Trajetória de vida no trabalho e formação de gestores de instituições de ensino superior

Abstract

This master’s thesis examines the formation and exercise of leadership among administrators of Brazilian public universities, combining a historical, political, and institutional analysis of higher education in Brazil with an in-depth study of the life and career trajectories of two university rectors. Guided by the research question: “How do personal experiences, academic background, and political articulations influence the preparation and performance of public university rectors?”, the main objective was to understand how these factors intersect in leadership development and practice. The structure of this dissertation consists of three theoretical chapters (literature review) and one chapter presenting the results of field research. The first chapter presents the historical development of public universities in Brazil, emphasizing their role in shaping a national project, the influence of educational policies, and the tensions between the social mission of the institution and market demands. The second chapter discusses the relationship between higher education and the construction of political, intellectual, and economic elites, analyzing how universities function as spaces of social reproduction and mobility, in dialogue with critical perspectives and studies on cultural capital and power networks. The third chapter addresses the key competencies required for university governance, drawing on theoretical frameworks and studies on educational leadership, strategic management, and governance, highlighting the importance of institutional experience and political articulation. The empirical research, presented in the fourth chapter, deepens the analysis of university leaders’ life and professional trajectories, emphasizing the interaction between academic experiences, union activity, political affiliation, and administrative roles as key elements in shaping leadership profiles. A qualitative approach was adopted, using semi-structured interviews with two rectors of public universities, selected for the relevance of their institutional trajectories. Data were collected between March and April 2025 through the Occupational Life History methodology from Psychosociology. Two interviews were conducted, one with each participant, covering their educational background up to their tenure as rectors. The findings indicate that career advancement to the rector position is strongly associated with previous involvement in academic and union movements, integration into political networks, and accumulated experience in administrative roles within the institution. Although technical and academic skills are relevant, the ability to engage in political articulation and knowledge of the institutional context emerge as critical differentiators in university governance. A feedback interview was conducted to validate the proposed hypotheses on the influence of these experiences. The study concludes that the development of higher education leaders requires not only academic qualifications but also institutional and political experiences that enhance leadership and decision-making capacities in the context of Brazilian public universities.