 junior academics was selected using the simple random sampling technique, and data collection relied on a questionnaire. The analysis was carried out using mean and standard deviation, with a benchmark set at 2.50 for acceptability. The results of the analysis unveiled the existence of five distinct forms of academic leadership practices among academic leaders in federal and state universities in Delta and Edo States. These five forms included: stirring common academic vision leadership practice (SCAVLP), promotion of academic relationship leadership practice (PARLP), provision of academic feedback leadership practice (PAFLP), encouraging academic advancement leadership practice (EAALP), and academic mentorship leadership practice (AMLP). Among these, academic mentorship was found to be the least commonly observed form of academic leadership practice among the five identified in the study. In light of these findings, the study recommends that university management should initiate a mentorship program to educate all staff on the principles and concepts of mentorship. Additionally, junior academics should be formally assigned to senior academics for mentorship purposes.

The Contribution of Artificial Intelligence to Stimulating the Innovation of Educational Services and University Programs in Public Administration

In the new contemporary pandemic paradigm, higher education in public administration and beyond knows challenges, barriers, and opportunities for the academic process. Shocks, environmental changes and physical distancing in recent years have led to the implementation of efficient solutions in educational services, based on artificial intelligence (AI). Thus, in the global academic landscape, many international universities have adopted a ‘chatbot’, a digital interface designed to stimulate conversation with people. Modern algorithmic communications have effects, such as: increasing the number of enrollments in public administration programs, improving academic experience and active student participation, while reducing administrative tasks on university staff. This paper aims to provide a glimpse on the perceptions of the potential impact of conversational artificial intelligence on public administration (PA) programs from universities and to reflect on its implications for university leaders and staff work and also on students’ engagement. The paper will focus on how AI tools will help university programs to be more effective, and how technology will support the limited human resources in this sector. In order to gather the data for this research, the interview was used as well as case studies from international universities that have implemented a chatbot. The research findings capture technological and digital advances that will continue to shape the higher education landscape and its curricula, especially in PA programs. As a result, leaders will need to monitor how artificial intelligence, in particular conversational agents, influences universities’ images; attraction and retention for students in PA programs and other important partners; staff productivity, and how to be more proactive in initiating pilot projects. This is one of the few publications that looks at the expectations for conversational AI in higher education today. In this sense, implementing a chatbot can be a competitive advantage in a market where modern technologies weigh heavily and make a difference.

Beyond the News Media Logic? Analyzing the Social Media Orientation of University Leadership

Abstract Building on scholarship on the mediatization of organizations, we propose a conception of the social media orientation of organizational leaders and apply it to higher education. Based on an online survey of 276 leaders of Swiss higher education institutions, we show that social media platforms have made their way into university management and communication but are still not as important as news media. The study discusses differences between university types and uses the literature on new public management to derive influencing factors.

The Existence of Govermental and Environmental Uncertainty on Competitive Advantage of Private Universities

Aims: This study aims to illustrate empirically the impact of governance and environmental uncertainty on the quality of B-accredited private universities and their long-term competitive advantage.
 Study Design: The method used in this study used descriptive and causal-explanatory methods to test the research hypothesis.
 Place and Duration of Study: All private universities accredited by B in Indonesia.
 Methodology: This Research used descriptive and causal-explanatory methods. Data for this research were collected using a questionnaire and supplemented with interviews involving various university leaders. A random sampling technique was utilized to select a sample of 136 B-accredited private universities in Indonesia. The data was analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach. The study's findings show that higher education governance has a significant influence on both the quality of higher education and long-term competitive advantage, both directly and indirectly.
 Results: In contrast, environmental uncertainty has a major impact on higher education quality but has little effect on long-term competitive advantage. Higher education quality, on the other hand, has a strong beneficial influence on long-term competitive advantage. Furthermore, this research demonstrates that improved quality among B-accredited private institutions boosts their competitive advantage.
 Conclusion: This research shows that improving quality among B-accredited private institutions will increase their competitive advantage. Therefore, the results of this investigation provide a valuable contribution in addressing the problem of substandard quality in private universities in Indonesia and expand existing research on environmental governance and communication in university environments.

