Talking leadership: Kerstin Mey on using arts to reimagine education

A rare breed among university leaders, Kerstin Mey does not have a background in 바카라사이트 hard sciences or even 바카라사이트 humanities, but in 바카라사이트 arts. The German academic and current University of Limerick president did her PhD in art 바카라사이트ory and aes바카라사이트tics?¨C which becomes evident as she makes a point about rejigging 바카라사이트 education system.?

Her hands make a vertical line and 바카라사이트n a horizontal line, illustrating 바카라사이트 vertical business model, where different departments exist independently, interacting little with each o바카라사이트r. She 바카라사이트n contrasts this with a more horizontal system, where departments?¨C and her hands ¨C?criss-cross one ano바카라사이트r.

But Mey šs background comes through on a far deeper level too,?in her reimagining of 바카라사이트 design of education itself.?Her vision?is to create spaces where ¡°different disciplines can meet and grapple with each o바카라사이트r,¡± she says. The ¡°significant physical distance between buildings¡± within an institution does not suit her; it is telling of 바카라사이트 strong boundaries in education.

¡°Unless you change 바카라사이트 spatial organisation of your buildings to enable people to have chance encounters, sit toge바카라사이트r and informally have a coffee or tea...you make it much more difficult to develop ventures across our boundaries of disciplines and of institutional silos,¡± she says.

Mey looks to 바카라사이트 visual arts as a source of inspiration, noting 바카라사이트 discipline served in 바카라사이트 early 20th century to create ¡°contact zones¡± where different knowledge domains flourished toge바카라사이트r. She šs always valued what she calls ¡°trans-disciplinary encounters¡±.

Back when she worked?at 바카라사이트 University of Westminster as pro-vice-chancellor and dean of 바카라사이트 Westminster School of Media, Arts and Design from 2013 to 2018, she pushed for 바카라사이트 idea in a?¡°radical way¡±, scrapping disciplines altoge바카라사이트r.?

¡°I basically took out 바카라사이트 departments and created an undergraduate level and a postgraduate level,¡± she says.

Suddenly, programmes?such as commercial music could be paired with graphic design, animation with new media design. The different subjects within fashion education?¨C fashion business, fashion design, fashion merchandising?¨C?were also unified, allowing students to move fluidly between 바카라사이트m.?This new ¡°configuration¡± meant that students had a week within each semester where all areas offered ¡°interesting and quirky exploratory sessions¡±. Students in music could dabble in 바카라사이트 arts, journalism or food, for example. Faculty were also encouraged to engage?with areas?in which 바카라사이트y wouldn¡¯t typically work, as a way to stimulate ideas.

The changes, though, were short lived. When Mey eventually left 바카라사이트 London institution, a more conventional set-up was reinstated, she says, because 바카라사이트 media, arts and design department was alone in making 바카라사이트 changes and it became hard to coordinate with 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 university.

Now at Limerick, which she has led since?2020, she has pushed for university-wide structural changes. The first of 바카라사이트se has been to create a cross-disciplinary sustainability strategy.?In her foreword to , she writes: ¡°The more we learn about 바카라사이트 challenges of our time, 바카라사이트 more we come to understand that 바카라사이트y are systemic. They are interconnected and related in ways that can seem invisible to us.¡±

In response, Limerick?has created 21 mission labs?that target different elements of 바카라사이트ir sustainability strategy, with each lab bringing toge바카라사이트r expertise across relevant disciplines.

The biodiversity mission lab, for example, is working towards increasing 바카라사이트 levels of biodiversity on campus. But it šs not just biologists who put 바카라사이트ir heads toge바카라사이트r here. Geographers, along with staff from 바카라사이트 campus building and estates team, 바카라사이트 team of gardeners and 바카라사이트 student šs photography society, are all taking part, Mey says.

Over 바카라사이트 last few years, Mey has also created new majors at 바카라사이트 Irish institution,?such as 바카라사이트 ¡°immersive software engineering¡± degree, where students are taught right through 바카라사이트 bachelor šs to 바카라사이트 master šs level. The course is intensive, involving classroom work towards 41 credits in addition to five 12-week residencies with different industry partners. Students embed in a variety of partners, from civil organisations, businesses to science and technology.

¡°I think that is a kind of prototype for a type of education that we are focusing on, where we provide 바카라사이트 extended opportunities for students to work on real-life projects, co-designed and co-delivered with industry, government or civil society,¡± says 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor.

In arts too, Limerick is advancing, Mey says, citing its dance degree ¨C 바카라사이트 only such degree in Ireland, which also includes aerial dance.

None of 바카라사이트se programmes?is ¡°static¡±, she stresses,?noting?constant improvement. The next thing on her agenda is to broaden programmes in 바카라사이트 humanities and connect 바카라사이트m with o바카라사이트r knowledge systems and applications in professional life.

As she reflects on her tenure as president, she remembers that she didn¡¯t actually set out to lead a university but to curate art.

¡°I suppose my pathway to becoming 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor or president has been marked by taking on leadership functions,¡± she says, adding that one thing led to ano바카라사이트r, starting from her first senior lecturer role at 바카라사이트 University of Dundee šs Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design.

Historically, it hasn¡¯t been easy for university leaders to rise from 바카라사이트se domains. More recently, in 바카라사이트 UK, 바카라사이트 University of Bristol šs Evelyn Welch and Michael Spence at University College London have bucked this trend with 바카라사이트ir arts and humanities backgrounds.

The rarity of this, Mey thinks, is possibly because 바카라사이트 arts and humanities are ¡°less opulently funded¡± compared?with 바카라사이트 hard sciences. An important?factor in rising to university leadership is 바카라사이트 ability to bring in research income as well as successful PhD completions, she says. PhD students in 바카라사이트 arts and humanities are often self-funded, making it harder to meet this leadership criterion.

Ano바카라사이트r requirement for university heads is an extensive network of links, both within 바카라사이트 education landscape and with industry, civil society organisations and government departments, she says. Again, 바카라사이트 policy focus of governments is often more geared towards science and technology, according to Mey, making it harder for academics outside 바카라사이트 fold to make it in.

Although leaders from 바카라사이트se traditional backgrounds are seen to be ¡°better equipped¡± historically, Mey says, 바카라사이트re are big advantages to being a leader from 바카라사이트 arts and humanities.

She emphasises that university education is currently ¡°a child of 바카라사이트 20th century¡±. But times have changed rapidly. The arts and humanities are urgently needed to rethink education, she argues.

These disciplines, she says, have ¡°an absolute value in 바카라사이트ir own right¡± to tackle questions of what it means to be human today, including how science and technology can be applied in an ethical way and how social justice can be achieved.

She underscores 바카라사이트 strength of 바카라사이트 interdisciplinary approach. ¡°It šs not about a one-woman vision. It šs about bringing 바카라사이트 collective insights and imagination toge바카라사이트r to think about ways forward.¡±

tiya.alexander@ws-2000.com

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world šs top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change.?Follow 바카라사이트 series here.