“We do not need to think locally or internationally, we are simply international” – our interview with the Rector of Corvinus

We can say that your onboarding period is now over. Over the past three months, you have had numerous meetings and negotiations both inside and outside the university. How would you summarise your experiences and impressions so far?  

It has been a very intense period for me. I have done my best to meet all the stakeholders, visited all the departments, and met the researchers, lecturers, and colleagues in the service area. These conversations were very useful, and not just because I like to get to know people and see who is doing what. I have learned a lot, I have understood a lot about how the university works, and I have seen the dynamics within the institution. And I also met our students at the freshers’ camp and the onboarding week, and I also met partners, such as the President of the Hungarian Academy of Science. We could call this period a period of discovery, where, beyond familiarisation, we have started to work on the future of the institution, as a first step towards the new governance concept. 

To summarise my experience, firstly, I was impressed by the high quality of the students at the University, who are, in fact, the most talented young generation in the country. I am also impressed by the number and variety of student clubs and advanced colleges that are so active.  We should be proud of – and thankful for – the very effective contributions they make to the university community. The learning journey does not take place “only” in the classroom, but as well outside, through numerous opportunities to engage, and here I am convinced our university is amongst the top in the world.  

We have also seen a remarkable increase in our research output, in the number of D1, Q1, and Q2 publications, which shows that the new model and the incentives that have been put in place have worked. So far, I must confess that I have less data to judge the quality of educational services, due to missing information. I have experienced a high level of professionalism not only in my close working environment but also in the different service areas, of course, there is always space for improvement, and I have very positive impressions that many people are working hard and actually doing a good job. 

I came to Corvinus knowing that it had a very strong reputation at home, surely well deserved. Now I am even more convinced that it is an excellent institution – but it seems to have forgotten how to communicate with the rest of the world, as if it does not see what it has to be proud of internationally. We do have some interesting alliances and partnerships, and we have to start working intensely to be not only visible internationally, but as well becoming a recognized as a significant actor on the European continent and the rest of the world. These are achievable goals, provided we strengthen the internationalisation of students and faculty, and provided we obtain all accreditations and continue to boost research output. 

The university’s governance structure has been renewed, new professional areas have been added and certain functions have been integrated. How does this new setup support Corvinus’ strategic goals of international expansion while maintaining strong local roots?   

I want to emphasize that this organizational renewal is not just about meeting international standards or complying with one or two strategic initiatives.  Most importantly, this new set-up is based on a willingness to collaborate more effectively, to improve our communication towards the entire ecosystem of Corvinus, with a focus on internal and external stakeholders and ultimately make sound decisions faster and submit improved and convincing proposals to the Board of Trustees.  

We are moving from the former tripartite leadership (the Presidential Committee) to an Executive Committee (EXCO) with seven other leaders taking part in decisions alongside the Rector. These seven leaders represent all professional areas: students’ journey, faculty career, programmes delivery, and service area staff are all part of the university ecosystem, and we will seek consensus in the committee’s work so that decisions can be endorsed faster by all members of the ecosystem.   

Corvinus is an institution with a strong history and tradition, so we need diversity in the EXCO team, including senior leaders who know what decisions we have made in the past, in which context and for what purpose. I want the new leadership to work as a collegial team, where everyone is aware that we are an ecosystem, and everyone understands what the others do. 

We have seen some inconsistencies in the past. One example is in the international area, where there used to be one office dealing with international recruitment, international communications, and international relations. If we want to become an international institution, each of the professional areas must embed and integrate the global dimension in their activities, not just one department. We do not need to think locally or internationally, we are simply international. Another example of synergetic opportunities concerns digital and IT services. The new governance structure is also intended to strengthen trust and mutual respect between the administration and service area and the academy, and to reduce overlaps in certain functions.  

How is the area under the Rector’s direct authority structured? 

