As a growing state university, it has, no doubt, weathered many storms since its inception. One of such epic battles in the university is the locking of horns between the current Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Labo Popoola and members of two key unions in the university namely SSANU and NASU since his inception of office.
In fact, Prof. Popoola has been engaged in a protracted legal tussle with the unions over the way in which the university is been run. But a more fierce battle for the soul of Uniosun lies ahead.
The Council of the University, the Unions, the Vice-Chancellor whose tenure will soon come to an end before the year ends, and other vested interests are already doing dress rehearsals to fight to the finish on who succeeds the incumbent. And the battle ground is being prepared through the selection process.
No sooner did the University placed an advertisement for the post of a Vice-Chancellor, that tongues started wagging in the academic community and the media about requirements set for the incoming numero uno of the university.
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For those who see beyond the surface of the advertisement, the two grey areas for them was the demand that prospective candidates must have published a required number of their scholarly works in Web of Science and Thompson Reuters.
Again, applicants must send their applications to the Vice-Chancellor to superitend on as the clearing house as against the tradition of its being handled by the Registrar, who also doubles as Secretary of Council.
These two snags which seeks to favour candidates in the Sciences at the disadvantage of their colleagues in the Social Sciences is a novelty in the search for a university Vice-Chancellor. It has since become the talking point in the media given recent experiences at the University of Ibadan and Lagos State University.
Leadership of universities in a global and competitive world we live in places much premium on having on the saddle, distinguished scholars with versed knowledge of administration laced with an acumen to harness human and material resources to advance knowledge and contribute significantly to the growth and development of the university.
Gone are the days when Vice-Chancellors are just there to share resources that comes in through tuition and grants from the government. The new thinking is having someone who can think out of the box and change the yearly ritual of running cap in hands and begging for government subvention to run the university at the helms of affairs.
An example that represent this new thinking was the selection criteria set by Murdoch University, Australia. The university stated that the candidate, “must be able to set clear direction and successfully manage a growth agenda, balancing strategy and innovation with pragmatic operational implementation”.
It demanded among others that the ideal candidate, aside from outstanding academic background must have a, “track record in building successful relationships locally, nationally and internationally with government, industry, business, other universities and research institutes, community groups, alumni and the media.”
The above requirements clearly demonstrate that those needed to drive the university now and of the future are men with transformative business ideas, strategy, adminstrative wizardry, operational capability and efficiency in the delivery of set goals.
It is, therefore, worrisome that nowadays, those who are managing the universities at the point of almost leaving the seat are usually neck deep in the race of who succeeds them.
This trend has led to manipulation, high-wired politics and desperation that compares favourably with the fierce gubernatorial contest by those jostling to become state governors in the country.
It is instructive to note that the University of Ibadan and LASU imbroglio are classic examples of such intense jostling for the seat of Vice-Chancellor that has turn the two universities apart with the crises of succession yet to abate.
To avoid a situation whereby Osun state University will plunge into a more serious crisis that may cripple the institution, the Visitor, Governor Gboyega Oyetola must demonstrate leadership by ensuring equity and fair play in the selection process.
The road to achieving this level playing ground is for Governor Gboyega Oyetola to temporarily put on hold the current selection process and allow the term of the current Vice-Chancellor to lapse before constituting a search party that would be fair and just to all candidates aspiring to occupy the highest office in the university.
As the Visitor, he owes it as a duty to the students, parents, stakeholders, and other publics of the university that it runs smoothly and effectively to fulfil the dreams of its founding fathers and contribute its own quota meaningfully to national development.
Olopade, a concerned stakeholder, sent this piece in from Lagos.
