The High Roost of Vice-Chancellors by Hazman Shah

 

Quite some time ago, a Professor who is an architect from UTM observed that it is easy to identify where the VC and his top management team of the university rule from. It is the highest building or it is in the central zone or it is fabulously decored or something to that effect. His point was that the power within the university is symbolized in the physical campus which militates against the collegial leadership culture that is still claimed in public universities. Granted each VC brings his or her own style to the office but generally, the VC office and the chancellory tend to project the power and the privilege of the VC’s office. This is probably their job, orientation, and training. But is this collegial leadership that we often associate with universities?

The culture comes to the fore when the VC receives a title or when his birthday comes by, then his or her office goes into high gear. The celebration often gets a bit uncomfortable with every key academic leader expected to put out messages of congratulations which are sometimes followed by gifts. These days it is social media that carries a flood of felicitations. This practice gets replicated for the DVCs too. Is this an indication of common courtesy or a reflection of something more fundamental - the reification of leaders? You can make the argument both ways.

One obvious case of the reification of leaders was when the chancellory in one public university insisted on the portrait of the VC being placed beside those of the King, Queen, PM, and MB. The chancellory staff even went around checking if the portraits were up as instructed! One of the deans of the university got an earful for not abiding by the dictate. The announcement of the arrival of the VC at official functions could be easily mistaken for the arrival of the King! Overzealous staff or culture of reification of the office?

In comparison, the Presidents and provosts of private universities and international branch campuses are less reified. Their offices are much less ostentatious and are not in the center of their campuses. In fact, on some campuses, it is difficult to guess where the CEO’s office is located. The office, the references to them, and communication with them are much more reflective of a collegial culture. The VC is a colleague, albeit an important one!

Are there two noticeably different types of leadership in higher education as I have remarked? Is it historical, cultural, institutional, or simply individual? Which one is more amenable to the concept and idea of a university? Is the reference to VCs as CEO (like in a private company) in fact even appropriate? AKEPT may have some observations on these as it develops and conducts leadership courses for higher education.

Thinking Skills – Who Needs Them? by Dr Hazman Shah Abdullah

Employers have clearly, loudly, repeatedly, and globally asked for more thinking skills. WEF and other surveys have pointed to this and other human skills as the insulation against the onslaught of automation, robotics, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). It is now a standard feature of the national quality and qualifications framework. All universities and academic programmes proclaim their graduates are schooled in thinking skills and therefore ready to face the turbulent world of work. The commonalities and consensus end here.

There is a plethora of thinking skills that have emerged to compete for a space in the curriculum - thinking skills, critical thinking skills, systematic thinking skills, creative thinking skills, innovative thinking skills, design thinking skills, lateral thinking skills, scientific thinking skills, liberal thinking etc. The proponents insist that theirs is unique and superior to others. Few admit that it is complementary or just a fresh new label or branding. Within this array of thinking products, many are about the processes, protocols, and techniques, and others are also about how and what to think.

Where do our Malaysian universities sit on this spectrum? All programmes irrespective of level in higher education institutions (HEIs) must address cognitive skills as indicated under the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF). In addition, programmes offer courses in critical thinking or design thinking, and creative thinking and some old fashion ones offer logic. Although not widely recognised all programmes based on their respective key disciplines teach thinking according to that discipline. Law, economics, engineering, sciences, psychology, sociology, political science, business studies, art and design, theology, arts, humanities etc. all have a discipline-based way of thinking about issues, problems, and solutions. Each places blinds on the brain’s eye. Is this as well recognised as part of the thinking skills? I don’t quite think so.

Then you have the university administration powerfully teaching students about thinking. It teaches that students should think more about their studies and show their thinking prowess to their lecturers but not to their university chiefs by questioning fees, housing, transportation, freedom of speech and cultural policies. What it means, basically is, do not think too deeply about the institution where you are learning how to think critically. Some “recalcitrant” students have challenged the university policies in the courts and won! But these, it is alleged, are minds and thinking poisoned by their teachers.

The student affairs departments, especially in public universities, but not limited to them, teach the students to think about thanking the government of the day for the blessings they have received. Think of your own race, religion, and culture, they demand of students. Undermining the hand that feeds is not mature or good thinking. In fact, as we speak, the student affairs in all public universities are in overdrive mode speaking loudly, silently and in some cases, threateningly about liberal thinking, which is a by-product of thinking skills. These threats are election priming, a time to shut down all thinking.

So, the question is - at the confluence of these confusing thinking skills lessons in a university, what thinking skills will or can emerge supreme? Will the employers like it? Maybe it is time for some critical thinking on thinking skills or are they creative thinking skills or scientific thinking skills. I am confused, Aren’t you?