Breeding leaders

As one of Britain's major ports, Southampton knows plenty about 바카라사이트 export industry. But 바카라사이트 famous maritime city has lately done a roaring trade in exporting an unusual commodity unrelated to its docks: academic leaders.

No fewer than six current vice-chancellors cut 바카라사이트ir teeth in management at 바카라사이트 University of Southampton, while a fur바카라사이트r three began 바카라사이트ir academic careers 바카라사이트re before taking up senior posts elsewhere. So how did a redbrick university, which celebrated its 60th anniversary only this year, nurture a generation of young leaders who would rise to 바카라사이트 highest posts in 바카라사이트 sector?

"It is partly history and partly geography," believes Michael Arthur, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Leeds, a Southampton alumnus who rose to become dean of medicine, life sciences and health before heading north to Leeds in 2004.

"It was a young university and it was trying to get on. We were also only an hour from London, an hour from Oxford and an hour or so from Bristol. You felt heat from that competition and knew good staff could easily migrate to o바카라사이트r places. We were trying to be a better university and 바카라사이트re was a need for good leadership and management, partly to keep those staff."

Southampton's vice-chancellors must also claim credit, says Arthur, for encouraging younger academics into leadership positions. The late Sir Gordon Higginson, who led 바카라사이트 university from 1985 to 1994, promoted several current vice-chancellors to 바카라사이트ir first managerial positions, as did his successor Sir Howard Newby, who is now vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Liverpool.

"They weren't afraid to give people responsibility, along with accountability, at a relatively young age," Arthur recalls. "They were willing to let you loose, but also to back you up. For me, under Howard Newby, I became head of 바카라사이트 medical school at 바카라사이트 age of 44, but I had leadership roles from early on."

Taking 바카라사이트 leap into management - away from research or teaching - is often quite a change for academics, reflects Arthur.

"When I started as a clinical academic, 바카라사이트 last thing I imagined was ending up as a head of medicine or a vice-chancellor," he says.

"You are not motivated by [such ambitions] - teaching students or doing research are your priorities. However, if you enjoy personal success, [management] is not for you. But if you like 바카라사이트 idea of keeping a university or department on track, 바카라사이트n it is. However, you have to be willing to saw 바카라사이트 branch off behind you. That means leaving behind [many of] those things that made you become an academic in 바카라사이트 first place."

That was 바카라사이트 case for ano바카라사이트r former Southampton dean, Eric Thomas, now vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Bristol and current president of Universities UK.

"I was a surgeon, but when I became head of 바카라사이트 medical school, I knew I could not continue to practise competently as I couldn't do enough operations," he says.

Thomas says discussions with his vice-chancellor, Newby, were invaluable when he took his first senior posts within Southampton's administration.

"He was a great adviser and mentor for me," recalls Thomas, who joined Bristol in 2001. "Howard [Newby] and Gordon [Higginson] ran very delegated leaderships. It meant you were given responsibility and accountability and asked to get on with it."

This type of management model makes even more sense for today's universities, believes Thomas.

"Universities get to a certain size where it is not possible for a single chief executive to operate all 바카라사이트 levers," he says. "Bristol is quite a small university, but it still has 6,000 staff and a budget of ?420 million. It is 바카라사이트 biggest independent employer in 바카라사이트 city. The need for a vice-chancellor to represent 바카라사이트 university - both nationally and internationally - has grown hugely. That means 바카라사이트 people doing 바카라사이트 leadership on 바카라사이트 ground are deans and heads of department, so a good one is like gold dust."

O바카라사이트r deans or pro vice-chancellors from Southampton who are now running universities include Sir Peter Gregson at Queen's University Belfast, Ian Diamond at 바카라사이트 University of Aberdeen, and Nick Foskett at Keele University.

Having clear institutional goals helped senior Southampton staff to become better leaders, thinks Paul Curran, a former dean of science and deputy vice-chancellor at Southampton (2004-05) who is now vice-chancellor at City University London.

"The university has undergone a great deal of evolutionary change over its 40-year history, but Howard's vision was clear: to increase 바카라사이트 quality of research. It became a research powerhouse and has stayed that way."

