3 Symbolic Roles of a Dean
This article is more on author’s personal experience in
leading the faculty for two periods. University students and lecturers are
certainly no strangers to the position of faculty leader - more popularly known
as Dean. For a lecturer, the dean's position is an additional task. In fact, a
lecturer is carrying out teaching, research, and community service. Well,
lecturers who serve as Deans in addition to carrying out lecturers’ job
functions also get the additional task of managing the faculty.
Gerd Altmann from Pixabay |
The Dean is a leader in the faculty who is in charge of carrying out academic activities on campus. At the same time, the Dean has the role and function of bridging the university's policy to be understood and translated into operational activities at the level of majors and study programs. This role certainly requires a Dean to undergo two professions at once; academics and professional managers. Therefore, it is natural that the Dean is dubbed as an academic leader.
The Dean posts as a middle
manager in the hierarchy of campus organizations. The task of a dean is not
easy. Doubles often don't go hand in hand. On the one hand, he is a lecturer
who does teaching, research, and carrying out community services. As an
academic, the task of instituting science and technology becomes the main
obligation following the academic competence possessed. On the other hand, a
Dean must carry out managerial activities as an additional task.
The ideal Dean can perform
both roles proportionally. But in reality, it is often one of the neglected
roles. Deans tend to be busy with managerial activities, so forget to develop
an academic career. In contrast to lecturers without additional duties, they
have the full time to conduct research and community research in addition to
teaching as the main obligation. This is the opportunity that is lost as well
as the risk that must be borne by a Dean.
In leading the
operations of the faculty, Dean has three symbolic roles. He plays a dove, a dragon, and a diplomat. The role of a peace pigeon is carried out because
of the rise of conflict in the academic environment. Dean must be a mediator
and solver for conflict resolution. Conflict often arises due to the background
of diverse disciplines among lecturers. Each lecturer has his ego related to
the realm of science owned.
The role of the dragon must
be played when academics mis-interpret academic freedom and autonomy. Not an
antagonistic role like in a TV soap opera. The firmness of vertical academic
ethics and orderly rules make a Dean must act like a dragon. Symbolic of a
dragon that spits out a flame, does not mean that the dean must always be
angry. The anger of a Dean arises when there are actions of faculty members who
are suspected of damaging the organizational system. Of course, do not let it
just because of the actions of a member, then damage the order of the
organization.
His last role was as a
diplomat. This role is more focused on the task as a wise figure in the
friction between factions. Wise because of the necessity of a Dean as a neutral
and fair referee for various parties involved in the conflict. The dean must be
able to avoid conflict of interest. Do not because the conflicting party comes
from the department or study program of the Dean, then act biased.
In the end, the three
symbolic roles above must be carried out proportionally. Although in practice
often faced a variety of obstacles as well as challenges themselves. But
believe me, if the mandate as Dean is carried out sincerely, intelligently, and
thoroughly, then there will be no obstacles in achieving the vision of the
faculty.
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