University council: Who gets in, who gets out?

The University Council of Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy has members from outside the university who make active and effective contributions - Photo: YDS

In reality, many external members play a negligible role on university councils, contributing very little to the institution. Many argue that specific criteria are needed for council members.

University councils in many countries have numerous members outside the university, mostly alumni who are highly successful in their careers (owners of large corporations, reputable experts, etc.).

Therefore, they all made significant contributions to the school, both financially and academically.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Duc Lung

Operating at a reduced capacity.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Vu Van Nhiem - chairman of the university council of Ho Chi Minh City University of Law, the current Higher Education Law stipulates that the university council of a public university is a governing body that exercises the representative rights of the owner and related stakeholders.

External members join the school board with the aim of ensuring a connection between education and practice, linking education with societal needs.

However, in reality, alongside some members from outside the school who are fulfilling their roles effectively, there are still quite a few members from outside the school who are only half-heartedly involved, or even unable to arrange time to attend the school council meetings.

"The reason for this problem can be attributed to the fact that most of the members from outside the school are people in high positions in society, and their work schedules are always packed and very busy."

"The coordination mechanism between the school council and external members has not received adequate attention, lacking binding regulations (and even a basis for such regulations) when inviting them to participate in school activities. On the other hand, policies and benefits for external members vary greatly among institutions. The school council mechanism is still new, so institutions are evaluating, summarizing, and learning from experience as they go," Mr. Nhiem explained.

Associate Professor Vu Duc Lung, chairman of the school council of the University of Information Technology (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City), also believes that because the school council mechanism is newly implemented and not yet standardized, the selection of members from outside the university is not yet satisfactory.

The leadership of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City had previously requested research to establish specific criteria for external members. However, this has not yet been implemented.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Kim Hong, a higher education expert, commented: "The numerous members of the school boards of many universities in Ho Chi Minh City who were recently dismissed were all individuals who did not truly represent their respective institutions."

The responsibility for school board members being found to have engaged in fraudulent behavior, or even violated the law, rests with both the board and the school. In this case, a serious review within the school board is necessary regarding the nomination of an external member."

"To make the structure complete" (?!)

According to current regulations, the university council will have some members who are not from the university. These include people with prestige in society, those with prestige in their profession related to the field the university is training; alumni, etc.

"This regulation is valid if it selects good people who actively participate in activities and strictly adhere to the school board's regulations. Establishing criteria for school board members is very important."

"In addition, there needs to be specific regulations for school board members. For example, the school board should only meet a few times a year to discuss core issues and the school's strategy, so members must not be absent. For members who are absent, it is necessary to reconsider whether they should continue to be on the school board," Mr. Hong suggested.

Meanwhile, Dr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh, an education expert, frankly acknowledged the reality that some members from outside the university are included in the university council simply to fulfill the required composition, but they have little understanding of the academic environment and organizational culture of the university. Therefore, their performance of duties as external members, such as supervision, support, promoting cooperation, and contributing to planning, is not as effective.

"Representatives from organizations, businesses, communities, or government must have expertise and vision that align with the school's goals and strategies, something many schools often overlook. The selection of external members should be based on clear criteria such as leadership ability, management experience, understanding of education, or potential for collaboration with the school. External members who are too busy or have limited capabilities should not be accepted as school board members," Mr. Vinh said.

Associate Professor Dr. Vu Duc Lung - Chairman of the University Council of the University of Information Technology (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City) speaking at the 13th session (1st term), 2020-2025 of the University Council - Photo: NHU Y

Associate Professor Dr. Do Van Dung, former rector of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, also said that most members from outside the university are busy with their own work and therefore miss regular meetings.

Few people have in-depth knowledge of higher education, so they rarely offer input on the school's work. Although there are regulations stipulating that external members are elected by the university's delegate conference, at the nomination stage, the school leadership pre-selects external members who are familiar with the board of directors to secure a majority of votes in personnel selection.

"Currently, the 30% requirement is causing concern at many school board meetings because they fear not having enough members to attend."

"There needs to be clear regulations requiring at least 80% attendance at meetings; reducing the number of external members to 20%. External members must have experience and knowledge in higher education, so renowned education management experts should be included as external members," Mr. Dung suggested.

Who should we choose?

According to Professor Tran Diep Tuan, chairman of the university council of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, having external members on the university council is a very important component. University councils in other countries have a significant number of external members, including politicians , businesspeople, lawyers, and even representatives of the public to protect the rights of students.

These are people with prestige and influence in society. If the right people are chosen, they will actively participate and make significant contributions to the school as members of the school board. Conversely, if the wrong people are chosen for the school board, they will only have their names on the board but contribute nothing, and may even negatively impact the board's operations.

"I believe the school council needs members from outside the university. The specific composition is determined by each university. The Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy has determined that the school council must be diverse and its members must be reputable and influential figures in society. In fact, the members from outside the university on our school council have all made very good contributions," Mr. Tuan said.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hoi-dong-truong-dai-hoc-ai-vao-ai-ra-20241010085904588.htm