"Academic administration and management have become increasingly complex: the institutions have become larger and more multifaceted, the tasks have grown (modern “multiversities”) and therefore the need to provide skilled management and administration has grown. Professional management is an important prerequisite to enable the higher education institution to perceive itself as an autonomous organization instead of being subordinate to the central government. The sustainability of higher education reforms especially in the DRC region will depend on the “professionalization” of higher education management. Management tasks tend to degenerate in importance at higher education institutions and become tire some appendages of the “real work”. Unfortunately, leadership and management work performed in an unprofessional way make life in higher education needlessly diffi cult and even painful. Higher education institutions are very often in urgent need of new internal modes of communication, rules and structures that transform formerly competing individuals into communities of collaborating groups, teams and projects. Furthermore, professionalization of the management personnel facilitates and improves collaboration with other institutions and enterprises.
Management of “expert organizations” in the higher education sector is a more collective process than management elsewhere. Management tasks are partly an addition, partly a contradiction to the “academic energy”.
Specific modes of management for a specific organization have to be developed and new forms of participation have to be created. Another important prerequisite for establishing appropriate forms of management is the appreciation of management, meaning that good performance in the field of management and organization is acknowledged and honoured. The quality of management depends on the quality of the administrative web that “ties together” different management functions and administrative positions in different parts of the institutions and with different tasks. Administrators and managers have to know the “song line” of their institutions, which is why many academic leaders come from the ranks of senior professors.
Furthermore new challenges like e-learning and university continuing education as part of the LLL concept force universities to advance further, develop new management skills and use instruments like personnel development, marketing and management information systems – all this leading to new processes and skills within universities."

Source: Conference folder.

The following tracks will take place:

• Track I: Higher Education Management
• Track II: E-Learning
• Track III: University Continuing Education
• Track IV: International Development of the DRC Region

For further information:
Dr. Katharina Prager
Tel. +43 (0) 2732 893 2512
E-Mail katharina.prager@donau-uni.ac.at

Fee: 250 euro (except for DRC members, members of IDM and university employees)