Sustainability for higher-ed institutions (HEIs) has long been an issue of getting these institutions to survive or thrive during their early critical years. In the world of disruptions and crises borne out from the COVID-19 pandemic, building structures to ensure sustainability for educational institutions has become more crucial. This is important for all HEIs and more critical for start-up higher-ed institutions finding their foot in the sector.
Higher-ed institutions in their initial years usually have to deal with strategic innovation, government policies, the expectations of their key stakeholders, international competition (a highly competitive global market for higher education), new technologies, and external changes to succeed
There have been two schools of thought on how higher education institutions can thrive and succeed. One is that they act ‘business-like’ where they adopt new governance and management systems to keep up with the growing competition in the higher-ed sector as well as intensify their efforts at being efficient and effective in carrying out their primary mandate of educating students, creating and disseminating knowledge, and preparing successful and career-ready graduates. The second school of thought is that these HEIs become more ‘university-like’ where higher education institution leaders focus on three key elements to ensure lasting development, including:
- Relevance to the societies within which they are found.
- Excellence in the development of knowledge and academic and professional operations.
- Agility in responding to external influences and change.
How does one build sustainable systems for a new higher-ed institution in Africa?
Join Patrick Awuah, President, Ashesi University, as he leads a Masterclass to provide insights into ways higher-ed institutions in their early years can succeed.
Ashesi University is a private, not-for-profit institution that has gained a reputation for innovation and quality education in Ghana. Under Patrick’s leadership, Ashesi ranked 1st in Ghana, 9th in Africa, in 2020 Times Higher Education Impact Ranking.
The Masterclass will share models and tools for strategic planning in the early years for institutional sustainability across operations, finance, impact, and teams. It will provide practical tools which higher-ed institutions can develop their sustainability models around to deliver quality learning experiences and improve education outcomes.
It is open to higher education executives, especially young institutions, or academic departments under six years of operation across Africa. Developmental partners and individuals supporting new higher education institutions are eligible to participate in this Masterclass.
Interested in this session? Register here.
