2022 New Year Resolution
Good-by to 2021
As 2021 is approaching the end and we are embracing 2022, it is the time again to have a summary of the past year and plan for the new year. With our accumulation of 15 years of global academic resources, with re-branding and consolidation of CAMOT, we launched EICC on 21st November, 2020. 2021 was a hard and challenging year, with many uncertainties of the journey and the pandemic interfere in the daily life, we adapted to the new normal by looking at the screen and met many colleagues and partners around the world many hours a day. One year on we have made tremendous progress towards our goals. In this brief note, I would like to summarize and share with you the following three points:
Firstly, what have we done and achieved? - Our 4 ELITE Dedicated Colleges
To address the various concerns of online learning in the global higher education, we have established ELITE O2O (online and offline) Education Platform with 4 ELITE dedicated colleges, which is an exploration of an innovative education pedagogy of integrating the delivery of programmes, knowledge, contents, and education ethos with a global vision embedded in the teaching and learning strategy. This system demonstrates how various features and objectives of an innovative and entrepreneurial university can be created, translated, articulated, and achieved in a learning organization context. By using our past experiences, academic contents and global academic resources, with continuation of accumulation new academic contents, videos, and presentations, we make every endeavor to convert the special ELITE knowledge into generic knowledge delivered though the O2O structure with our well-crafted teaching and learning philosophy and pedagogy.
ELITE is an acronym of e-learning of innovation, technology and entrepreneurship within an O2O Innovation University in the global higher education. ELITE O2O initiative is a strategic instrument which reforms the traditional approach of class-room based teaching and learning. The distinctiveness of this system is to highlight that the teaching and learning mode is not only driven by the nature of the knowledge that consists of both explicit and tacit elements, but also reinforced by global outbreak of the pandemic. It is no doubt that explicit knowledge can be delivered online while tacit knowledge has to be transferred through face-to-face and social interactions.
EICC was born in the heart of innovation, Cambridge during the pandemic with a strong mission of leading and pushing innovation. With a dual headquarters in Cambridge and Zhuhai and its O2O structure, it demonstrates that it makes a difference. We feel privileged to become strategic partners with University of the West of Scotland (UWS), University of Law (ULaw), United Kingdom and Trinity Western University, Canada, which allow us to deliver their postgraduate and research programmes while we connect with and serve as a graduate school of undergraduate universities around the world via our O2O structure.
Secondly, what do we feel the important characters that we need in the pandemic era? – Innovation, Leadership and Resilience
In this difficult time, what we need mostly are: Innovation, leadership, and resilience through which we shape the world in the global higher education. These words support and compliment to each other.
Our philosophy in this difficult time is that transformational leadership which embraces innovation can bring about strategic change that delivers growth, effectiveness and sustainability. Transformational Leadership means that we need to translate the vision and mission of the universities into deliverable and measurable objectives and goals, develop and implement the corporate strategy and facilitate the execution of the university’s strategy by: 1). building alignment; 2). winning minds by sharing the vision of the organisation and 3). expanding the capabilities of others
Global leadership is a process of influencing the thinking, attitudes and behaviours of a global community to work together synergistically toward a common vision and common goal. We feel that the global leadership plays an important role as we have a team of colleagues from eight different countries with diverse background and expertise working together. We have not only brought global leaders from 8 different countries into EICC global team but also have developed our talents and young leaders with leadership skills and their resilience, their capabilities and skills in dealing with difficulties, hardships and development in the challenging times.
Resilience is an ineffable quality that allows some people to be knocked down by life and come back stronger than ever. Rather than letting failure overcome them and drain their resolve, they find a way to rise from the ashes. Rresilience can be defined as the ability – and tendency – to “bounce back”, which is what people do when face disappointment, or mistreatment, or defeat, or failure, but instead of wallowing or letting things keep down, people get back up and continue with their work and lives.
Thirdly, what do we feel proud of in 2021? Global Innovation Webinars and Global President Forum
We have successfully held 6 Global Innovation Webinars (GIW) and the Global University Forum (GUPF) in 2021. All the year round, we are having a global event through GIW in addressing global challenges and opportunities with global innovation solution.
