INNOVATE OR PERISH: The Transformative Vision of Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, By Ukertor Gabriel Moti
NEWS DIGEST – In the academic environment, scholars are aware of the maxim, “publish or perish”. Academic career progression depends on publishing. In running a modern University system, no university can afford to remain static. It is either you innovate or you perish. Innovation calls for change. The drivers include: Effective transformational and service driven leadership; Community engagement and Empowerment; Collaboration and Partnerships; Capacity building; Working in teams; Harnessing diversity; Future orientation/Long-term thinking and Monitoring and Evaluation/ Measuring change and impact. The University of Abuja has witnessed a good dose of the concept of innovate or perish during the tenure of Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah.
Universities are distinctive organisations. Higher education’s once-steady environment is changing into a tumultuous, fiercely competitive market where universities must now be “future-ready” in addition to graduating students and doing ground-breaking research (Heila et all, 2022). Higher education is experiencing disruptions. The “massification” of higher education and the establishment of new universities are two such examples, in addition to funding.
With new technology altering programme delivery (which became very obvious during and after Covid-19), governments and institutions seeking more formal planning and accountability, university rankings influencing reputations, and a transition from public to alternative funding sources, uncertainty about the future status of universities is developing. The necessity for university administrators to involve the entire campus in strategic planning has intensified as a result of this new reality. It is also crucial to make sure that the strategy reappraisal cascades from the Vice Chancellor’s office.
While the external environment has become turbulent, the internal dynamics of universities have been slow to change. Faculty members, and some staff, operate in the traditional silos of their departments or disciplines, focusing on remaining relevant with their research colleagues. They have little interest in campus-wide events and activities in other faculties, and minimal interest in the dynamics of the higher education sector. As long as individuals have the resources they need, there is little thought about institutional efficiency or overall effectiveness. This is not the attitude for the 21st century university.
The traditional culture of faculty silos has led to a growing and significant gap between the external and internal realities of universities often ignoring the Triple Helix Model. That is why the outlook of every 21st century Vice Chancellor would be to explore this gap and the need for strategies that bridge it, without altering the long-term mandate of the university: to push the boundaries of curiosity and thought leadership through the three key mandate areas, or pillars of a university – which are teaching and learning (“teaching”), research and scholarship (“research”), and community service (“community engagement”) and to produce graduates that have both knowledge and skills for self-reliance. This, Professor Na’Allah has spearheaded in the last five years.
Unlike a corporation with specific products or services to sell, universities are more akin to a city, encompassing a broad range of activities. Researchers (Bhushan, 2023) have described universities as organised chaos, arising from the independence of faculty who are protected by academic freedom and tenure. Others who argue labelling the chaos “organised” is generous, given that academic leaders have significantly less control over faculty activities than corporate executives have over their employees’ work. Strategy development is influenced by the internal dynamics contributing to the chaos, as well as external disruptions that compound the tensions inside universities.
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A critical factor influencing the development and execution of strategy is the external orientation of many faculty members. We need research-oriented faculty who are socialised, from the day they enter graduate school, to build an academic reputation through the external activities of publishing and conference presentations and attract external research funding. Universities reinforce this outward focus by requiring external referees for tenure and promotion and establishing merit-based external metrics (e.g., citations, recognition of critics). Although many argue this approach leads to independent thought in research and teaching materials, an external focus can sideline researchers’ commitment to their university and hence support a unifying institutional strategy. The University of Abuja is gradually striving to be a research-based university with a focus on attracting external funding/grants leveraged on reputation and visibility. Most of this drive and strategy were propelled by Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah’s persistent push for a new academic culture.
An internal dynamic influencing an institution’s strategic goals is the systemic tension between the teaching and research pillars. Studies (Mulford, 2003) show that teaching and research are viewed as independent activities competing for financial resources, space, and qualified faculty, even when faculty believe they should be good at both. Adding to this tension are the global ranking systems, which focus on research outcomes with little consideration given to teaching effectiveness. This tension leads to the reinforcement of existing beliefs as to which set of activities should be prioritised rather than flexibility in shifting priorities. Na’Allah brought in an adaptive spirit to internal and external dynamics of a 21st century forward looking university.
The higher education environment is experiencing increased turbulence from multiple disruptive technologies, particularly in the teaching pillar. The impending disruption of technology platforms that effectively deliver course material into students’ own digital spaces is increasing the possibilities of learning from internationally recognised professors located anywhere in the world Deem, 2017). This is an area that the Vice Chancellor fought hard for the University of Abuja to take advantage of this technological revolution.
The global and national ranking of universities has created a system over which academic leaders have little control but must still monitor because where an institution places in the better-known ranking surveys has notable reputational and operational consequences. This is an area the University must endeavour to upgrade its visibility and internationalisation processes even beyond Professor Na’Allah tenure.
Reputation is a criterion included in most of the rankings, and this is a strategic outcome that most universities can control. Reputation is built by providing valued and unique programmes and, when established, has greater influence with key stakeholders than rankings. While universities should not neglect rankings, they should be more concerned about their reputation with their primary stakeholders than their exact placement in the rankings. However, without a strategy that is shared across the institution, it is difficult to coordinate the resources and activities needed to build or enhance a positive reputation.
The reality is that the time is approaching when the University of Abuja must compete for students, operate within its constricting funding while seeking for additional funding through research and giving; adjust to changing technologies and demographics, and respond to the growing complexity of societal problems. It must align and differentiate its programmes to meet the expectations of its stakeholders rather than adopt a universal approach. It must find the appropriate balance between building programmes that create value for identified stakeholders and creating knowledge for the sake of meeting industry needs and becoming relevant. One legacy Professor Na’Allah has left here is the audacity to innovate or perish. And this applies to individuals and institutions.
Ukertor Gabriel Moti (Ph.D.) is a Professor of Public Sector Management and Governance and Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies, University of Abuja.
References
Bhushan, Sudhanshu (2023). “Management of 21st Century University or Institutions of Higher Education” https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/management-21st-century-university-institutions-higher-bhushan.
Lotz-Sisitka, Heila, Managi, Shunsuke, Kloster-Jensen Macintyre, Thomas, Vickers, Edward, Chakraborty, Anya, Kitamura, Yuto, Jun Xie , and Chi Zhang (2022). “Global change and the contextual dynamics shaping education: A view from the sustainability–education nexus”, The International Science and Evidence-based Education Assessment: ISEE Assessment Working Group 2.
Deem, Rosemary (2017). “The University as a Critical Institution?” Higher Education Research in the 21st Century Series, Volume: 10.
