Open Minds Academy
An Academy for Sustainable Development
© Carpe Vitam 1
Content
I.
What is OMA?
II.
Why OMA?
III. OMA Concept
IV. Academic Programs
V.
People & Organizations
VI. Strategy Plan
VII. Location
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What is OMA?
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Learning for Sustainable Development
Post Graduate
& Professional
Education for Leadership
in Sustainable
Development
The OMA is an initiative that aims to set
up a post graduate academy for the Middle
East region in consortium with eight
European and regional universities.
It seeks to provide young professionals
from the region with learning experiences,
entrepreneurial mind-sets and leadership
skills geared towards addressing the
complex challenges of sustainable
development.
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Providing Professional Qualifications
A place to acquire
professional
qualifications for the
future job markets
created by the needs of
sustainable development
OMA aims to offer accredited masters
degree programs and practical training for
candidates seeking career paths in public
policy, business and community
development with extensive knowledge of
means and tools for enabling and achieving
sustainable development.
Graduates of OMA degree programs will
be able to utilize analytical and critical
thinking tools, communicate , and perform
flexibly in a continuously changing and
globalizing world economy.
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Why OMA?
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Persistent Challenges
Unemployment
Environmental
degradation
Healthcare challenges
Economic diversity
Infrastructure needs
Research capabilities
Public administration
inefficiencies
OMA programs and learning
methodology are geared towards
addressing development challenges
prevalent in the region namely,
water, energy, environment, health,
rapid urbanization, employment and
learning.
The development challenges
outlined above are further
compounded by a large and
growing young population that is
entitled to live in a world with
equal and better learning and job
opportunities.
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Need for Alternative Skill Base
Critical thinking
Entrepreneurship
Openness
Creativity
Conventional disciplinary approaches are no
longer sufficient to produce graduates with
needed skills and capacities to address the
complex challenges of sustainable
development.
OMA is positioning itself within a holistic
and interdisciplinary approach to learning
that aspires to create a workforce with a
renewed set of qualifications that could
drive desired social, economic and
environmental development. OMA
graduates will be trained to work in
complex, multidisciplinary and international
environments grounded in ethos such as
entrepreneurship, social responsibility,
openness, creativity and reflectiveness.
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Building Leaders
OMA Contribution:
Creating a workforce that could
drive not only desired
economic, but also social and
environmental developments.
Renewed set of qualifications
Entrepreneurial attitudes
Internationality
Facilitating professional
attitudes, entrepreneurial
abilities, and progressive values
in the region.
Improving inter-cultural
understanding, tolerance, and
trust through multi-cultural
dialogue and practice.
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The OMA
Concept
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The Offer
World class educational
experience, applied within
the regional context
Professional qualifications
OMA will offer aspiring leaders
with world-class knowledge,
expertise, and qualifications in
public policy, development, and
business that are rooted within
the regional context.
OMA education will be delivered
in partnership with eight worldrenowned universities - made
accessible to the people of the
region through grants and
subsidies from OMA trust
funds.
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Unique Attributes
Core Values
Good education is based upon a balanced
mix of knowledge, values and character
Approach to Learning
Partners and Alliances
Organizational Setup
OMA concept is designed to provide a
balanced mix of theoretical and applied
learning in close interaction with societal
needs - rooted in core values of
responsible leadership, entrepreneurship,
and critical thinking.
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Core Values
Entrepreneurial attitudes
Value-based leadership
Reflexivity
Tolerance and trust
Critical thinking
Multi-cultural dialogue and
practice
Problem-solving
Knowledge for societal
transformations
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Approach to Learning
Interactive
Problem based
Self-assessed and selfdirected
Multi- and interdisciplinary
OMA students will be challenged to
work and cooperate in groups to
seek innovative solutions to
identified real-life problems and
situations
While focusing on each
specialization, all students will learn,
and gain experience about the
relevant elements of social,
technical, economic, political, legal,
medical, and natural science
disciplines.
