Abstract:

The modern world sets a number of challenges to the higher education and universities. The necessary changes that occur due to the influence of subordination factors as a result of the renewal of policies for management and operation of educational institutions; the need to attract and at the same time permanently retain high-quality lecturers, staff and students; the integration of new learning technologies, corresponding to the world educational market; meeting and realizing the growing requirements of the society and the seeking of ways to finance various types of educational and scientific activities are only part of a number of challenges that the university management faces.

This dynamic, resulting from the technological evolution that has led to the creation of new types of industries in various fields of human activity, determines the need of modern academic leaders who through their qualities, experience and skills will meet these challenges and requirements of the society. These are expected to be leaders who are perfectly trained, with good upbringing and who are able to adapt almost instantly to the ever-changing environment and to function effectively in dynamic and crisis situations.

The development of approaches for building an academic leadership and image in the university environment, as well as introducing clear mechanisms for their implementation, could develop leadership capacity deep within the organization. One of these approaches is the structural integration of different types of innovations in the university going through departments – heads of departments; faculties – deans; institutes – directors of institutes; secretariats – technical secretaries, administrative units – employees; Academic management – Rector, Vice-Rectors and Assistant Rectors; and lecturers – students (students, PhD students).

The paper examines various approaches for the development of the academic leadership and image in the university environment as mechanisms for ensuring effective academic and administrative functioning. By receiving appropriate knowledge and good upbringing in the university environment and by integrating such approaches into the university governance policy, the opportunities to ensure a high level and quality of educational services offered will increase, which will therefore contribute to raising the prestige of the educational institution.

Keywords:

Leadership, image, academic leadership, approaches, education, upbringing, students, PhD Students, university environment.