Limkokwing University’s East-West Research and Professional Training Institute based at its London campus held its inaugural Master Class on ‘Innovative & Creative Leadership in Higher Education’ on 12 September 2013.

The Master Class was designed for senior managers, academics and executives in universities and higher education institutions. The programme was also targeted at officers in education regulatory bodies.

Consistent with pioneering innovative leadership, the event was open to Master’s candidates at the London campus. It was also a scheduled staff development session and the attendance of delegates from a range of institutions in the UK and Ireland introduced diversity in points of view for the interactive panel and discussion session that followed the talks.

Keynote Addresses

‘Current Trends & Developments in Higher Education’ was delivered by Limkokwing University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Cedric Bell. In addition to identifying and evaluating key trends in higher education globally, he highlighted the merits and challenges of institutions pursuing internationalisation and factors which influence students in choosing a non-national study destination.

Senior Reviews Manager at the UK Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Simon Ives, delivered a talk on ‘The Regulatory Infrastructure as a Co-Producer of Quality.’ First, he reviewed and assessed recent developments in Higher Education regulatory practice in the UK with an emphasis on students being at the heart of the system. Then he drew attention to the new Quality Code, which from 2012/13 unified the quality framework across the whole sector. The QAA regulates private colleges not just state-funded universities and the new emphasis on published information to help students, parents and sponsors make more informed decisions as to institutions.

The third keynote address on ‘Enshrining Industry Involvement in the Curriculum’ was delivered by Dr Maria Hinfelaar, President of Limerick Institute of Technology. She outlined the mission and profile of the technological sector in Ireland, explained Limerick’s successful industry engagement model with particular emphasis on business incubation units and the LIT Enterprise Ladder concept and Enterprise Seed Funding from the Irish Government. She also detailed the range of new businesses started as a result of these initiatives.

Professor Cedric Bell returned to give the final keynote address on ‘Strengthening Innovation & Creativity in the Curriculum.’ After explaining the economic potential of the creative sector as a catalyst for social and economic transformation and the full range of the creative industries, he provided a succinct and compelling portrait of the success of Limkokwing University as global pioneers in this regard. He highlighted the University’s distinctive ecosystem, industry involvement and student empowerment. A short view of the recent African campus graduation which captured the exuberance of the occasion was the visual vindication of the University’s success.

Role of the Institute

Limkokwing University’s East-West Research and Professional Training Institute is an innovation resource base which responds to requests from governments for specific innovation and transformation assistance, accessing relevant expertise globally, organising high profile international conferences and workshops on innovation. It offers regular and relevant programmes for professional training in the field of innovation and related disciplines.

On the 17th October 2013, the East-West Research and Professional Training Institute will host leading researchers, and postgraduate candidates who will showcase state-of-the-art research, innovations, and industry practices at all levels in business processes. In addition to presentations of papers, a series of interactive discussions and debates will be held on the future research agendas for the main themes chaired and led by international experts.