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Partners and Alliances
University of Cambridge
Lund University
Royal Technical Institute
Delft Technical University
Success of OMA’s educational model is
dependant on having strong ties with
private sector organizations, local and
international institutions. The current
concept of OMA has been developed
in collaboration with several worldrenowned universities that will provide
leading edge knowledge and expertise.
Wageningen University
University of Paris 1- Sorbonne
Central European University
Al-Azhar University
OMA aims cooperate with other
academic institutions based in Jordan
and NGOs such as the United Nations
University, the Princess Sumaya
University for Technology, and the
Council for Assisting Refugee
Academics, which currently has 39
universities as members of its network.
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Organizational Setup
Not-for-Profit
Organization
Independent
Accreditation
Scholarships granted
to 50% of the
student body
Sustainable
financing through an
endowment fund
OMA will be an independent, notfor-profit organization, with its
own academic accreditation ,
campus and physical
infrastructure. OMA will ensure
that its program are accessible to
people from all income levels in
the region through scholarships
and grants.
To ensure long-term financial
sustainability, OMA will have two
endowments. One to cover
operations and one for
scholarships.
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Academic
Programs
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Degree Programs
OMA degree programs
allows for specialization
in one of four broad
areas driving sustainable
development:
environment, education,
health and design of
products & services.
Environment
MS in Sustainable Energy Systems
MS in Sustainable Water Systems
MS in Environmental Leadership
Education
MM in Leadership in Learning
Products & Services
MS in Sustainable Food Systems
MM in Sustainable Tourism
MS in Sustainable Product & Service
Design
Health
MS in Public Health & Prevention
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MS in Sustainable Energy Systems
Graduates of this program will
be well positioned for career
paths in a variety of settings
including working for
governmental agencies, energy
companies, financial and
consulting firms or
international organizations.
MS in Sustainable Energy Systems is
provided in partnership with the Royal
Institute of Technology (KTH) of
Sweden. This degree program provides
state-of-the-art education in the field of
sustainable energy systems and
technologies with a concentration on
power generation, solar energy, and
energy utilization. In addition,
participants in this program will acquire
skills in management, communication,
and implementation of policies related to
driving energy related development.
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MS in Sustainable Water Systems
Graduates of this program will be well
positioned to:
1. Work in organizations and consortia
driving water infrastructure projects
of various scales.
2. Improve water use efficiency in
industrial, domestic and agricultural
sectors.
3. Assist water policy development and
implementation in regional, national
and international organizations.
MS in Sustainable Management of Water
Systems is provided in partnership with
the Royal Institute of Technology
(KTH), Sweden. This program is
designed to prepare candidates for
leadership positions that possess the
necessary skills to drive positive change
in the water sector. After completion of
this program, participants will have
acquired a cross-disciplinary
understanding of the water situation at
varying spatial levels as well as acquired
competencies in different policies,
measures and tools for effective
valuation and governance of water
systems.
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MS in Environmental Leadership
Graduates of this degree program
will be well positioned to work in
the public policy domain as policy
makers, researchers and
environmental analysts, or in the
business sector as environmental
strategists, entrepreneurs or
consultants.
MS in Environmental Leadership
is provided in partnership with
Lund University of Sweden. A
two years degree program
providing multi-disciplinary
education on the linkages
between society-environmenteconomy with emphasis on
preventative environmental
approaches applicable to
businesses and development
planning.
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MM in Leadership for Learning
Graduates of this program
will be well positioned as
change management
specialists that will be able to
lead effective learning
processes in education,
business or any learning
community.
MM in Leadership for learning
is provided in partnership with
the University of Cambridge,
UK. The degree program offers
emergent perspectives on the
process of learning and change
management. Participants will
acquire skills on effective
leadership for driving change
and progress in learning
communities being in schools,
universities, companies and/or
public organizations.
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MS in Sustainable Food Systems
The program qualifies
candidates for career options
in the agri-food supply chain
or for working with
development agencies in rural
development programs.
Graduates with
entrepreneurial inclinations
will be able to develop supply
chains for niche markets.