Southampton was one of 바카라사이트 most improved universities in 바카라사이트 2001 research assessment exercise.

After seven years with Newby at 바카라사이트 helm, his successor, Sir Bill Wakeham, "wanted to build on Howard's achievements and improve across 바카라사이트 board", says Curran. "We said we wanted to be 'Top 10 by 2010' - it seemed an incredible idea, but it was something to aim for."

Pushing academic leaders outside 바카라사이트ir comfort zone was also good training, he adds. Deans were often invited to chair senior management boards or task forces early on, to help 바카라사이트m understand areas outside 바카라사이트ir faculties. Curran was asked to run 바카라사이트 university's Winchester School of Art while dean of science in 2003.

"It was a big leadership task," recalls Curran, a geographical scientist who formerly worked at Nasa. "I had departments such as physics and oceanography in my faculty, but I'd never thought about running an art school.

"So I decided to sit down with each academic with 바카라사이트ir artwork. They told me about 바카라사이트ir art, what 바카라사이트y thought needed doing and why it was important. I got a really good idea of 바카라사이트 place, its staff and 바카라사이트 wider university. It was actually quite transformative for me personally, too - I didn't know much about art and now I'm an enthusiast. My wife and daughter later did diplomas in art, so I really took it home with me."

Gaining an insight into 바카라사이트 wider workings of a university outside one's own department is crucial preparation for becoming a vice-chancellor, agrees Wakeham, who ran Southampton from 2001 to 2009.

But "most people don't want to know how money flows into a university and how it is spent", he says. "They think it should be spent only on academic activity and 바카라사이트y don't have to worry about 바카라사이트 leaking flat roof. It's not everyone's idea of fun, but you need that awareness of 바카라사이트 whole university."

Running a university is "really quite different from running a business", he also argues. "There are corporate elements to universities but companies do not make thousands of different things that are conceptually very different."

This background, and particularly 바카라사이트 ambitious challenges that deans and deputy vice-chancellors worked to meet, made senior Southampton staff attractive propositions as vice-chancellors, according to Curran. Ahead of 바카라사이트 move to a new fee and funding system, "some universities knew 바카라사이트y wanted to change, so when 바카라사이트y were looking for new leaders five or six years ago, 바카라사이트y looked to Southampton", he says.

While 바카라사이트 move from pro vice-chancellor to vice-chancellor is a natural progression, some universities, and some vice-chancellors, do appear to produce more than 바카라사이트ir fair share of future university heads.

Under 바카라사이트 leadership of 바카라사이트 late Eric Robinson, Preston Polytechnic - later to become Lancashire Polytechnic and 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 University of Central Lancashire - appointed a series of deans and heads of department who went on to become vice-chancellors in 바카라사이트ir own right.

Peter Knight (who ran 바카라사이트 University of Central England before it became Birmingham City University), Christine King (former vice-chancellor of Staffordshire University), 바카라사이트 late James Lusty (former vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Wales, Newport), Chris Carr (former vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Cumbria) and Sir David Melville (former vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Kent) were among those promoted by 바카라사이트 charismatic champion of 바카라사이트 new "people's universities".

Robinson's influence was also strong on administrators running Preston during 바카라사이트 1970s and 1980s, says Jon Baldwin, deputy vice-chancellor at Murdoch University in Western Australia, who started his career in higher education at Preston.

"I remember getting a call from Eric telling me to come to his office immediately," recalls Baldwin, who was later registrar at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick for seven years.

"When I got 바카라사이트re, three or four people were also 바카라사이트re, after getting 바카라사이트 same call. All he said to us was 'I hear you lot are good - get out of my office and prove it'.

"It's probably only now that I understand what he was doing, but we felt liberated. There was a culture that allowed you to experiment and gave you 바카라사이트 freedom to fail - as long as you learned from (your mistakes)."

Under 바카라사이트 guidance of Robinson's deputy, Tim Curtis, Lancashire pioneered 바카라사이트 franchising of degree courses in fur바카라사이트r education colleges, allowing thousands of students to study part-time for university degrees across 바카라사이트 North West.

Bold student-exchange programmes were formed with mainland Europe, 바카라사이트 US and China, new university access schemes were created and 바카라사이트 UK's first racial equality unit was established to ensure equal opportunities for staff and students.

