- IPB University hosted the Southeast Asian Leadership Development Program for Higher Education Institutions (LDP-HEIs) in collaboration with SEAMEO SEARCA and The HEAD Foundation.
- Emerging academic leaders from Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand participated to strengthen leadership and institutional capacity.
- Program highlights included strategic planning sessions, mentorship interactions, and visits to IPB’s Agribusiness Technology Park and Science Techno Park to explore innovation in action.
With global higher education dynamics, the development of leadership capacity is at the core of building adaptive and forward-looking universities. Here, the Leadership Development Program for Higher Education Institutions (LDP-HEIs) was held at IPB University.
The activity, organized by SEAMEO SEARCA with the assistance of The HEAD Foundation (10/21), brought together emerging leaders of higher education institutions, including lecturers or staff who are being developed to become future leaders.
IPB University Global Connectivity Director, Dr Eva Anggraini, explained that IPB's membership in the SEARCA and The HEAD Foundation partnership expresses the campus's commitment to raising its academic profile on the international scene.
"We were able to mount this leadership program as a gesture of giving back to building networks and capacity development in higher education in Southeast Asia this year", she explained.
IPB University Vice Rector for Research, Innovation, and Agromaritime Development Prof Ernan Rustiadi explained that this activity provides a good opportunity to develop cooperation between universities and learn leadership from senior staff.
"The hope is that the participants are able to learn and contribute positively to their respective institutions", Prof Ernan explained to participants from various countries, namely Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
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During her speech, The HEAD Foundation's Senior Manager for Capacity Building Programs, Michelle Leong, presented that this program allows lecturers and university staff to develop leadership skills not only in academic affairs, but also in the administration of the university.
"This program encourages participants to learn concepts, interact with mentors, create action plans, and bring meaningful change to their institutions", she said. Meanwhile, Dr N Varaprasad, Director of the 7th LDP-HEIs in SEA Program, said participants will create strategic plans based on SWOT analyses of respective universities of their own. "We hope that participants return home with the enthusiasm to drive meaningful change on campus", he said.
Throughout the activities, participants also conducted a visit to IPB University's Agribusiness Technology Park (ATP) and Science Techno Park (STP) to witness real campus innovation and entrepreneurship in action.
Dr Varaprasad concluded with an inspiring message: "I hope that this cross-border activity shall be continued through collaborative research programs, faculty exchanges, and other academic contacts. This is to create strong personal bonds with fellow participants as a community to bring about long-term reforms in higher education in Asia".