MS in Sustainable Food Production
and Rural Development is provided
in partnership with Wageningen
University in the Netherlands. The
program is designed to provide
candidates with knowledge and skills
for the analysis, exploration, design
and management of food production
systems at scales ranging from a
single farm to international supply
chains integrated within a sustainable
development perspective.
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MM in Tourism Development
The program prepares graduates
for senior positions in
governmental and international
agencies concerned with tourism
development. Graduates of this
program will also be well
positioned for careers in the
private sector as strategists /
advisors in the fast growing
international tourism industry.
MM in Sustainable Tourism
Development is provided in partnership
with University Paris 1 – PantheonSorbonne. Participants in this program
are provided with a multi disciplinary
learning on the design and management
of tourism development with a focus on
the preservation and enhancement of
cultural and environmental assets. The
program also provides a foundation in
impact assessment and integrated
evaluation of tourism activities as well
as legal and market steering instruments.
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MS in Sustainable Industrial Design
Graduates of this program will
be well positioned to drive
new business start-ups or
work as specialists for large
firms in the field of
sustainable product and
service innovation and
commercialization.
MS in Design of Sustainable Products
and Services is provided in partnership
with Delft University School of Industrial
Design in the Netherlands. The two year
degree program offers training on
systematic approaches to the design of
new products and services in addition to
performing complex design activities with
modern methods of design technology. A
holistic perspective on design is built into
the program through integrating social,
business, and ecological aspects in
planning, executing and managing
complex product development processes.
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MS in Public Health & Prevention
Graduates of this program will
be well-positioned to work with
public and private providers of
health services as well as
national and international
bodies responsible for designing
and implementing health
programs – either as consultants
or as senior advisors.
MS in Preventative Approaches to Public
Health is provided in partnership with the
Faculty of Medicine, Division of Social
Medicine and Global Health, at Lund
University. The program is designed to
provide competencies and training to
effectively deal with identified and pressing
public-health challenges. After completion
of this program, candidates will have
gained a deep understanding of how social
influences, economics, regulation and
legislation, and facilities could be mobilized
to improving and sustaining individuals and
population health.
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Training Programs
Public Policy &
Governance
.
Educational Reform &
Pedagogy
Entrepreneurship &
Business Development
Public Health and
Prevention
Through the network of its
partner universities, OMA
will make available high
quality and affordable
professional training and
capacity building programs
targeted to decisions
makers in government, and
business and community
organizations in the fields
of education, environment
and health.
Environment and
Natural Resources
Development
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People &
Organizations
Dr.. Ismail Serageldin and Prof. Anders Flodström in the first planning
workshop for OMA concept, Alexandria Library, April 2007
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Founder - Peder Wallenberg
The OMA initiative is pioneered and driven by
Peder Wallenberg’s passion and interest in modern
learning methods and the changing role of academic
institutions in society.
An architect by profession, Peder Wallenberg has
been on the board of many large Swedish
companies, such as Astra, Swedish Match and
Providentia, and is currently chairman of the board
of Lingfield AB, a private equity investment firm.
He is the the settler of the Peder Sager Wallenberg
Charitable Trust, providing donations to various
foundations and projects. Peder is also the founder
of Carpe Vitam Foundation which supports
research and projects within the fields of education
and culture.
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Development Team
The following individuals have
participated in OMA concept
development:
Mr. Peder Wallenberg – Founder, Carpe Vitam
Dr. Ismail Serageldin – Director, Library of Alexandria
Prof. Anders Flodström – Chancellor, Swedish Universities
Prof. Pierre Yves Hénin – Vice Chancellor of Paris 1
Sorbonne
Prof. Pierre Beckouche – University Paris 1 PantheonSorbonne
Prof. Emiratus Jan Hjärpe – Lund University
Prof. Abdel Rahman Nusear – Vice President, Al-Azhar
University
Prof. John MacBeth – Cambridge University
Dr. Marcel Crul – Industrial Design, Delft University of
Technology
Ass. Prof. Jan Carel Diehl – Industrial Design, Delft University
of Technology
Mr. Tareq Emtairah – IIIEE, Lund University
Dr. Murat Mirata – IIIEE, Lund University
Ms. Karma Shawa – Carpe Vitam Foundation
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Seed Funding
Carpe Vitam
Seed funding for the development of the OMA project is
provided by Carpe Vitam Foundation. Carpe Vitam was
founded by Peder Wallenberg to support cultural and
education projects in partnership with UNESCO that aims
at bridging cultural difference and preparing the next
generation to become active citizens in our complex
globalised world.