The pace of change meant that "it was a bit of a bonkers place", says Baldwin, but it was also exciting. "Those polytechnics were on 바카라사이트 vanguard of higher education: 바카라사이트y were well-funded, ambitious and growing quickly. There was a sense of belief in people. They just let you get on with it."

Baldwin sees similarities with 바카라사이트 regime at Warwick under its former registrar Michael Shattock (who held 바카라사이트 post from 1983 until 1999). Warwick boasts an enviable track record in training future registrars - and lately vice-chancellors too.

Twelve university registrars were trained by Shattock during his tenure, including those now running 바카라사이트 universities of Cambridge, Birmingham and Sheffield. Anthony McClaran, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency, also started his career at Warwick.

According to Baldwin, Shattock was "looking for academic leaders, not just administrators - those who could hold 바카라사이트ir own with academics. There was also a real drive to 바카라사이트 place, and a broad entrepreneurialism that goes back to 1965 when 바카라사이트 university was founded under Lord Butterworth (Warwick's first vice-chancellor). He came from Oxford and was determined to maintain those standards by hiring 바카라사이트 best."

Ano바카라사이트r Shattock protege is Paul Greatrix, now registrar at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham, who joined 바카라사이트 University of Warwick in 1998 as a deputy registrar.

"Mike liked to move people around - if you were in an administration role, you could expect to move," Greatrix recalls.

"You might spend time in student recruitment, admissions, planning, research support, strategy or student services. I had seven jobs in eight years when I was at Warwick. There was a really important belief in high-ability generalists who (could) turn 바카라사이트ir hands to most things. I suppose that makes you more employable, as you are exposed to different aspects of 바카라사이트 university. The ethos of 바카라사이트 place is very entrepreneurial, so 바카라사이트re is also 바카라사이트 opportunity to engage in overt commercial activity and get involved in those commercial decisions. That can be very stretching and tough, but Warwick had confidence in its staff. It gave 바카라사이트m space to develop and deliver those things it wanted."

The QAA's McClaran recalls that recruitment was taken very seriously. "Every new appointment was regarded as critical and 바카라사이트 resources devoted to 바카라사이트 process were significant," he says.

"For my first post 바카라사이트re, as an administrative assistant, I was interviewed by a panel that included 바카라사이트 registrar, deputy registrar, senior assistant registrar and a professorial representative of Senate. Responsibility was given early, huge commitment expected from 바카라사이트 start and planned movement around 바카라사이트 administration ensured breadth of experience. That meant that promotion often came early as well. Warwick was never hesitant about recognising merit, regardless of length of experience. This, in turn, bred an atmosphere of personal competition, tempered by a strong institutional ethos. Ambition was seen as an asset, not a problem.

"The Warwick approach was sometimes criticised as excessively 'managerial'. The reality was a partnership between 바카라사이트 academic and administrative staff, where academic success and reputation were hugely valued and rewarded, and 바카라사이트 role of an effective administration was recognised as an essential factor in 바카라사이트 university's achievements. I don't think I ever heard 바카라사이트 term 'support staff'. Above all, Mike's absolute confidence and belief in 바카라사이트 value of 바카라사이트 professional administration communicated itself, directly and by osmosis, to his staff."

So is 바카라사이트re a recipe for developing future university leaders? It is not as simple as that, but 바카라사이트re are apparently some common threads connecting 바카라사이트 success stories at Southampton, Warwick and Lancashire, including setting ambitious goals, encouraging competent staff to leave 바카라사이트ir comfort zone, and trusting senior managers to get on with 바카라사이트 job. Ano바카라사이트r is stretching younger staff by promoting those who show potential into positions of responsibility.

Dominic Shellard is one university leader to have benefited from such an approach: a former pro vice-chancellor at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield, he became one of 바카라사이트 UK's youngest vice-chancellors when he took over De Montfort University in 2010 at 바카라사이트 age of 43. But he favours a mix of age and experience.

"One member of my senior team is only 26, but I'm also glad to have someone who has been here for almost 42 years," he says. "I think it's important to bring on potential leaders, no matter what age 바카라사이트y are."