Leading Universities in a Global Context
Leading Universities in a Global Context är ett ledarskapsprogram som Uppsala universitet erbjuder i samarbete med U4 Society. Nätverket består av universiteten i Ghent, Groningen, Göttingen, Tartu och Uppsala. Ledarskapsprogrammet riktar sig till ledare på högre, strategisk nivå.
Programmet 2020 är uppskjutet på grund av Covid-19 pandemin. Planerade datum var:
23–25 september 2020 Groningen
20–22 januari 2021 Ghent
14–16 April 2021 Uppsala
9–11 juni 2021 Göttingen
26–27 augusti 2021 Tartu
Leading Universities in a Global Context
Universities have become increasingly complex, in an environment of greater dynamics and increased uncertainty. The role of university leaders as stewards of complex organizations has become more demanding. The activities of reporting, analysing, measuring, monitoring and evaluating are central concerns at various university levels. The combination of competition among universities and technological, financial, social and political changes has placed new demands on university leaders. This programme focuses on university leadership in this context.
Aims
* Establish joint learning with a focus on strategic leadership
* Foster and international leadership networks inside U4
* Develop and share expertise and experiences within a trusted environment
Main themes
1.Talent and Diversity – how do we best develop and organize talent, and how do we deal with the diversity matters?
2. Identity – what is the role and responsibility of universities in this era and how do we profile ourselves to the external world?
3. Quality and Culture – how do we create quality supportive environments and how do we measure quality and deal with it?
4. Change and Future – do we understand complexity and how tackling wicked problems differs from what we were used to?
5. Sustainability (tentative) – how do we let our insights land in the world of university leadership?
Personal and pear learning
Besides sessions around the main themes, there will be space in every session for peer learning. Participants will bring in their own, personal leadership challenges and be able to explore them with colleagues in small peer groups. The peer learning aspect will in general play an important role in the program, which is full of facilitated interaction (with a few speakers per session only, with short and focused inputs)
At the end of each session, there will be short reflection, including the collection of special wishes for the next session. These are accommodated as much as possible, within the scope of the program.
Set-up
The programme is based on active participation, U4society expertise and blended learning. It is not a skills training. It is an opportunity to take time and explore some bigger themes that are of concern to university leaders. It is a chance to reflect and act on personal leadership challenges, triggered by what happens in the program.
Planning and timing
The programme spans a 1 year period, with 5 sessions. Each of the five universities will host the programme on one occasion.
1st session (Groningen) - Talent and Diversity
2nd session (Ghent) - Identity
3rd session (Uppsala) - Quality and Culture
4th session (Göttingen) - Change and Future
5th session (Tartu) - Sustainability (tentative)
Every session commences on Wednesday morning at 9.00h and ends on Friday afternoon at 14.00h. There is a social-cultural program included with every session and woven into the days. At the very end of every day there is some ‘free time’ for relaxation or attending personal or work-related duties, before the evening program starts (and ends no later than 22.00h).
In-between-sessions
Participants are expected to:
- Address a leadership challenge that they have at hand and briefly report back every next session
- Contact a co-participant in between two sessions (buddy-system) to touch base and follow-up on challenges
- Take part in four 100 minute sessions at their own universities to share insights, organized by the coordinator at the home university.
- To contribute in the preparation for the programme as host university for that respective session
Participants
Who can attend? The target group comprises top level executives at U4 universities. A fixed number of 25 participants follow the entire programme. Five persons from both academic and administrative levels from each university are selected to maintain a ‘high profile’ programme aimed at creating new networks and new skills in current leadership issues. Hence, the group is a mix of people from various academic/administrative background.
Participants are expected to attend the full cycle and take serious notice of timing and “in-between-session” responsibilities. Early drop-outs or skipping (parts) of session disturbs the dynamic of the groups and reduces the effectiveness of the program.
Coordinators
Every university has a programme coordinator. They are the ‘active listeners’ for participants and are well-informed about the program dynamics. They are your supporter at the home university, the person who follows -up on sessions and hosts in-between meetings, is the link to other coordinators and the lead facilitator, and they may function as the linking pin to the university boards. The coordinators also take care of all logistical matters at the home university and when they are hosting a session.
Facilitator
The program facilitator leads the group through the various sessions, and is the red wire throughout the programme. He is the travel compagnon of the group and creates optimal learning situations and provides short leadership inputs. The facilitator and the hosting coordinator prepare a sessions program.
Meeting colleagues outside of the program
The composition of the group is not based on background in content. It is very likely that you are the only person in the group with your function/background. If you wish to interact with your colleague at the partner university (e.g. librarian meet librarian, dean of law meet dean of law), this can be arranged (or self-organised) as request. This will have to happen outside the program days.
Kontaktperson: Anna Westin