Exploration leadership that advancing creative collaboration for teachers

Amidst China's robust push for aesthetic education reform, the emphasis on interdisciplinary and cross-specialty collaboration necessitates alterations to traditional collaboration frameworks, presenting fresh challenges for leadership. While most of today's schools have documented the closely knitted relationship between leadership and teacher collaboration in educational settings, very few attempts have been made to explore what competencies college leaders employ to infuse creative collaboration into the organizational culture and how this creative collaboration affects teachers’ work, especially under the aesthetic education reform in China. This research used qualitative case study and thematic analysis to explore leaders' competencies to promote creative collaboration in the organizational culture. This case study involved 10 participants from one College of Fine Arts in Henan, China, selected through purposeful sampling. Data were collected through 16 semi-structured interviews and the review of relevant documents. Findings reveal that the college dean employs an integrated leadership approach to foster positive creative collaboration among teachers. Findings were organized into the following themes: (i) Clear and decisive, collaboration-oriented organizational decision-making and guidance mechanisms; (ii) People-centric mindset: Fostering open and honest communication, creating a trusting environment; (iii) Maintenance and practice of integrity and responsibility; and finally (iv) Creating resources supporting and common goals to ignite teachers' passion for collaborative engagement. Valuable guidance in the leadership model for fostering positive teacher-creative collaboration for leaders in Chinese aesthetic education reform is provided based on these findings.

Survey: Are politics hurting recruitment and retention in red states?

As more state politicians take aim at tenure and diversity issues regarding higher education, the big question for college leaders is what impact these laws or restrictions will have on retaining staff and recruiting professors.

The Role of Lecturer Engagement Antecedents on Job Satisfaction

This research aims to discuss the influence of organizational justice and servant leadership on lecturer engagement both directly and indirectly at private universities in Medan. The direct and indirect influence of organizational justice, servant leadership, and lecturer engagement on their job satisfaction. The sample was 440 lecturers taken by using proportional random techniques. The primary data analysis technique uses a structural equation model with the lisrel application program supported. The estimation method applies weight least squares. Organizational justice and servant leadership partially influence lecturer engagement and job satisfaction. Lecturer engagement does not affect job satisfaction. Private university leaders in Medan should pay attention to aspects of conceptualization ability in servant leadership, especially the balance of short-term and long-term focus in increasing lecturer engagement and job satisfaction.

Exploring inclusive leadership and strategic visioning as pathways to well-being in TVET colleges

This exploratory case study reports on the ways in which staff and student well-being is embedded and promoted in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges through inclusive-leadership practices such as policies that structure and guide well-being programmes, making them part of the strategic vision. Such well-being is also evident in the wellness programmes and initiatives in some colleges. Eleven participants in total were purposively selected from a population of 59 TVET college leaders enrolled in a TVET (PGDip in TVET) leadership development programme at the University of Pretoria during 2021 and 2022. Data were generated during teaching and learning activities when the entire population (n=59) was involved in completing a structured checklist of enablers of, and risk factors related to, well-being for their colleges. From this process, the checklists of 11 campus managers were selected. The depth and the quality of the information the managers provided about the research topic, and the insights it provided in response to the question of how well-being was promoted in their colleges, also determined their selection. The study findings suggest that well-being policies were inconsistently implemented at different colleges, and that there is a perceived lack of strategic thinking about well-being and a lack of guidance and direction from college leaders about how to deal with it. Furthermore, it became evident that student well-being was prioritised over that of the staff, with staff members experiencing burnout and fatigue as a consequence of elevated levels of stress arising from meeting deadlines, unmanageable workloads and unrealistic expectations.

Survey: Are politics hurting recruitment and retention in red states?

