Academic Leadership: The Need for Training

Higher education in India is undergoing considerable change. In India a major chunk of students study at public and private colleges which are affiliated to state universities and these institutions will have to transform to meet the challenges of the future. Organizational transformation is heavily influenced by its leadership. In the Indian context leaders in academic institutions essentially come from the ranks of academia and have specialized knowledge in their field of study and good research credentials. However, in the globalized scenario they are expected to design compelling visions, manage people efficiently, and steer their institution to profitability, a role for which they are ill prepared. This paper highlights the need to develop transformational leaders and able administrators from academicians. This means part academicians will need training in administration a hitherto neglected area. The paper calls for the need to design training programs for leaders in academia encompassing all aspects of running an organization including marketing, finance, human resources with special emphasis on educational institutions. Such a well rounded training program which aims at developing efficient administrators out of academicians will help fulfill the leadership void that exists in most academic institutions today and help take the institution on the path of growth.