In a bid to strengthen service delivery, build institutional capacity and promote administrative excellence, Ekiti State University Consultancy Services, (EKSU CONSULT) has organised a two-day capacity-building workshop for university leaders across colleges, faculties, departments and directorates.
The workshop, with the theme, “Leadership and Administrative Capacity Building for University Leaders,” was designed to equip newly appointed university administrators with the requisite leadership skills and competencies for effective administration.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor of EKSU, Professor Joseph Ayodele Babatola, described the workshop as imperative for developing and enhancing the leadership abilities of newly appointed university leaders.
Professor Babatola noted that initiatives of this nature would accelerate the effective achievement of the University’s mandate, vision and mission by ensuring that leaders across the institution become active participants in its growth and development rather than mere onlookers.
Delivering a lecture titled “Academic Leadership for Institutional Excellence: Navigating Change, Building Capacity and Driving Impact,” the Vice-Chancellor described academic leaders as motivating factors and driving forces essential to achieving the vision and mission of a university.
He stressed that university leaders must demonstrate decisiveness, intelligence, courage, resilience, trustworthiness and discipline in the discharge of their responsibilities.
Professor Babatola urged participants to put the knowledge and skills acquired during the workshop into practice to enhance their effectiveness and efficiency. He expressed the hope that the training would further position EKSU as a model institution for other universities to emulate while ensuring that the resources invested in the programme yielded meaningful results.
In his remarks, the Director of EKSU Consultancy Services, Professor Martins Akindele Adetoye, commended the Vice-Chancellor for his exceptional passion and commitment to building and enhancing the capacity of the University’s workforce.
Professor Adetoye emphasised that continuous training and retraining of staff remained essential to improving service delivery and strengthening institutional performance.
During the two-day workshop, competent resource persons delivered lectures on various aspects of university administration and leadership. These included Academic Leadership for Institutional Excellence: Navigating Change, Building Capacity and Driving Impact; Roles and Responsibilities of Deans, Heads of Departments and Directors; University Governance, Policies, Structure and Decision-Making; Understanding Financial Regulations; and Ethical Leadership, Communication Skills and Conflict Resolution, among others.
Participants at the workshop included Provosts, Deans, Heads of Departments and Directors from the various Directorates and departments of the University.