Management of a Technical University in the Context of Preparing Students for the 21stCentury Careers in Science and Technology

Today, the delivery of educational services is accomplished in a diversity of ways due to the rules dictated by the ever-evolving global environment. As the global environment has changed drastically over the last decades and has become more uncertain, the prevailing management approaches do not seem to be well-suited for contemporary universities. Both public and private universities are now pressed to perform their traditional functions more efficiently. The expectations of students have also changed, which makes higher education institutions become more flexible for meeting the needs of new student populations. Thus, senior managers of a contemporary technical university have to re-examine their strategies aimed at achieving academic and research excellence, which requires flexible and responsive forms of management that are more inclusive of academic and research aspects in the decision-making process. This paper considers the implications for managers and academics, as key stakeholders of a higher education institution, in the highly globalized modern environment. The paper explores a few central issues faced by the management of a technical university in in the framework of developing a competitive strategy with due account for the needs of new student populations, as well as employers and policy-makers.