Women faculty embarks on US study tour

Islamabad: As many as 28 women faculty members from 16 Pakistani Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) departed for the US on an exchange visit under the USAID’s Higher Education System Strengthening Activity (HESSA) being implemented by the University of Utah.

The international study tour will allow the participants to meet an array of women leaders as well as engage in intensive trainings to strengthen their leadership skills and knowledge. The faculty members will be hosted by the University of Alabama for two weeks. This US visit is part of an extended training program especially designed for mid to senior women leadership representing each of the HESSA’s partner HEIs. Last month, these faculty members attended a three-day training

organised by HESSA at Fatima Jinnah Women University, Ra­wal­pindi.

During the structured implementation of this seven-month women’s leadership program, the Pakistani women faculty will develop individual campus-based projects that address central priorities of their respective HEI and will enhance their leadership skills, through guidance from mentors in the US and in Pakistan. The mentors will share their career pathway and lessons learned, while the trainees will keep a reflective record of the challenges they discuss and the mentors’ input on those challenges. In addition, each participant will develop a portfolio that will house their philosophy of leadership, inventory of leadership skills, statement of personal goals, and a five-year professional development plan. As HESSA’s goal is to introduce sustainable higher education reforms through international best practices, it is expected that the mentors and these participants will form a long-lasting relationship that goes beyond the duration of the training.