ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS, ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP, AND TEACHING PERFORMANCE OF THE DEANS IN JONELTA SYSTEM

Entrepreneurial skills are vital for academic leaders like deans, as they drive institutional growth through strategic thinking, opportunity recognition, and innovation. When integrated into leadership, these skills help create adaptive and forward-thinking educational environments responsive to evolving academic needs (McKinsey & Company, 2020; Kotler et al., 2021). Hence, this study was conducted with 44 deans in the JONELTA System utilizing a correlational research design, determining their entrepreneurial skills, academic leadership, and level of teaching performance. Lastly, the researcher determined whether there is a significant relationship between entrepreneurial skills, academic leadership, and the level of teaching performance. Findings show that the deans of the JONELTA System demonstrate a strong entrepreneurial and participative leadership culture, marked by innovation, strategic thinking, and inclusive decision-making. While entrepreneurial skills positively influence academic leadership, neither entrepreneurial nor academic leadership significantly affects teaching performance. To sustain and further enhance these strengths, the university administrators are encouraged to offer regular workshops on strategic resource management, alternative funding exploration, and partnership development, reinforce leadership practices by establishing a peer mentoring system for deans and encouraging transparent, participative governance structures, and continue to support deans with updated pedagogical tools and technologies, which are included in the proposed action plan