A Model for a “Saint Leadership" and Its Significance to Engineering Education
AUTHORS
Thanikachalam Vedhathiri,Former Professor and Head, Center for International Affairs, National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research, Chennai, India
ABSTRACT
In the 21st century, the growth of disruptive technology is accelerating. Additionally, there is a growing need for the best engineering graduates across all developing nations. Institutional leaders are compelled to implement industry-relevant, interdisciplinary research and development programs, continually build their faculty, and offer consultancy services to transnational companies. Hence, these engineering institutes must be headed by saint leaders who must create a vision and mission, develop the faculty members, prepare interdisciplinary and outcome-oriented curricula, prepare needed learning resources, develop learners, plan the institutions, offer consultancy services under various global and national projects, manage the finance required, follow up after the faculty retirement, and possess needed managerial characters. Further, they recognize the need to allocate time for work-life balance and to reward faculty for their best performance in generating internal revenue. They never indulge in toxic activities that destroy the academic environment and culture. The saint leaders are unique in creating a vision, delegating the necessary authority, following ethical principles, promoting equity and integrity, and mentoring all faculty members. This model has undergone quality validation through three projects.
KEYWORDS
Saint leadership, Faculty development, Interdisciplinary curriculum, Learning resources, Institutional planning, Consultancy services, Financial management, Follow-up after retirement
REFERENCES
[1] A. J. Kezar and E. M. Holcombe, “Shared leadership in higher education: Important lessons from research and practice,” American Council on Education, Centre for Research, Washington, DC: One Dupont Circle on Education, (2017)
[2] A. Kezar, “Leadership in higher education: concepts and theories,” Springer Nature Link, pp.1–8, (2017)
[3] E. J. Darger, “Latter-day Saint women and leadership in higher education: An intrinsic case study,” Doctoral Dissertation, Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations, Brigham Young University, Theses and Dissertations, no.10313, (2023) scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/10313
[4] S. Gumus, M. S. Bellibas, M. Esen, and E. Gumus, “A systematic review of studies on leadership models in educational research from 1980–2014,” Educational Management, Administration, and Leadership, vol.46, no.1, (2017) DOI:10.1177/1741143216659296(CrossRef)(Google Scholar)
[5] J. Donald and M. V. Jamieson, “Engineering leadership: Bridging the culture gap in engineering education,” 2023 Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore Convention Centre, MD, Paper ID#38638, (2023) researchgate.net/publication/372130477
[6] M. Schilling, S. Vicente, T. Johnson, N. Jefferson, and H. Matusovich, “Considering leadership in engineering education: A call to action for research and practice,” Journal of Engineering Education, vol.112, no.1, pp.18–22, (2023) DOI:10.1002/jee.20502(CrossRef)(Google Scholar)
[7] M. Handley, J. Plumbee, B. Tallman, B. Novoselich, S. Sullivan, T. Kennedy, L. Houghtalen, M. L. Tan, “Engineering leadership across disciplines: A systematic literature review,” International Journal of Engineering Education, vol.37, no.2, pp.311–347, (2021) www.ijee.ie/03-ijee4029
[8] M. Muftahu, “An analysis of the leadership theories and proposal of a new leadership framework in higher education,” Asian Journal of Education and Society, (2019) DOI:10.9734/ajess/2019/v5j43014(CrossRef)(Google Scholar)
[9] N. Ghamrawi, R. K. Abu-Shawish, T. Shal, and N. A. Ghamrawi, “Destructive leadership behaviors: The case of academic middle school leaders in higher education,” International Journal of Educational Research, vol.126, 102382, (2024) DOI:10.1016/j.ijer.2024.102382
(CrossRef)(Google Scholar)