University tackles transformation at the top
TRANSFORMATION is the rallying cry across universities today, and to achieve this, expertise has to be developed to manage the complex aspects of higher education.
“Globalisation processes, new curricula development, multilingualism, blended learning, transforming the staff complement of universities to reflect the demographics of SA — these are some of the transformational challenges we are addressing,” says Prof Cheryl Foxcroft, dean of teaching and learning at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in Port Elizabeth.
She says most staff members in management positions at South African universities have no formal management and leadership training specific to the sector.
“In the same way that academic staff need to develop their capacity to effectively teach and facilitate learning, so too do higher education professionals, administrators and managers need to acquire sector-specific leadership and management skills,” she says.
To tackle this, NMMU has launched several processes, including offering short, higher education management courses.
Foxcroft is motivating for a formal higher education postgraduate management qualification, and has been approached by the Department of Higher Education and Training to put together a grant proposal for all universities, which she submitted earlier this year.
“The department had already been talking about such an initiative to the University of Bath in the UK, which is renowned for its postgraduate leadership and management training in higher education,” she explains.
The Future Leaders Initiative, a pioneering partnership between the higher education and training department, NMMU and the University of Bath, was launched earlier this month. South African university, enrolling in January next year for a professional doctorate in business administration in higher education management through the University of Bath,” says Foxcroft.
A second group of 27 senior staff members will enrol for the course in January 2017.
The four- to five-year doctorate is offered as a part-time, blended learning qualification, with a combination of online and face-toface lectures at the University of Bath and NMMU.
The University of Bath’s ProVice-Chancellor for Internationalisation Colin Grant, who is leading the initiative from the UK, says: “From its inception, the University of Bath’s international strategy has been explicit about its commitment to Africa. To have this level of agreement with so many fine institutions is a wonderful opportunity and privilege.”
The University of Bath has reduced its fees for the candidates and a grant from the department will cover the rest of the fees, travel and accommodation.
During the first two years of the programme, three contact sessions of 14 days each are required, and one of seven days.
Universities will be expected to release their staff members for these sessions.
Each South African university has been asked to identify three or four potential candidates for the doctorate by October 30.
Candidates must hold a senior management position at their university and meet the admission requirements. Senior managers include deans, faculty managers, faculty administrators and directors and senior managers of support functions. The emphasis will be on black and female South Africans as part of the transformation agenda.
Key graduate attributes today include strong communication skills, information and communication technology, literacy, economic and financial literacy, health and wellness literacy, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and an ability to work in multicultural, multidisciplinary teams.
“Our graduates must be able to head into the world having developed a critical consciousness and as competent, confident, compassionate global citizens and leaders,” says Foxcroft.
“Right now we are gearing ourselves up for the reality of a very different university space; one where blended and online learning will play an increasingly prominent role in higher education in SA and globally,” she says.
NMMU, with the assistance of a steering committee drawn from collaborating South African universities, is developing a postgraduate diploma in higher education (management), to be offered from 2019.