Higher education institutions, as the main actors in knowledge societies, are facing an unprecedented series of shared challenges, on a local, regional and global scale, that require comprehensive responses in collaboration with governmental and socio-economic agents and in partnership with other universities.
The climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity, demographic pressures, political conflicts and forced migrations, increased inequalities, digitisation and the evolution of the labour market are just a few examples of these challenges, which are directly related with the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the achievement of which require the firm commitment of higher education institutions.
Given this extremely complex context, there is an evident need for universities to redefine their priorities, rethinking their social function in the light of the demands of the 21st century. It has become imperative to develop university policies that view these institutions as true drivers of transformation in the political, economic, social, environmental and cultural spheres.
Hence, the people who run university centres need to be trained to lead processes of change and transformation; qualified professionals who, beyond the management of everyday matters, can also offer a response to today’s challenges and plan for those of the future.
As well as ethical and public values, a wide range of knowledge and attributes are required for the management of higher education institutions, which include expertise in the management of teaching and research staff and in the quest for financial sustainability; leadership, strategic planning and change management skills; willingness to overcome inertia and to innovate; the ability to communicate and negotiate; the capacity to make informed decisions in a democratic and participatory manner, and so on.
On the occasion of the Forum of European University Alliances in connection to the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second semester of 2023, the Global University Network for innovation (GUNi) is holding a seminar on “Building new university leaderships to transform Europe” (Barcelona, 13 September 2023).
The seminar is mainly addressed at people who hold leadership, management and administration responsibilities within European higher education institutions, but also at chairpersons of university networks, directors of national quality assurance and internationalisation agencies, and representatives of the higher education ministries of the member states and international organisations.
During the seminar, there will be a public presentation of the HE Leadership & Management Hub promoted by GUNi and designed to become a permanent platform for reflection, dialogue and professional training among directors and managers of higher education institutions from all around the world.
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