The 14th International Deans’ Course (IDC) got underway, with 30 participants from eight Southeast Asian countries. The two-week advanced training course, run by the CHE and Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, was originally planned to take place as a seminar in Germany. However, the global COVID-19 pandemic meant that a new format for exchange and interaction had to be offered.
Dr. Jutta Fedrowitz, trainer and co-organiser of the IDC, was pleased with the popularity of the course, despite its new format: “We launched the IDC in 2007. But, like all other higher education institutions, this time we had to transform our interactive 14-day seminar programme into an online programme at short notice, and teach some of the participants how to use the software required. Thus the IDC was held online for the first time ever.” Today’s kick-off meeting went very well, at least.
The topics addressed in the advanced training programme for deans and heads of department include strategic faculty management, project management, leadership, financial management, digitalisation and quality management. All participants will work on their own project action plan until the end of the programme. The programme is sponsored by the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). CHE’s Dr. Jutta Fedrowitz and Professor Dr. Frank Ziegele are actively involved in the course.