The conference will be inaugurated by Chief Minister of Karnataka, Sri B S Yediyurappa, and the keynote address on "Education for Social Development" will be delivered by Dr. H Sudarshan of Karuna Trust & VGKK. Former President of India, Professor APJ Abdul Kalam will give the valedictory address.
Key papers being presented at the conference include New Forms of Higher Education by Mr. Paul Goodman, Carnegie Mellon University and Co-Author Mr. Gerard Beenen, Tepper School of Business, Pittsburgh; Entrepreneurial Leadership and Academic Entrepreneurship in Malaysian Research by Dr. Kamal K Jain, Indian Institute of Management, Indore and Co-Author Mr. Mohar Yusof, Tun Razak University, Malaysia; Reforming Instruction to promote "Mathematics for all Students": Research from the United States by Ms. Sarah Theule Lubienski, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Co-Author Ms. Preeti Warty University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Speaking on the objectives for the conference, Professor Nayana Tara, of the Public Systems area at IIMB, said, "The education sector is facing unprecedented and increasingly complex challenges. Educators and administrators in positions of leadership need to manage change and develop methods of continuous improvement to support students, parents and other stakeholders associated with educational institutions." Building effective teams by developing new organizational structures, and creating a shared vision that focuses on authentic student learning, are some of the strategies that need to be adopted by senior administrators. Such inspired and informed leadership is critical to the success of educational institutions.
"Today the education system must meet new standards for quality demanded by an increasingly technological, complex and diverse society," said Professor L Prasad, of the Organizational Behaviour & Human Resources Management area at IIMB. As with business and industry, the education field is discovering that the old ways do not work and innovation is needed. Promoting high scholastic achievement by every child needs outstanding academic leaders. Schools and colleges throughout the world are experiencing a crisis situation in the matter of attracting, preparing, and supporting the next generation of strong and visionary leaders. An important way to address these challenges would be for the educational system to build robust linkages with industrial houses and seek their support for attracting and promoting academic leadership, enhancing the quality of the programmes being offered, and developing students' skills to increase their effectiveness and employability.
