They come from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East: 23 young university managers are currently participating in the 18th year of the UNILEAD continuing education programme. It is an experience that will advance them both personally and professionally.
Early summer temperatures, a tidy city, friendly people and a warm welcome at the university – these are the first impressions of the participants who arrived in Oldenburg a few days ago. This is their first stay at the university as part of the UNILEAD (University Leadership and Management Training) continuing education project. A second stay will follow in autumn this year.
The nine-month programme aims to support young leaders from universities in different regions of the world with specific projects. For example, when it comes to developing new degree programmes or advancing the digitalisation of a university. When the participants are not in a face-to-face phase, as is currently the case, they learn online.
From idea to implementation
Andrés Benavides from Colombia works as a general academic coordinator. He would like to further develop the faculties at his home university, the University of Cartagena. He is primarily concerned with typical academic matters such as supporting professors, lecturers and staff, as this area has been neglected up to now. ‘I am particularly looking forward to learning a lot about project management here and finding out how I can turn my own ideas into realistic projects in the future,’ he says.
Share experiences
Stephen Munuve hopes that the training will enable him to better structure and implement his project in the future. The Kenyan heads the International Office at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and is responsible, among other things, for the internationalisation of the university. His goal is to create the appropriate framework conditions, for example by establishing guidelines. Back home, he wants to pass on what he has learned to an entire project team – at least that is the plan. ‘That makes me a little nervous because there are expectations of me. But I think I will benefit both from the wealth of experience at the University of Oldenburg and from the other participants,’ he says.
Family feeling
In addition to the courses and close collegial exchange, several excursions are on the agenda during the attendance phase in Oldenburg: Among other things, participants will learn about Oldenburg’s hearing research in Wechloy and the OFFIS Institute for Information Technology. A trip to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in Bonn, which sponsors the UNILEAD programme, is also firmly planned. ‘After the three weeks or so that participants spend in Oldenburg, there is always a great sense of community, almost like a family,’ reports programme coordinator Christine Vajna. ‘This often lasts beyond the end of the programme.’