The leadership of the rector in the assessment processes for international accreditation

The present essay addresses the role of the rector in the evaluation and accreditation processes at higher education institutions, since it is the rector's vision and involvement which can contribute to maintain the focus of the process as a means to increase the quality of the institution. Without entering into the debate on what quality means in the education arena, this essay will try to answer the following question: what leadership styles should a rector of a higher education institution exercise when embarking in an international evaluation and accreditation process? This essay concludes that the leadership of the rector is a cornerstone when stablishing a culture of quality within the higher education institution and when embarking in international evaluation and accreditation processes, and highlights that the most important leadership styles in these processes are: transformational leadership, transcendental leadership and transactional leadership.