Due to the outbreak of Omicron new variant, with consideration of various factors and challenges particularly the UK government health regulation, and the time difference of all the speakers and participants around the world, the GUPF event was entirely held online via Zoom webinar. The well scheduled offline event with opening and closing ceremony at ULaw, London had to be canceled. However, this did not prevent the event in making a great success. We are very pleased that 42 distinguished university presidents, vice chancellors and government officials from around the world, including Cameron, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Japan, Nepal, Tunisia, UAE, UK, and USA etc. delivered their inspiring speeches virtually during the forum. Over 100 participants via Zoom webinar worldwide from Asia, Europe, America, and Africa etc. participated in this global event. The forum has continually received many excellent comments, feedback and warm congratulations.
EICC GUPF Forum has genuinely become one of the most prestigious and influential grand gathering for the global thinkers and innovators to address the global development trends, opportunities and challenges in the global higher education in the pandemic era.
Look forward to having a prosperous 2022
With our success and the groundwork that we built in 2021, we will continue to carry our academic footprint and the zigzag journey of creating this innovative and entrepreneurial university.
Firstly, we will continue our academic capacity building and the creation of strong marketing position with global visibility by hosting EICC Global Innovation Webinars (monthly) and Global University President Forum (annually) with global likeminded leaders, partner institutions for offline delivery as well around the globe.
We will further consolidate the 4 ELITE Dedicated Colleges by building more inspiring and attracting academic contents through which we convert the special knowledge into generic knowledge in the liberal arts education for the enhancement of students journey.
We will consolidate the relationship with our strategic investors and our education technology providers/partners for the sustainability of our ELITE features.
Secondly, with consolidation of our relationship with our degree awarding partners as an Associate College, we position EICC being a Graduate School to offer education support to mainly undergraduate universities around the world so that we will increase our academic partners and widening EICC education scope to more students to sustain financial planning. We will be working with our hundreds of academic partners and global recruitment agencies to meet our target.
In the meantime, we will maintain our O2O structure and features to ensure the teaching and learning quality and the enhancement of student journey.
Thirdly, we will have continuation of building and investing into our global management team and enhancement of leadership skills and promotion of the right talents to the right position at the right time. We will have continuation of building and investing into our global academic delivery team with our high-profile global professors for the ensure of our academic quality.
However, for EICC administrative and academic team building, our existing members, and new members to come, must understand and appreciate the history, current achievement and the future of EICC in order to have continuation of the zigzag journey of creating of this innovative university. EICC was born and re-created in the heart of innovation, Cambridge during the pandemic with a strong mission of leading and pushing innovation. With dual headquarters in Cambridge and Zhuhai and its O2O structure, it demonstrates that the attributes and spirit of innovation, entrepreneurship and resilience have been built into the blood and DNA of the College.
As we are all aware, the world is now a different place to the one we knew. From survive to thrive we need to be more imaginative, innovative and creative when socio-economic paradigms break down as we see they are currently doing. However, there is an opportunity for innovation, entrepreneurship and experimentation in the global higher education to tackle the digital landscape, internationalization and global engagement areas so as to identify innovative solutions, new working approaches, innovative services and sustainable processes that create positive change in the global higher education.
At EICC, we love and celebrate diversity with different cultures. We fully understand that we live with the pandemic. To make our work, study, and life more meaningful, colourful, and interesting, we continue to use both Wechat and WhatsApp groups to accommodate different cultures and habits of colleagues in eight different countries in the global village for colleagues to make engagement and communication with each other, enjoy work, study, and life rather than looking at the screen for hours and hours a day. In this zigzag journey, we are not only creating this innovative and entrepreneurial university, but also pioneering the innovative way of work, study and live during the pandemic and in the post COVID-19 era.
Thanks to the engagement, engagement and contribution of colleagues and our collaboration partners globally to the journey of creating this innovative and entrepreneurial university.
We look forward to having a healthy, prosperous, and productive new year of 2022, an exciting new year ahead and the excellent opportunities working closely with you in 2022.
Very best wishes
Richard Li-Hua
Founder and President
ELITE Innovation College Cambridge