Bahawalpur, 10 Oct 2023:Prof. Dr. Shazia Anjum of the University of Bahawalpur took part in a conference dubbed “Empowered Women Leaders,” organized by Michigan State University in Islamabad, focusing on fortifying women leaders from across Pakistan in their personal and professional development. The summit, which is a fragment of a two-year virtual program, congregated women leaders nationwide, facilitating a platform for learning, inquiry, sharing experiences, and networking. The agenda included an intensive skill-building module emphasizing leadership in higher education, covering a spectrum of key aspects including communication, strategic planning, organization management and change, resilience and conflict resolution, career planning, and ethical, fair, and sustainable leadership, according to a press release by the Islamia University Bahawalpur (IUB).

Dr. Shazia Anjum, representing the University of Bahawalpur, along with other women leaders from varied regions of Pakistan, engaged in this summit, which not only aimed at strengthening the leadership capacities of the individuals but also set the stage for the possibility of creating a sustainable network. This network is envisioned to facilitate perpetual development by means of sharing knowledge, strategies, and experiences that will benefit women leaders in navigating through the challenges and demands of leadership roles, particularly in higher education.

The summit offered its participants a curriculum that strategically covered areas pivotal for leadership in the higher education sector. Communication, strategic planning, organizational management and change, resilience and conflict resolution, career planning, guidance, and ethical, fair, and sustainable leadership were among the prominent skills that the program sought to develop. The initiative by Michigan State University to amplify the voice, skills, and networking capabilities of women leaders in Pakistan manifests an effort to progressively elevate and empower the role of women in leadership, particularly in a sector as crucial as higher education.