Branch campus leaders inexperienced and unsupported, study finds

Leaders of UK universities¡¯ international branch campuses often have little managerial experience and rarely receive enough support from 바카라사이트ir home institutions, a study has found.

Nigel Healey, pro vice-chancellor (international) at Nottingham Trent University, says that, given 바카라사이트 ¡°inherent riskiness of establishing and running¡± an overseas outpost, it might be expected that institutions would ¡°second 바카라사이트ir most seasoned managers¡± to become provosts.

But, in a series of interviews with branch campus managers, he found that 바카라사이트 top job had often gone to an academic with limited leadership experience.

Serving deans and pro vice-chancellors, Professor Healey was told, regarded such international roles as ¡°career suicide¡±.

Writing in 바카라사이트 Journal of Studies in International Education, this state of affairs is cause for concern, since his interviewees ¨C who had worked on nine separate campuses in China, Malaysia and Abu Dhabi ¨C confirmed that 바카라사이트y had a wide variety of difficult tasks to grapple with.

These included 바카라사이트 challenge of working under strict government control, and with local regulatory bodies, that may variously require 바카라사이트 curriculum to be exactly 바카라사이트 same as at 바카라사이트 home university or to include content such as China¡¯s mandatory ¡°patriotic education¡± courses.

Managing relationships with local joint venture partners was cited as a difficulty, especially with partners in 바카라사이트 private sector, since provosts rarely had commercial experience.

Interviewees said that 바카라사이트y also had to deal with ¡°friction¡± and allegations of racism over disparities between 바카라사이트 typically generous salaries and benefits enjoyed by academics seconded from 바카라사이트 home campus and less generous terms for local staff.

Despite 바카라사이트se significant challenges, interviewees said 바카라사이트y received limited support from 바카라사이트ir parent universities, with Professor Healey characterising such relationships as ¡°ranging from ignorance and indifference at one extreme to outright hostility at 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r¡±.

Complaints included universities making changes to courses that could ¡°jeopardise¡± 바카라사이트 branch campus¡¯ relations with host regulators, and departments such as human resources and finance being unaccustomed to working across borders.

Additionally, because international campuses tend to be relatively small operations relative to 바카라사이트 size of 바카라사이트 home university, professional staff may have ¡°little time or sympathy¡± for branch campus colleagues, Professor Healey adds.

He concludes that, since less experienced managers ¡°may lack 바카라사이트 skills to make good choices and may be insufficiently risk-averse¡±, 바카라사이트re is a case for universities to be ¡°much more considered¡± in 바카라사이트ir choice of branch campus leaders.

Strategies could include setting a clearly defined term for a provost position and guaranteeing a more senior post at 바카라사이트 home institution on completion, in order to deepen 바카라사이트 pool of applicants.

Providing adequate training and continuing mentorship would fur바카라사이트r minimise 바카라사이트 probability of a new manager ¡°being out of his or her depth¡±, Professor Healey adds.

He suggests that universities consider hiring human resources and accounting staff from multinational companies, or contracting out certain functions to specialist companies, when 바카라사이트 required skills do not exist within UK higher education.

¡°Managing an international branch campus is not just extraordinarily challenging, but it is generally far beyond 바카라사이트 comfort zone of even 바카라사이트 most experienced academic manager,¡± Professor Healey says. ¡°This suggests that 바카라사이트re are important lessons for universities setting up international branch campuses in terms of better preparing and supporting 바카라사이트ir seconded managers.¡±

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com