Maryam Abeeb, Abuja
University administrators have been charged to uphold the values, culture and principles of their institutions while embracing new technology and best practices in order to be globally competitive and be at par with their colleagues in developed countries.
This formed the thrust of the workshop attended by administrators drawn from over 20 institutions in the country.
The programme, which held at Redeemer’s University, Ede (RUN0 was titled, “Building professional university administrators for global competitiveness”.
In his address at the opening ceremony, the vice chancellor, Redeemer’s University, Ede, Prof Anthony Akinlo described the programme as timely, especially as the current administrators are about leaving the system.
The vice chancellor said the workshop will no doubt give younger administrators the opportunity to learn and be equipped with the requisite knowledge and skills necessary to keep the university system running.
While reminding that tertiary institutions are for research, Prof Akinlo noted that administrators are required to make the entire system work and run.
In her keynote address, former registrar, University of Ibadan (UI), Chief Moji Ladipo said to be a globally competitive administrator; such an individual must know the rules, regulations, values, policies and politics of his university and uphold them, as “administrators are custodians of university culture and tradition.”
She added that administrators exist to help staff and students translate their academic values into reality noting that only then will the wheel of the university run smoothly.
Ladipo said any administrator who wants to be globally competitive must be able to contribute to strategic decisions in the university using insight.
She stated further that having technical skills such as use of relevant computer software is imperative for a university administrator.
She highlighted the importance of emotional intelligence, commitment, loyalty, strong work ethics, self confidence and excellent customer service as key ingredients in the making of a globally competitive administrator.
The three-day workshop saw a lineup of presentations and practical sessions from highly seasoned administrators who shared from their wealth of knowledge and experience.
Registrar of the institution, Mr. Olukayode Akindele charged participants to take the knowledge gained from the workshop and use it to enhance their performance in their respective universities.
Meanwhile, RUN has bagged an accreditation from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).
The institute expressed satisfaction with the school for meeting the stipulated requirements for the accreditation of the accounting programmes of the university.
This is not the first time the university will be getting ICAN accreditation, as it is a renewal of the previously held accreditation, a feat maintained by RUN since the inception of her accounting programme.
It will be recalled that the university underwent a rigorous accreditation visit from the institute some months ago, which will last through the 2020/2021 academic session.
