Project Proposal: Becoming a Vice-Chancellor in India

Introduction

One of the topics we’re most interested in at Indian Higher Education is the path that academics take to Vice-Chancellor positions in Indian institutions. In this article, we present an overview of a research study we are launching to better understand the key competencies required for incoming Vice-Chancellors, particularly in private universities. Over the coming months, we will carry out a series of interviews of sitting Vice-Chancellors to learn from their experiences.  We’ll also talk to other key stakeholders in the appointments.   Our core ambition at Indian Higher Education is to support development of capacity and excellence in the sector.    

Research Context - Leadership and Governance in Indian Universities

The number of higher education institutions (HEIs) in India has increased hugely over the last few years; there were 1,043 universities listed on the All-India Survey on Higher Education web portal in 2020, up from 851 in 2018, and 666 in 2014 (Source: AISHE Reports 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2019-20). In 2020, 396 of these universities were privately managed (AISHE Report 2019-20). As expected, the formation of so many new universities has brought an increase in student numbers; total enrolment in higher education was estimated to be 385 lakhs in 2020. This is up from 366.4 lakhs in 2018. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) has also risen from 25.8 in 2017-18 to 27.1 in 2019-20 (AISHE Report 2017-18 and 2019-20).

The National Education Policy comments on the opportunities to develop capacity in leadership and governance in our Universities.  The Policy emphasises the need to ensure the highest professional and ethical standards in order to achieve excellence at par with international standards.  According to the current QS World University Rankings, no Indian universities or institutes feature in the top 100 in the world. There are 8 Indian institutions in the top 500; all but one of these (IISc Bangalore) are IITs. The rankings highlight the poor performance of our universities on the global stage, and the need to make changes that enable us to clear these hurdles. 

The leadership of senior managers in universities is key to their success; in our research, we will be learning more about:  

1.     The path to Vice-Chancellorship.

2.     What appointees learn on the way up.

3.     What Vice-Chancellors find to be the biggest challenges when they move into the role.

4.     What skills or areas of development Vice-Chancellors would like more support in.

5.     The role of softer leadership skills in the success of Vice-Chancellors.

6.     How the nature of leadership positions in higher education differs from other sectors.

7.     The abilities and skills that are required and/or desired in potential future leaders in Indian Higher Education.

Approach

If you are a Vice-Chancellor or someone interested in the development of leadership in Indian Higher Education, we would be very keen to hear from you.   We would ideally be interested in interviewing you to hear your thoughts.  

The interviews will be semi-structured and confidential, and we will cover topics such as career to date and motivations for wanting to become a Vice-Chancellor.   Our plan is to open up a broader dialogue about leadership in Indian Higher Education and to see how we might support capacity development. 

Please get in touch with us at info@indianhighereducation.com.