Female faculty depart for training in US

Participants will develop individual campus-based projects that address central priorities of their respective HEI

ISLAMABAD:

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

This two-week international study tour is hosted by the University of Alabama and is a part of a structured training programme that will allow the participants to meet an array of women leaders as well as engage in intensive training to strengthen their leadership skills and knowledge.

This visit is a major part of an extended training programme specially designed for mid to senior women leadership representing each of the HESSA’s partner HEIs. Last month, these faculty members attended a 3-day training organised by HESSA at Fatima Jinnah Women's University, Rawalpindi. 

During the structured implementation of this seven-month women’s leadership programme, 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 U.S. and in Pakistan. 

The mentors will share their career pathways 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.