Tag: Higher education

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90 Days and Counting: EDU-ALLIANCE, LLC

As many of you know, I will be leaving Ankabut when my contract expires at the end of September. It’s been a great four years, but it’s time to do something new. As I have told many of my friends and colleagues I wanted to do something that would use all the skills and knowledge I have gained over the past 40 years.

I, along with a current senior higher education administrator in the UAE since 1993, are forming an education management-consulting firm called Edu-Alliance, LLC here in Abu Dhabi.

The questions most asked are; what is this firm going to and who are potential clients?  Edu-Alliance’s mission is to help develop national capacity in the areas of education, training, and human development in the Middle East (GCC) and North Africa (MENA) region by creating effective and sustainable alliances between organizations in the region with the best-in-class international organizations and experts.

 Our focus will be helping clients achieve success in:

  • Higher education strategic partnerships
  • Mentoring
  • Marketing
  • Executive, faculty and staff recruitment
  • Institution-wide strategy
  • Technology

We will provide an exceptional network and alliances for emerging UAE, GCC and MENA institutions. We will provide value added services to international organizations in establishing win-win partnerships with regional institutions involved in capacity development.

Our combined higher education experience in working in the region also gives us the knowledge to successfully design effective mentoring and retention plans for citizens of this region who are employed in universities, colleges, schools and corporate sector from entry-level to executive levels.

In early August we will launch the website and finalize taking space in Masdar City just outside of Abu Dhabi.  We will formally launch Edu-Alliance by the end of September.

It’s exciting times but still much to do. We are identifying potential experts who will be consultants based on the project and expertise our clients need. If you are interested in being a part of our team, just email me at my personal email at deanhoke@gmail.com and make sure to send a letter and CV telling me of your interest and background.  We will get back with you to discuss acting as a consultant further .  Also, if you are an organization that wants to know more how Edu-Alliance can best serve you please contact me at the same address or call me at +971-50-641-0237.

The other item we are finalizing is the logo. We have cut it down to two and I am asking you as well as others, which do you think best identifies Edu-Alliance: Option 1 or Option 2.  Post your vote in the comments section of this posting of Hoke’s Notes. My partner and I will make the final decision in the next two weeks. I will announce in Hoke’s Notes the winner and a date of the launching of the site.

I will continue to write this summer on the higher education activities in the UAE and the region over the summer. There is significant change occurring and the upcoming year for the education community will be very interesting. I look forward to hearing from you.

OPTION 1                                          OPTION 2

OEdu-Alliancelogo-1Edu-Alliance Option1

 

 

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Mourning the Death of a University: Post Script

This will be my last posting about Urbana University where I received my B.A, in 1975. If you have been following my postings you are aware Urbana University was acquired by Franklin University in late April.

It took little time for the next financial steps to be implemented. In an email titled “Exciting Updates at Urbana University” the third paragraph was a whopper though not a total surprise:

To work toward the financial viability required to accomplish the revitalization efforts listed above, some tough self-examination and economic decisions had to be made. These decisions include the reduction of nine staff and faculty positions, as well as the reduction of 12 currently vacant positions. As part of these efforts, Dr. Kirk Peterson, appointed in 2013 as Urbana’s Interim President and in 2014 as President, has announced his resignation, recognizing that “it was time to step aside and allow the new institution to operate the University without impediment.

Dr. Peterson, did the honorable thing by resigning since it appears he did not support the actions taken. I believe he will bounce back and have a future in university work. Hopefully those who lost their jobs today will quickly find suitable jobs elsewhere. The former trustees of the 21st century who had responsibility for the institution failed in its duty by not providing the leadership for Urbana to stand alone and be financially viable. 

My final comment is to all alumni of small universities; if you do not want the institution to have a similar fate of closure or being acquired, get actively engaged by volunteering your time and by giving your financial support no matter the amount. Make sure the administration and trustees know you exist and make your thoughts and support known. You can talk up your school, assist in recruiting, help a new grad get a job, and show future students and potential supporters your success is due in part to where you attended college. If you don’t, you may well have no alma mater one day soon.