Heads of Administration

The Universitas 21 Heads of Administration is an informal group which enables colleagues to share and exchange ideas and experiences and to improve practices in University administration.

The U21 Heads of Administration have held four meetings: in Melbourne, the University of British Columbia, McGill University and a joint meeting in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Meetings are held every 18 to 24 months, but electronic exchanges are more frequent.

At its September 2006 meeting, the group noted:

• A wish to facilitate and develop opportunities for administrative staff exchanges and visits between U21 institutions, so as to broaden experience and share good practice;
• A willingness of participants to contribute to cyclical reviews of administrative services at other member institutions;
• A renewed willingness to pursue opportunities for benchmarking and exchange of comparative data, initially on a small, but international, scale and with a view to expanding participation subsequently;
• A willingness on the part of the group to advise and support Presidents in connection with specific U21 matters if so requested, but without in any way cutting across the role of the U21 Managers;
• The possibility that professional marketing staff at member institutions might work with the U21 Secretariat on marketing the network;
• The willingness of participants to act as an informal network for the electronic exchange of advice and good practice, especially in response to specific queries from members;   
• The role of Heads of Administration in embedding U21 activities in their institutions, and facilitating participation in such activities;
• The importance of those Heads of Administration who are not U21 Managers being kept well informed about U21 and its activities.