166 Strategic Leadership
- Employing comprehensive and effective ways to assess student learning
- Preparing students for lives of leadership and service
- Decisively raising moral consciousness
- Involving students in the critical and integrative study of original texts
- Contributing to personal religious development
The list could be expanded at length, and many educators could suggest the
names of institutions that have become known in the literature for possessing
one or more of these competencies. They are often part of a legacy of identity
for what a place does best. Strategically, the development and articulation of a
broad academic portfolio of competencies and capabilities creates educational
worth and potentially constitutes the competitive advantage of a college or
university.
The competitive advantages may play out, of course, in an enormous variety of
directions, depending on the mission of the institution. Institutions may display
several core competencies, not all of them limited to the academic domain. The
concept of core competency is not a finished doctrine, but an exploratory lens for
discerning activities and skills that cut across an organization’s programs (Cope
1994). Core competencies point back to the identity of the organization and
beckon forward through a vision to renew and innovate in those spheres in which
it has developed particular strengths.
Administrative Core Competencies
The analysis of core competencies applies as well to administrative respon-
sibilities. The process begins again with an effort to single out defining
characteristics, assets, and key operational results. The self-evaluation can
then be brought to a new level of strategic insight as it is translated into a
consideration of core competencies. What are the critical processes and
activities—the distinctive skills and abilities that stand behind exceptional
administrative performance? Of many possible examples, consider the fol-
lowing.
Financial Capabilities
Strong or weak financial capabilities, for example, are a function of many
things, including accurate budget projections, good operating controls, effec-
tive data systems, and skillful planning and management. Many institutions
have financial management competencies that achieve levels of effectiveness
and efficiency that set them apart from the competition. They are able to build
and fuel a financial system that stays in equilibrium, and they can both sup-
port innovation and generate long-term financial flexibility, even in difficult
environments.