As more state politicians take aim at tenure and diversity issues regarding higher education, the big question for college leaders is what impact these laws or restrictions will have on retaining staff and recruiting professors.

Factors Influencing the Work Efficiency of Student Cadres in the University

Student cadres are the main force of student work in a university and the "key minority" among students. The efficiency of student cadres at the university directly affects the overall process of student work. The research objectives are: 1) to study factors of role productivity and work efficiency of student cadres in the university; 2) to study the factors that influence the work efficiency of student cadres in the university; and 3) to propose a new model for the work efficiency of student cadres in the university. This study takes ordinary students from Hainan Tropical Ocean University as the research object and uses a survey questionnaire as a data collection tool to conduct a survey on 630 respondents. 623 questionnaires were collected, with 616 valid questionnaires and an effective rate of 97.7%. The questionnaire had reliability (0.98) and validity (0.96). All respondents evaluated the leadership, executive force, learning ability, credibility, and innovation of student cadres. For university student cadres, leadership, executive force, credibility, and innovation are all related to their work efficiency. Multiple regression analysis (stepwise) was used to test the research hypothesis, and the results show that the productivity role of student cadres is closely related to work efficiency, and leadership, executive force, credibility, and innovation all have a significant positive impact on work efficiency.

Mangrove Conservation and Biodiversity Protection Strategies in Universitas Diponegoro to Achieve Net Zero Emission

Indonesia is set the net zero emission target to be achieved by 2060. As part of that, Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP) is committed to support the achievement of the goal by implementing several strategies. First is to reduce the amount of emission generated by the university daily activities, and second is boosting the activities of mangrove conservation and biodiversity protection. As UNDIP located in the northern part of Central Java, part of 108.000 kilometers coastline region of Indonesia, UNDIP prioritizes its academic activity and research focus on coastal region environmental and ecological development which enthuse the implementation of mangrove conservation and biodiversity protection. The strategy includes the structured mangrove and biodiversity conservation action directed by the University leaders, encouraging research and community service activities focusing on coastal region development and developing environmental-related curriculum for the students. In addition, UNDIP also supports research centers and students’ communities who focus on mangrove conservation, biodiversity protection, and coastal region development. By that, there are more than 50 types of flora in UNDIP land forest with carbon stock calculation up to 6,480.20 metric tons CO2 eq. Acc

How do Student Leaders in a Teachers’ College Cope with Stress?

As stress becomes disturbingly high among college students, it becomes one of the common problems that is brought about by their demanding schedules. This qualitative-descriptive research aims to describe how student leaders in a Teachers' College cope with stress. Eight (8) student leaders were identified using purposeful sampling. A duly-validated semi-structured interview guide was used to gather data through online-in depth interviews. Three (3) significant themes and thirteen (13) meaningful categories emerged after using a thematic approach to analyze the data, namely: (1) stressors (organizational, academic, mental, financial, and academic-related support); (2) effects of stress (emotional, physical, and academic); and, (4) coping strategies (emotional support, spiritual coping, goal setting, physical care, and recreational coping). As student leaders balance both academic and leadership roles, they have to skillfully manage stress through their effective coping strategies.

The Role of Enterprise Social Media during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from Leaders' Experience

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted workplaces, with public health orders requiring people to shift their workplaces into their homes. Consequently, many organisations pivoted to online operation and utilised technology such as Enterprise Social Media (ESM) to help manage this transition. In this study we explore leaders' diverse use of ESM during the pandemic, including whether it was used for performance management and how it shaped leaders’ social behaviour. We conducted fifteen semi-structured interviews with leaders in a large Australian University using the ESM technology. Our results explore the nuances of ESM use during this time including how it was used as a social tool, a communication tool, and as an informal means to collect performance data. Interviews also revealed concerns with ESM use such as privacy and information redundancy. Our work advances the Task-Technology Fit (TTF) literature by conceptualising cognitive and affective mechanisms to understand how utilisation moderates TTF outcomes. These mechanisms are contingent on how leaders use ESM and the level of their interactions and engagements. We identify practical implications of ESM use at a time of crisis including leader training, clear guidelines for internal communication, efficient information sharing practices, and informed consent for ESM-related data collection practices.