Related projects of Carpe Vitam include:
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Project Zero for the development of new learning
methods in collaboration with Harvard and
Cambridge Universities.
The Limshaga Academy: a school adopted to using
Project Zero Learning Methods
The Open Minds Global Initiative for leadership
development in cooperation with the World Guide
and Scout Movements.
Learning Development Center in Quesir, Cairo.
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Strategy Plan
Prof. Anders Flodström, OMA Concept Development,
Alexandria 2007
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Education Focus
Strategy Objectives:
Masters Degree
Program
Professionals Training
Program
1.Offer the first OMA masters
degree program by year 2010 in four
different specializations. The
program will expand to 8
specializations by the year 2016.
2. Offer on continuous basis
customized leadership training /
capacity building programs for
professionals working in public
policy, business and community
organizations.
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Students
Strategy Objectives:
Composition/Target
Students
OMA will target students from the
countries of Middle East and Africa.
OMA will also attract a smaller fraction
of the student body from outside the
region and from partner universities.
Projected Number
In the first three years, OMA will
accept 16 students per year for each
specialisation. This number will be
raised to 24 after three years.
Scholarships
OMA will grant 50% of its student
body full or partial scholarships.
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Faculty
Strategy Objectives:
OMA will depend on the
faculty members of its
partner universities in the
first few years.
Faculty from partner universities will
gradually transfer their responsibilities
to OMA faculty:
•
By 2013, programme
responsibilities will be equally
shared between local faculty and
faculty from partner universities.
•
In 2018, local faculty will assume
full responsibility for the
educational programmes.
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Infrastructure & Campus life
Strategy Objectives:
OMA Knowledge Village
will be a showcase of a
world class learning
community
OMA will offer modern and inspiring
facilities both for curricular and non
curricular activities.
The built infrastructure will reflect the
ethos and values of OMA through:
• Open and inviting spaces for interaction.
• A Knowledge Village for students and
faculty to live and interact with local
communities.
• A built environment that adheres to
principles of ‘green’ and ‘sustainable
buildings’.
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Governance & Management
Strategy Objectives:
OMA management and
governance will be
based on the principles
of good governance,
accountability,
effectiveness, and
transparency.
OMA seeks to attain a
governance structure that is
diverse in nature encompassing
representatives in the filed of
academia, and figures within the
business community and public
sector that is international and
includes representatives from the
Arab region.
OMA will also ensure a gender
balance within its governance
organs.
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Location
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Jordan – an ideal location
Regional Gateway
Stable political environment
Growing young population
Promising skill base
OMA has selected Jordan as an
ideal location due to its central
geographic location and
political stability – making it an
attractive destination for
potential candidates in
neighboring countries.
We also think that the
government may be committed
to reform in the educational
sector thus proving a
welcoming environment for the
OMA concept.
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Spillover Effects
Generating employment for:
Catering Staff - Education
- Administration
Construction/Infrastructure
Services - Manufacture
- Marketing
- Transport
Attracting foreign capital.
Developing surrounding
villages and communities with
the presence of foreign and
local student and faculty
residing in OMA campus.
Positioning Jordan as a
pioneer in providing cutting
edge education and
excellence in the region.
Strengthening Jordan’s
educational ties with worldrenowned academic
institutions.
Creating a pool of competent
leaders that possess the necessary
skills, knowledge and attitude
capable of contributing towards
sustainable development.
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