-
What are 2 leadership traits that you would like in a leader of an academic institution and why?
Accountable and adaptable. In governing and managing an academic institution, a leader must be accountable for his or her decisions and plans, considering how they would affect the constituents’ overall academic experience with which transparency with plans and taking into account the perspective and needs of the students, faculty, and staff are involved. Should the results or effects of these action plans not be the intended outcomes, an accountable leader would investigate possible issues, hear the concerns of the constituents, and move forward by developing better plans and implementing appropriate action points; hence, making him or her adaptable as well to do the necessary changes. Knowledge, skills, and information continue to progress and develop every single day; thus, education does as well. A leader must be adaptive to these changes to ensure that the academic needs of the students are fulfilled.
-
Name one leadership skill that will be beneficial for an academic institution and give a short explanation of how and why it will be beneficial.
Decision-making. A leader with good decision-making skills means that in the event that conflicting interests, needs, and issues arise, he or she will be able to come up with a decision that is fair but able to address every sector’s concerns without at the expense of the other. This leader must be able to have good forethought on what the academic institution collectively needs and create a decision, consequently action points, that would be for the good of the whole. This would be beneficial since there are times when the needs of the students can be in contrast with set academic schedules, policies, and whatnot and if not heard or addressed, may negatively influence their studies and learning experiences.
-
From the consultation with students, name one key point/idea/strategy that struck you or felt close to you. Give a short explanation of how/why this issue or strategy is relevant to you.
Availability of the library and spaces. Now that the learning set-ups have transitioned back to the pre-pandemic face-to-face classes, classrooms, libraries, and additional spaces must be adequate to accommodate all students and their learning needs. One of the issues that was raised by a third-year student and a fellow fourth-year student during the consultation was the inadequate learning spaces to accommodate the different schedules and different subjects of various year-levels in the college as well as the short library hours of the college. The former consequently leads to the need to have an immediate shifting from online classes to face-to-face classes which may pose challenges and difficulties in managing time and focusing on studying. Moreover, an adequate space in the college that can be flexible in accommodating suitable studying and/or researching hours of the student would also be substantially helpful to maximize the learning experiences within the college. This struck me as I have always opted to find cafes as my place for studying which can be quite costly and time-consuming. With available spaces for studying, students may find the college itself a comfortable and conducive place for learning.