Pearls of wisdom: Expert mentorship for new HE leaders

As the expression goes, ‘it’s lonely at the top’. It is a statement often repeated by university leaders fresh to the job as they navigate their new role in management.

Newly minted leaders have, however, found reassurance that they are not alone in the challenges they face when interacting with contemporaries at the regular International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) seminar on leadership development for new presidents and emerging leaders.

In late 2023, 20 participants took part in the third edition of the leadership seminar in Doha, Qatar. And the IAUP is planning a 2024 event in Aarhus, Denmark, from 22 to 25 July.

Recalling the Qatar event, Professor Letlhokwa George Mpedi, vice-chancellor and principal of the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, said: “Sometimes in the challenges you face as a leader, you feel alone.

“But by being at that conference, when you hear speakers or other presidents validating the thinking you have, you feel reinforced and emboldened.”



“It was reassuring,” said Mpedi, who has been in the position for 14 months.

Indeed, he said the overall programme itself could be described as a kind of mentorship: “During the tea break, it was such a welcoming atmosphere; you could speak to one of the speakers and say, you raised this point, please tell me more. And presidents were willing to share; I spoke with quite a few about certain issues.”

The event has been helpful in giving him ideas in how to manage “some difficult situations”, Mpedi said, although he did not want to relate specific problems.

More than 20 speakers from more than 20 countries addressed the seminar, organised jointly with the Qatar Foundation and Santander Universidades. Themes covered included leadership, governance, the digital transformation of higher education, quality assurance, financial diversification, internationalisation, equality, inclusion, the role of women and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

A pre-seminar roundtable discussed ‘leadership challenges in higher education in the post pandemic era’.

Mohamud Hassan, rector of Zamzam University of Science and Technology in Somalia, had been in the position for just a semester when he went to Doha. He appreciated the exposure to others in the same position: “I don’t think there’s any human being at the top that doesn’t need advice, and exposure to other environments,” he told University World News.

Professor Dr Yawar Hayat Khan, deputy vice-chancellor (academics), Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan, was also new to the role when he attended the Qatar event, although he has been an administrator and senior academic at the university since 2001 (in medicine and dental science).

The seminar showed there were a lot of similarities in leadership concerns around the globe, he said. “When you have multiple people talking about the same challenges and issues, you feel a bit relieved as well. You could discuss these issues with them, and ask them to guide you,” he said.

Exposed to innovative initiatives

Dr Fernando León-García, the IAUP president, said the rationale for the seminar is that “despite how seasoned or how much of a novice a leader in higher education happens to be, it’s always important to provide settings in which they can be exposed to trends, best practices, innovative initiatives and a reaffirmation of what universities are”.

The seminar is a conduit for leaders to better fulfil their roles by connecting with seasoned current and former vice-chancellors, rectors and presidents through one-on-one mentorships for an hour, he added.

“It is an attempt to create a convergence between participants and mentors. It allows participants to say what is on their mind, how they see an issue and how they can refine their thought or reshape or strengthen what they are already doing.

“Most of the mentors are there ‘pro bono’ and doing it to extend the benefits of the networks of leaders within the IAUP in different settings,” said León-García.

Participants could request a particular mentor ahead of time or do so during the event.

Professor Khan was mentored by Dr Shawn Chen, founder and the chairman of the board of Sias University in Henan, China. “He has vast experience in technologically enhanced learning. With AI around, things are changing pretty dramatically, and we need to be well aware of the circumstances and the tech, and what strategies to put in place to keep pace with the rest of the world,” said Khan.

Riphah International University has broken ground as a Pakistani higher education institution introducing digitalisation into its curriculum, particularly in the healthcare department, which Khan has taken a keen interest in due to his background in dentistry. He wanted to talk to Chen about how to sustain the digital change through training and having like-minded people onboard for the transition.

“Chen said firstly, softly introduce innovation, create small teams to get people onboard, and hire top-of-the-line trainers, maybe online,” said Khan.

The university had followed such an approach, but it required cooperation from staff who were not always willing to adapt.

Following Chen’s suggestions, Khan said: “We made them responsible for the initiative, saying it is your thing, that it is a shared responsibility and goal, for the whole university, and if we achieve this, it will help improve our [university] ranking as well.”

Chen emphasised that such interaction would be more productive if done in-person rather than via email. “This is what I am now doing. Around 11 every morning I go and meet different people or go to offices to have a cup of tea, and see what issues there are. I call it corridor planning, to meet people. It yields results,” said Khan.

How to do more with less

One of Mpedi’s top concerns to discuss with a mentor was funding for his state-run institution. He talked with Kakha Shengelia, president of Caucasus University in Georgia, about dwindling funding and how to do more with less.

“We also talked about opportunities for the university, as we have a business school and there are a lot of possibilities to leverage our strategic position in Africa and South Africa,” he said. “Shengelia was very willing to share his experience, and about how to reposition the university.”

The two leaders also talked about strategic planning and running a fast-growing institution.

The University of Johannesburg is soon to have its 20th anniversary, while the Caucasus University is 25 years old. “We have both moved fast and are doing well, so we bounced around some ideas linked to that, and the resources to put into teams,” he said.

Hassan wanted to discuss how to better manage the board of trustees to improve his own institution as well as to impart such knowledge to other non-profit universities.

With Somalia only having one public university, its 100-odd other universities are private, and many are dependent on NGOs or donors for funding, he noted. This has presented particular challenges, such as having to inform board members with NGO backgrounds about higher education and what is required of the role.

Resolving conflicts

Rector Hassan was mentored by Dr Carlos Garcia, chief of staff and director of institutional relations at CETYS University (Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior), Baja California, Mexico, on how to resolve conflict within the board of trustees; how to manage and inform members; and how to engage members in the best interests of the university.

“Dr Garcia gave me a lot of advice on profiling, to provide a short summary of what the university has been doing on a monthly basis – a very good idea – and to give the board activities that they can lead. And we actually did that. The next board meeting is in September, so I gave them tasks, and expect them to do something,” he said.

Such tasks include fundraising, improving university infrastructure, involving development partnerships, and food security-related projects.

Hassan said he garnered advice on a broad array of issues from the event. “The whole three days was actually a mentorship,” he said.

Encouraging honest feedback

One highlight was a president recommending talking with students on a small group basis to get honest feedback. “He said that when you are president you don’t have much time with the students, and the academic offices may hide from you what they may hear. This was a very good point,” said Hassan.

On returning to Somalia, Hassan set up a ‘meet the president’ event every two weeks. “The students give you a perspective on what they need and expect the university to be, and how it can improve,” said Hassan.

Professor Khan used the event to discuss other issues with leaders, such as Professor Yusra Mouzughi, provost of University of Birmingham Dubai. One topic was women empowerment, as Riphah International University has an all-women campus of 6,000 students.

“Professor Mouzughi was formerly the president of the Royal University for Women in Bahrain, so I was seeking her opinion, advice and wisdom, and what she faced early on in that domain,” he said.

Khan was also able to discuss leadership development with Peter Eckel, senior fellow and director of leadership programmes at the graduate school of education, University of Pennsylvania, United States.

“Eckel was a good catch, and we discussed a lot of topics, as we have started a certificate programme in educational leadership development in Pakistan,” he said.