Readiness of Ghanaian University Libraries Towards the Adoption and Implementation of Resource Description and Access

This research paper, which is part of a broader study, seeks to contribute to knowledge on the Resource Description and Access standard by exploring the state of readiness of Ghanaian university libraries to implement the standard, as well as highlighting the myriad of activities and initiatives that libraries should undertake in preparation for RDA implementation. This convergent parallel mixed methods study engaged 62 cataloguing practitioners, across nine university libraries, through questionnaires and interviews as data collection instruments. The analysis of data revealed the importance of planning and an overwhelming state of unpreparedness among Ghanaian university libraries to implement the standard. The study also contributes various appropriate activities and initiatives for readying libraries for RDA implementation to RDA literature. It is recommended among others, that university library management and leaders of professional library organisations designate RDA preparatory periods and forge collaborations and partnerships with libraries that have implemented the RDA standard.

Exploring the role of leadership in facilitating higher education internationalization in Japan: a mixed methods study

ABSTRACT Amid stiff competition in the burgeoning East Asian higher education market, Japan has implemented a series of internationalization initiatives to buoy its floundering HE sector. This study employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods design to explore Japanese and non-Japanese faculty and leaders’ views of effective leadership and its role in internationalization processes. Utilizing Bass’s full range leadership model, this study first elicited faculty and leaders’ (n = 162) views on three leadership constructs (transformational, transactional, and passive avoidant) using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ). The results of the MLQ informed semi-structured interviews with five Japanese and five non-Japanese (n = 10) faculty and leaders, exploring their views regarding effective leadership and its role in internationalizing their institutions. The results suggest that while both groups identify transformational leadership as most effective, there is a significant difference in terms of how they perceive its efficacy. The qualitative analysis offered further insight into how cultural norms affect leadership in Japanese universities and offered ideas regarding how leaders can more effectively integrate non-Japanese faculty and develop cohesive, diverse faculty units. The results suggest the high degree to which leadership affects the readiness of Japanese institutions to adapt to an increasingly transnational landscape.

<span>Digital transformation in global higher education: A review of literature and implications for Vietnamese universities</span>

Digital transformation in higher education has become a common trend in the pursuit of a sustainable education system in the future. This trend fosters higher education institutions to implement teaching, learning and research activities in an innovative and creative way. Globally, universities are making efforts to boost digital transformation application as a way to maintain their competitive advantages. This literature review aims to discuss digital transformation in global higher education, elaborate types of digital transformation, digital transformation frameworks for universities and put forth implications for Vietnamese higher education. It is hoped that this paper will provide insights into digital transformation in higher education in the world so that educators, policy makers and university leaders can collaborate and take proper actions to enhance the effectiveness of digital transformation application.

Incentivising interdisciplinary research collaboration: evidence from Australia

ABSTRACT There is a popular perception that interdisciplinary research collaboration can yield benefits to knowledge production, from improvements to creativity to advances in addressing real-world problems. However, studies into interdisciplinarity frequently point to material obstacles, such as burdensome time and resource requirements, difficulties in publishing, and scarce opportunities for grant funding, which imply that incentives or rewards might be required to motivate academics to collaborate with colleagues across research disciplines. This article reports the results of a survey of academics and interviews with senior university leaders at a large research-intensive university in Australia, which indicate a major difference of opinion on how to incentivise interdisciplinary collaboration. While survey respondents largely emphasised material concerns, university leaders cited cultural change as a preferred strategy. If interdisciplinary research collaboration is desired, this gap between the perceptions of academics, who do the research, and university leaders, who control the resources, will need to be bridged.

Usage of Inhalative Sedative for Sedation and Treatment of Patient with Severe Brain Injury in Germany, a Nationwide Survey.