The Vice-Rector for Academic Programmes is responsible for education and the programme portfolio, and this area also integrates international educational mobility programmes. A significant change is that student affairs, covering student welfare, the whole student life cycle, and career support, will be represented at the Vice Rector level. This is new at Corvinus, but not at all for international higher education institutions. The Vice-Rector for Faculty and Research oversees the work of the institutes, research activities, and academic career path support. Please keep in mind that the final governance is still being fine-tuned, and some marginal changes may still take place. 

Three Chief Officers oversee operations and services: the Chief Operating Officer, responsible for the University’s financial, legal, procurement, operational, and IT operations, the Chief Culture and People Officer and the Chief Communications Officer. In the area of communication, we need to create an international communication and branding strategy, as we do not currently have one. On the other hand, we need to revisit the way we communicate internally, it is not just about emails or platforms. It will be the responsibility of all EXCO members to ensure that staff in their respective areas are informed of the latest developments and decisions.   

The Executive Committee will also include, thanks to a suggestion made by the Board of Trustees, the Chief of Staff, another new position, for which the background and role is still being carefully considered.  

Other changes in the Rector’s area include the addition of two new Dean positions to ensure transversal representation of sustainability and artificial intelligence issues within the organization. The Director for International Alliances will have a key role in fostering international institutional relations and double-degree programmes. The strategic area is complemented by quality development tasks related to rankings and to accreditations, as the active participation of all EXCO members is essential for a successful preparation for accreditations.  

What are the main expectations of EXCO members?  

Most importantly, each leader should have a clear strategy and a strong vision for day-to-day operations in their area. The latter is something I do not wish to intervene in. They must find a way to communicate effectively within their areas of control so that each and every one of their staff is aware of the overall strategic vision, direction, and day-to-day processes. We, as leaders, must remember that we have a transversal role in the institution.  

In the future, we want to move towards a more inclusive and collaborative leadership style, which I call servant leadership. To give you an example: all colleagues have several KPIs and if someone cannot achieve its own KPIs, then the direct and subsequent heads are also responsible. This reflects a culture of information sharing: we need conditions, a safe environment, where the employee dares to report to the manager in time and a solution can be found. To adopt a supportive and empowering leadership style, we have therefore launched a two-year complex leadership development programme in which the entire university management will participate alongside EXCO members.  

To what extent are the professional areas being transformed in line with the new structure and how will the new leaders be selected? 

The new Organisational and Operational Procedures entered into force on 1 November. Executive positions are filled in line with the University’s recruitment strategy, there will be international calls, we have just opened the call for two Vice-Rector positions. Appointments will be subject to approval by the Board of Trustees. Where the selection process takes longer, interim periods will be defined. The detailed responsibilities of the EXCO members will be developed in the coming months, in cooperation with the new managers.  

Some areas, most particularly those related to internationalization, will need to be reorganized to ensure coherence, but the majority of units will not be affected radically – all areas will of course contribute to the strategic objectives. Where I can already see that more staff will be needed is in the area of international student career services.  

What are the next steps?  

The next milestone will be in January-February when the University’s fine-tuned strategic plan will be finalized. The topics are already being discussed – as a bottom-up process – by five working groups of university staff. Their proposals will be ready by the end of November and will be examined in terms of financial possibilities and budget. So, by the beginning of next year, we will have a much deeper insight into which key strategic areas we will invest more in, which game-changing initiatives and innovations we want to undertake, and where we will continue to work in the same way, improving efficiency.  

What results do you expect from the renewed operation, and what benefits will it bring to Corvinus staff and students?    

I aim at having a more enthusiastic community, motivated, and happy at work. The goal is to increase our international visibility, to become more international in our impact and staff level, to further increase our research performance, and to acquire key international accreditations. Students will have more international opportunities to learn, gain experience, and get higher-quality education.  

The ultimate goal is to have a high-quality teaching and research activity, regardless of our nationality. Of course, we are a Hungarian institution with very strong roots, but if we want to become international, we must work hard. The ultimate objective is to become a more prominent European and global academic institution.