By Shukran Abd Rahman
As we are celebrating the Academia Day on October Fifth, let us look at who are there in the academia. By and large, academia refers to a broad population of workforce in education services, including academic professionals at a university or a higher learning institution.
There are at least three categories of academic professionals in university workforce, namely academic, academic administrator, and higher education professional. These groups of workforce play core roles in carrying out university’s functions and availing their supportive ecosystem.
A significant group of academic professionals in academia is higher education professionals, also known as HEPROs. They have significant tasks, duties, roles, and responsibilities in ensuring effective and efficient delivery of a university’s intellectual, social and educational functions.
In a university, higher education professionals (e.g registrar, bursar, ICT professional, student development officer, etc) are critical group of academic professionals. Their jobs are to facilitate and support the activities that implement the university’s mission; and to design strategies for the university to achieve her vision. Being higher education professionals, their jobs are critical in making a university fully and effectively functioning.
In general, higher education professionals provide (a) systematic and scientific management of academic activities, instead of generic management skills; (b) higher education management leadership and governance for all academic activities; (c) support services to higher education curriculum, including its delivery and quality assurance; (d) initiatives for institutional funding and financing, their governance and management; and (e) support services for community engaged academic activities.
Individuals who are selected to serve as HEPROs should have the competencies to facilitate the delivery of quality teaching and learning activities as well as provide supportive ecosystem to research; consultancy; publication; as well as institutional development and sustainability. They provide systematic supports in designing, leading, managing and monitoring good delivery of the academic activities. At a macro level, they have vital roles in managing a university, hence enabling the institution to systematically generate and disseminate knowledge; produce scholars; train workforce; and educate citizens.
A competent higher education professional (HEPRO) should have good level of knowledge on HLI functions and its vital roles in human and nation development; deep understanding on respective institutional ethos, and the disciplines of knowledge the institution leads or focuses; knowledge on holistic dimensions of academic culture.
In the currently complex higher education ecosystem, HEPROs have equipped themselves with the abilities to manage institutional change and development, evident in their abilities to make informed decision making and solutions in difficult time. Many HEPROs are currently active in equipping themselves with knowledge on the expectation of stakeholders and aspiration of the country on scholars and graduates.
They acquire knowledge of the internal and external contexts, essential to create an HLI ecosystem that supports a good connect between academic activities and the needs of the society. They are involved in tracer study, graduate survey, publication and community engagement projects. They too lead strategic management of institutional resources; conduct periodical review of academic activities; and design plans to improve the provision of logistical enablers for the manifestation of institutional missions. They also have the skills to design institution’s climate that nurtures HLI community to embrace positive academic culture; skills to provide supportive ambiance for knowledge generation and dissemination; knowledge on education processes; and abilities to work hand in hand with academic leaders and policy makers in designing academic curricula.
Having said the above, HEPROs are not regular managers who deal with clerical or managerial tasks without having the job specification of academic professions. The above specification warrants for orchestrated effort to produce HEPROs whose competencies are distinct from those of other organisations. The strategies to have competent academic professionals entail the efforts to judiciously manage the availability of adequate competent workforce in the institution.
Hence, this academia day should acknowledge the remarkable roles of HEPROs. As we celebrate their significant functions in academia, more opportunities should be given for them to pursue higher degree in higher education management. More continuous HE-related professional development programmes could be organised to enhance their knowledge and skills on higher education system. Due attention to the development of HEPROs is important to prepare a good pool of competent professionals for higher education management.***
(Prof. Dr. Shukran Abd Rahman is an academic in Department of Psychology, KIRKHS who specialises in Occupational Psychology. He conducts research on higher education change and development, including on academic profession.)