SEAM contribution to meet the internal and external challenges in a private Lebanese university

Abstract

Higher education institutions play a crucial role in society and the economy and they are required to realize a triumvirate mission. Universities seek excellence in teaching, research and service while faced with dynamic forces among which are globalization and technological change. In the midst of this challenging environment, universities have to be responsive and adaptable to change in order to better serve the students. This research is an intervention research that focuses on improving the performance of administrators and the quality of services pursuing the Socio-economic approach to management. SEAM provides a holistic view and improves performance of institutions. This study explains how SEAM innovative methods were applied to transform the office of student affairs from a student support office to a core component of the university strategy. It also tackles the issue of how and why universities behave as they do and how the socio-economic approach enhances the management of the modern university to become entrepreneurial, more humane, responsive to change, and cost effective. Hence, this intervention provides a better understanding of the complexity of higher education systems and studies the topic of organizational transformation in the context of a Lebanese private university. Moreover, it creates change initiatives and a roadmap that the university may adopt as it strives for sustainable growth.