Communicating the message: Can presidents make a difference in higher education?

Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 from 1:10 PM - 2:00 PM (GMT)


Until recently university presidents were on the whole fairly invisible to all but an inner circle of university administrators. They presided over some internal committees and working groups, but they did not exercise any significant executive role.

However, as the environment has changed and as universities are increasingly under financial stress, it has become important to provide strategic direction and manage a university's mission, for which a chief executive figure may be needed. Furthermore, it is also necessary to communicate the university's priorities in a professional manner to government and other stakeholders. As a result, the role of presidents has become much more visible.

But how good are presidents at communicating? Do they know whom they should be addressing, and on what? And what communications tools should they be using?

Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski

Professor von Prondzynski was President of Dublin City University from 2000 to 2010.  Previously he was Professor of Law and Dean of the Law School, University of Hull, England (1990 1997); and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Hull (1997-2000). Professor von Prondzynski was also a Director of the British-American Business Council.

A graduate of Trinity College, Dublin (BA and LLB), and the University of Cambridge (PhD), Professor von Prondzynski has achieved international status as an authority on employment and commercial law. He is also an expert on European Union matters and on competition (antitrust) policy. He lectured at the School of Business Studies at Trinity College, Dublin before his appointment as Professor of Law at Hull.

Professor von Prondzynski is a member of the National Competitiveness Council, and the US-Ireland R&D Taskforce (established by the US and Irish governments). He is also a non-executive director of Skillsoft Ltd (formerly Skillsoft plc), the world’s largest elearning company. He writes a regular column for the Irish Times newspaper and is the author of a widely-read blog.

Professor von Prondzynski has been appointed to the post of Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen and will take up the position at the end of March 2011.

View the recording here.

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