Brain injured patients often need deep sedation to prevent or treat increased intracranial pressure. The mainly used IV sedatives have side effects and/or high context-sensitive half-lives, limiting their use. Inhalative sedatives have comparatively minor side effects and a brief context-sensitive half-life. Despite the theoretical advantages, evidence in this patient group is lacking. A Germany-wide survey with 21 questions was conducted to find out how widespread the use of inhaled sedation is. An invitation for the survey was sent to 226 leaders of intensive care units (ICU) treating patients with brain injury as listed by the German Society for Neurointensive Care. Eighty-nine participants answered the questionnaire, but not all items were responded to, which resulted in different absolute counts. Most of them (88%) were university or high-level hospital ICU leaders and (67%) were leaders of specialized neuro-ICUs. Of these, 53/81 (65%) use inhalative sedation, and of the remaining 28, 17 reported interest in using this kind of sedation. Isoflurane is used by 43/53 (81%), sevoflurane by 15/53 (28%), and desflurane by 2. Hypotension and mydriasis are the most common reported side effects (25%). The presented survey showed that inhalative sedatives were used in a significant number of intensive care units in Germany to treat severely brain-injured patients.

Digital Entrepreneurship in the Light of Contextual Leadership Intelligence: An Analytical Study in a Sample of Iraqi Private Universities

Aims: This research aims to identify the level of influence of contextual leadership intelligence on achieving digital entrepreneurship in a sample of Iraqi private universities. Study Design: The research adopted the descriptive analytical method to describe the research variables and interpret the results. Place of Study: The research was applied in a sample of Iraqi private universities. These universities were chosen due to their importance and effective role in supporting and developing the Iraqi higher education sector, meeting the needs of the market and society, as well as keeping pace with scientific and technological developments. Methodology: A sample representing the original community was chosen for the research, and its size reached (150) individuals from administrative leaders in ten Iraqi private universities. The research also relied on personal interviews and a questionnaire form as the main research tool, and a set of statistical tools were used, represented by (arithmetic mean, standard deviation, Coefficient of Variation, and simple regression), and the research data was analyzed using (SPSS V.25) program. Results: The results of the research showed the existence of a positive and significant influence relationship for all dimensions of contextual leadership intelligence in digital entrepreneurship at the level of the Iraqi private universities investigated, and the results also showed acceptance of all research hypotheses. Conclusion: This research was conducted by taking a sample of administrative leaders in Iraqi private universities, and the research conclusions indicate that there is a positive effect of contextual leadership intelligence in digital entrepreneurship. The conclusions also indicate that there is a positive effect for all dimensions of contextual leadership intelligence, represented by (3D- Thinking, tacit knowledge and synchronization) in entrepreneurship. Digital works at the level of the investigated Iraqi private universities.

MANAJEMEN KOMUNIKASI MEDIA DIGITAL DI PERGURUAN TINGGI SWASTA WILAYAH NON-PERKOTAAN (STUDI KASUS PTS DI SULAWESI BARAT)

The research aims to analyze the management of digital communication media used in private university organizations (PTS) with a case study of PTS in West Sulawesi, and evaluate the types of digital communication media used. This research was conducted on a sample of three campuses in West Sulawesi Province. This research is qualitative with a case study approach, with the paradigm used is the constructivism paradigm. The sample was analyzed using question construction data based on the research variables raised, so that the perceptions of the organizational team consisting of structural officials, lecturers, and students were collected. The results of this study reveal that the application of communication media in the digital era is closely related to management patterns that include planning, implementation, control, and evaluation stages with a multi-channel communication approach. Digital media such as instant messaging applications, webinar platforms, and social media play an important role in supporting interaction and collaboration between students, lecturers, and university leaders in various academic and administrative aspects. The use of these various communication channels successfully supports information distribution, coordination, exchange of views, and expression of feelings to achieve organizational goals. Although guidelines and policies still need to be improved, the positive impact of digital media in education, research, and community service, especially during the pandemic, is clear, and can even resolve internal conflicts.