A virtual seminar on “Academic Leadership and COVID-19 Crisis” was organized by the Department of Biological Sciences.
The objective of this event was to bring issues to light of the current pandemic COVID-19 and its impact on the education framework. How the unexpected closure of educational vicinities has necessitated the virtual delivery of education and how the scholarly pioneers can assume a significant role to support the campus collective in pivoting remote learning.
Rector, Prof. Dr. Massom Yasinzai welcomed all the guest speakers and eagerly addressed the organization’s strategic decisions which support them in transition towards remote learning. As the COVID-19 crisis deepens and spreads, he highlighted the need of urgent response by academic leaders to navigate through the current challenges and to mitigate the disruption in education system. The Rector appreciated the efforts of Prof. Dr. Nabi Bux Juamani and his team for launching LMS for academic programs and courses through distance learning mode. In his speech he added that the coronavirus pandemic represents an instantaneous adaptive challenge that can best be resolved by mutual cooperation among all stakeholders.
Om the occasion, Dr. Sobia Tabassum, addressing the the more than 150 participants including guest speakers, faculty, researches and students in live stream event emphasized the role of academic leaders who can impart a convincing and insightful vision for the organizations during emergencies like COVID-19. She expressed gratitude towards rector IIUI for providing the best platform for training, support, and resources to the faculty for learning management system (LMS). She said, being a leader, he has played a noteworthy role in the implementation of crisis management strategy.
Invited Speaker Prof. Dr. Syed Habib Bokhari from Comsats University, Islamabad shared his perspectives that there is an opportunity for those academic leaders who are objective-oriented, risk-takers, and strategic long-term thinkers to create a spiral of success and gain a competitive advantage by rejuvenating faculty in their redesigned educational environment.
Dr. Shaper Mirza from LUMS talked about the pathology of novel coronavirus which is currently impacting every aspect of daily life around the globe. The worldwide outbreak of coronavirus has created significant challenges for leaders at all levels in educational framework. She suggested developing an educational crisis leadership strategy by avoiding the complacency and indecisiveness. Dr. Syed Shahzad ul Hassan from LUMS presented his latest SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 research and direct-acting antiviral drug discovery. Guest speakers emphasized on perceptively fulfilling learning role to deploy and disseminate knowledge in a timely, systematic, and targeted manner across the organization.
An interactive session was also held between participants and guest speakers during an open forum discussion. Guest speakers believed that leadership is a journey that never stops and the organizations that can evolve, adapt, and turn challenges into opportunities will be the ones who thrive in the world that comes next. The way your leaders respond to the current hardship brought on by COVID-19 will directly affect your organization’s ability to endure and prosper. At the end Prof. Dr. Muhammad Sajad, Dean (FBAS) thanked worthy rector and guest speakers for their active participation in the event. He concluded that academic leaders have a crucial role in the response of their institution to crises by organizing trainings and workshops to familiarize faculty with modern remote digital teaching and learning tools for online teaching system. He also applauded the efforts of Dr. Sobia Tabassum in organizing such an informative virtual seminar to address the challenges around current pandemic and its management.