An Important Overview of University Administrators’ Participation and Engagement in Decision-Making to Enhance Good Governance at Malaysia Public University

Abstract

Malaysian university governance has under heightened scrutiny in recent years. This research paper delved into the university administrator’s participation and engagement in decision-making toward enhancing university good governance. The research paper explored the participation and engagement of university administrators’ in decision-making processes (institutional, financial, strategic, and human resource management) to enhance governance at Malaysian public universities. This research paper encompassed three principal categories within university administration, as de-lineated in the specific regulations pertaining to higher education in Malaysia: registrar, bursar, and librarian. The primary responsibilities of these administrators encompassed administration, operations, creation, coordination, and oversight of various university programs. For this research paper, a designated cohort of university administrators was selected as the study population, comprising about 529 officers (336 from the Registrar Scheme, 104 from the Bursary Scheme, and 89 from the Librarians Scheme). This research paper was undertaken utilizing a mixed-methods technique to deepen comprehension. The results indicate that the participation and engagement of university administrators in financial management decision-making significantly enhances good governance (p<0.01, p = 0.015), and their participation and engagement in strategic management decision-making also significantly enhance good governance (p<0.01, p = 0.006).