Outgoing registrar of the University of Ilorin, Mrs. Olufolake Oyeyemi, has said that university administrators in the country require patience, maturity and emotional intelligence to deal with students and the academic staff of institutions.

She noted that non-academic staff of the university play crucial role in the day-to-day running of the university and stressed the need for them to develop their human capacity and acquire more education to be relevant in this 21st century.

Oyeyemi stated this in her key note address at the In-house training on Higher Education Administration: The changing Role of the Registry in a New Era” organised by the institution’s Centre for Research Development and In-House Training (CREDIT).

She said university administration is fast changing due to the 21st century information technology revolution and charged the non-teaching staff “to face change so that you don’t become extinct”.

The registrar said university administrators should demonstrate high level of professionalism, possess communication, interpersonal, ICT and student management skills to be able to succeed in the contemporary world.

“It is quite obvious that even as supportive staff, the role played by the administrator is indispensable to the university’s endeavours as the academic staff can hardly combine his academic workload with heavy academic responsibilities without his primary functions suffering. The redemption of the dwindling status of the administrators lies largely in their own hands. If the administrator must earn respect and admiration of his academic and other colleagues, he must be ready to embrace change in all ramifications”, Oyeyemi said.

Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Abdulganiyu Ambali, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Bayo Lawal, described the registry “as a dynamo that fires the working of the university. Registry is the support and foundation of the university”.