What leadership has taught me about turning institutional dreams into lasting opportunities
Every university leader has a vision. We want to build better facilities, strengthen research, embrace emerging technologies and create opportunities for students. But sooner or later, every vision faces a practical question: how do we make it happen?
I have learned that vision alone does not build a college, equip a laboratory, fund research or create opportunities for students. It is when vision is matched with resources, commitment and collective effort that aspiration begins to take shape.
One experience that reinforced this lesson is the establishment of the Kola Balogun College of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Engineering, made possible through the generous support of Engr. (Dr.) Kola Balogun, Chairman of Momas Group. The vision was to prepare students for a future increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, digital technologies and advanced engineering.
Seeing such a vision move from an idea towards reality is deeply fulfilling. It reminds me that the resource needed to advance an institution may not always be available within its budget. Sometimes, it comes from someone who believes in the vision and is willing to support it. When that happens, a dream begins to acquire a physical presence.
We experienced another dimension of this through funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering, United Kingdom, for Artificial Intelligence for Females in STEM. Beyond the funding was an opportunity to support greater participation of young women in an area that will increasingly shape our future. It demonstrated how a well-developed institutional vision can connect with partners who share the same commitment to creating opportunities.
We are also working towards the establishment of the Lateefat Gbajabiamila College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences. This is another important vision for which we are seeking the support and partnership necessary to bring it to fruition, while strengthening healthcare education and creating opportunities for future professionals.
Then there is the remarkable support of the Isiaq Family Foundation. Its endowment provides scholarships for eight undergraduate Accounting students for four years, establishes a Professorial Chair in Accounting, provides a modern Accounting Technology Laboratory with computers, internet access and solar-powered energy, and creates perpetual prizes for the best graduating male and female Accounting students.
What moves me about initiatives such as these is that their value goes far beyond the resources provided. A scholarship may enable a young person to remain in university. A laboratory may change how students learn. A Professorial Chair may influence research for generations. An award may encourage a young student to believe that excellence is within reach.
This is what happens when resources meet purpose. Opportunities emerge, and those opportunities can become capacity, impact and, eventually, legacy.
There is another lesson I believe is important, especially for colleagues and those who may one day become Vice-Chancellors. Resource mobilisation is not the responsibility of the Vice-Chancellor alone. The Vice-Chancellor can provide leadership, direction and coordination, but meaningful institutional development is a collective endeavour.
At Summit University, I have been deeply encouraged by the many ways the Board of Trustees, Governing Council, management, staff, alumni, the Proprietor, development partners, industry, communities, philanthropists and other stakeholders have contributed to our journey. Each, in different ways, has brought relationships, ideas, expertise, goodwill, influence or resources to the growth of the University.
There is something particularly special whenever I see a member of the Ansar Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria speak passionately about Summit University, identify with its progress or contribute to its growth. It gives me a deep sense of encouragement and renews my own energy to do more. It reminds me that an institution becomes truly meaningful when people who believe in its mission begin to see its success as something they can personally identify with and support.
This is why I do not see resource mobilisation as a question of who did what or who contributed the most. I see it as a collective journey in which every contribution matters. Some contribute resources; others open doors, make introductions, offer expertise, provide encouragement or simply speak positively about the institution. Sometimes, what appears to be a small contribution becomes the beginning of something much bigger.
We have seen encouraging examples of this at Summit University: the support that made the Kola Balogun College possible; the Royal Academy of Engineering support for Artificial Intelligence for Females in STEM; the Isiaq Family Foundation endowment; the ongoing efforts towards the Lateefat Gbajabiamila College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences; and the nearing completion of the Sulaiman Adebola Adegunwa Senate Building. Each tells a different story of what can happen when vision meets commitment and support.
For me, resource mobilisation is not simply about looking for money. It is about connecting purpose with people who believe that the purpose is worth supporting. Sometimes it begins with a conversation. A conversation develops into a relationship, a relationship creates trust, and trust can open a door to an opportunity that was previously beyond reach.
But resource mobilisation also requires discipline. No institution can do everything at once. Leaders must therefore establish priorities and direct available resources towards initiatives capable of creating meaningful and lasting impact. Most importantly, we must remain good custodians of whatever is entrusted to us.
When someone supports a university, they may be investing in students they will never meet, communities they may never visit and a future they may never personally see. That is why every contribution carries a responsibility to create value beyond the original investment.
A building should become more than a building. It should become a place where knowledge is created, skills are developed and lives are transformed. A grant should become more than a successful application. It should produce knowledge, capacity and opportunities. A partnership should become more than a signed document. It should create possibilities that might otherwise not exist.
If there is one lesson I would share with colleagues and those who may one day become Vice-Chancellors, it is this: remain open to possibilities. At Summit University, we have tried to keep our doors open to more partnerships, more ideas and more people who believe that education is worth investing in. There are still many possibilities before us, and we continue to welcome them.
My experience has taught me that building relationships and bringing people together around a shared purpose can sometimes achieve what institutional resources alone cannot. Sometimes, it begins with just one person looking at an idea and saying, “I believe in what you are trying to build. Let us make it happen.”
I have seen this happen in ways that still encourage me today. There have been moments when a donor has simply picked up the phone to express interest, offer support or ask how they could contribute. One afternoon, Aunty Mo, Aunty Mosun Belo-Olusoga, called me. On another occasion, it was Aare (Dr.) AbdulRafiu Ademola Sanni. These are just two examples among many others, but each of those calls carried something special: a willingness to believe in the vision and to be part of making it happen.
However, let me be sincere. Behind what may appear to be a simple phone call or a brief expression of belief are often many journeys, engagements, meetings, messages, conversations, relationships and acts of goodwill that eventually make the difference.
Sometimes, the call is only the beginning. What follows is the real journey of turning goodwill into impact.
And when the vision finally becomes reality and begins to touch people's lives, you realise that every conversation, every journey and every effort was worth it. The greatest satisfaction is not necessarily in seeing the building or the project itself, but in seeing what that opportunity does for people.
A student enters a laboratory and discovers a passion for technology. A young woman finds an opportunity to pursue STEM. A nursing student acquires the knowledge and skills to care for another human being. A young accountant receives a scholarship and is able to remain on the path to graduation.
Those are the moments that make the effort worthwhile.
They remind us that resource mobilisation is not ultimately about resources. It is about people. It is about creating opportunities for today's generation that may shape tomorrow's society.
That, for me, is one of the most important lessons leadership has taught me. When vision is supported by purpose, people and commitment, it can become much more than an aspiration.
It can become a legacy.
The stories are many. The lessons are even more.
The stories are many. The lessons are even more.
Prof. Abiodun Musa Aibinu, Ph.D.
Professor of Mechatronics Engineering | University Leader | Innovation & AI Advocate
Author, Notes from a Vice-Chancellor
Sharing practical insights and lessons from academia, leadership, technology, innovation, and institutional transformation
