A few weeks back, I received a letter from the vice chancellor of my alma mater in the UK requesting a donation towards funds for deserving students. The two-page letter had the university leader making her points about the need for the alumni to stay connected with the educational activities of their alma mater, while extending assistance to those in need of support and benefitting from the various knowledge resources, the university had to offer.

The letter was more of a personal note as it also briefly touched upon a few memorable moments of my stay at the university. Apart from being impressed by the sound qualities of communication and leadership, I discovered that the seats of higher learning in our part of the world had many leaders who stood tall in the community of academia and beyond. Many such leaders led their institutions with distinction and undertook the task of institution-building as a divine mission. It was a usual approach for the governments, trusts and other bodies responsible for managing the universities to choose a person accomplished in his field of work with appropriate qualities of heart and mind for this challenging assignment.

Many historians refer to the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) as the most fertile ground for men and ideas that led the subcontinent’s Muslims during their political struggle in the early 20th century. Two eminent personalities, namely, Sir Ross Masood and Sir Ziauddin Ahmed served as the leaders of this important institution during this phase. Both erudite scholars led the university across various challenges of infancy and transformed it into a strong trendsetting and life-altering institution for its pupils, staff and even faculty.

These university leaders created a congenial environment which welcomed from the most ordinary to royal classes alike. The university was fortunate enough to have been led by Dr Zakir Hussain after the creation of Pakistan. While AMU was credited for being the premier talent pool of the young people, especially Muslim fraternity, it was often accused of being the promoter of the Pakistan Movement and the two-nation theory. Thus the leadership of Dr Zakir Hussain, which promoted neutral and balanced academic activities in the post-Independence period, kept the AMU afloat and achieved new commendations.

There are many examples of university leadership during the post-Independence phase in Pakistan. Prof Imdad Ali Imam Ali Kazi was among the early leaders of the University of Sindh. He consolidated the university framework, transformed the institution into an active teaching and research-based university and made personal efforts to invite outstanding men of letters to the campus. The list includes Prof Dr Ghulam Mustafa Khan, eminent researcher, teacher and Sufi saint who supervised more than 50 doctoral dissertations in Urdu literature. Prof Kazi was instrumental in maintaining a sound academic environment that nurtured the minds and souls of this once premier institution of the region.

Prof Dr Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi was the acting vice chancellor of Delhi University when Pakistan came into being. After the mob attacks that destroyed his invaluable personal library, he moved to Pakistan and led the University of Karachi (KU) during its formative phases. He worked very hard in the development of the campus at its present site. The university was a spring board of liberal ideas and its ranks had enough strength to strike a balance between the right and left-oriented viewpoints. Senior alumni recall that during the early metamorphosis of the Pakistan Peoples Party in the late 1960s, Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was invited by the students of the Political Science Society there. Few believed that Prof Qureshi would not allow Mr Bhutto to address the students due to the various controversies that surrounded him at the time. But Prof Qureshi not only granted permission but also facilitated the event, despite possessing diabolically opposite political viewpoints and inclinations.

Those were the days when political discourses and ideological debates were common in the campus premises and wise university leaders made it a point to promote them. After Dr Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi, KU was ably led by Prof Dr Mahmood Hussain, a former vice chancellor of the University of Dhaka who was held in high esteem by the Bengali intelligentsia for his balanced views about the affairs of East Pakistan. The Dr Mahmood Hussain Library in KU is a living testimony of the passion and service of Dr Hussain in building information resources and making that library a progressive storehouse of knowledge. When the universities were impacted by infiltration of crime, violence and terrorist activities, several university leaders proved their mettle by restoring order and discipline amidst most challenging and inhospitable situations.

Prof Dr Abdul Wahab played a pivotal role in keeping the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) and later KU out of bounds for the lawless elements disguised among the student fraternity. IBA became proverbial for sticking to its timetable even during the worst cycles of law and order breakdowns in Karachi. Dr Abdul Wahab is also reported to be instrumental in rescuing the KU lands targeted by land mafia agents for illegal occupation. In respect to maintaining discipline and combatting outlaws in the garb of student bodies, late Engr Abul Kalam and Lt Gen (Retd.) M. Akram played a significant role in reviving academic routines as vice chancellors of the NED University and University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore during the late 1990s and after.

There have been downside experiences of university leaderships also. During several instances, the governors and governments have appointed less than desirable figures as VCs. Political expediency, cronyism and an intention to keep a weak head of the institutions for seeking multifarious favours are the usually cited excuses. Recently, a university was being led by a self-styled intellectual who was more of a social butterfly than a capable administrator. Hardly a day went by when his presence and participation in mundane social events was not reported in the local media while the usual administrative and academic work remained pending. A controversial figure was recently made to lead another university despite very strong opposition from the ranks of faculty and students.

Current perceptions and practice of university leadership have now drastically changed. An ideal vice chancellor in the eyes of the administration, faculty, students and government is the fellow capable of mustering tonnes of resources to run the varsity smoothly. He is required to keep the attire, profile and conduct of a modern day corporate head. He is expected to maintain excellent relations with the business community, industrial leaders and public sector to promote future employment of his graduates as well as to win over grants and endowments. A contemporary VC must be able to possess profound networking skills and sound wavelength to entice the electronic and print media to flash the activities and achievements of his folks. And he should be master of winning competitive funding and favours. Since the increase in private universities, the quality variables desired in a VC are appraised more across business acumen than as an academic.

Determining quality parameters for a VC is a complex task. However, a vice chancellor must be a man with a vision. And he must be clear in his mind and approach as to how he can realise his vision in the running and progress of his varsity. He must make all the associated stakeholders his willing partners in this. The VC’s work must reflect his missionary zeal beyond the confines of a job description. As a norm he must be able to reach out to the student body and read its pulse; ensure the right environment for teaching, research and outreach; demonstrate high moral and ethical values and accept intellectual dissent for promotion of knowledge.

As a recent practice, the hopefuls for this position themselves apply for the office of the vice chancellor. It may be useful if the public-sector administrations revert to the noble practice of yesteryear where sound personalities of acumen were selected and requested to lead the universities. We still have plenty of such folks available in the folds of our society.

The writer is professor and chairman, Department of Architecture and Planning, NED University, Karachi.

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