|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
| Home
|
Mission
| Programmes |
Institutional information (this page was last updated on: 11 August 2010)
Summary
Forthcoming. During 2010-2011, continuing to build on the successes it achieved in the past ten years, the school proceeds further with its Next Decade plan.
Recent developments. THIERRY is, in academic-programmatic terms, and as of 1 September 2010, the international affiliate in Belgium of INSIL, Institut Supérieur International de Leadership, International Higher Institute for Leadership. Previously, during 2009-2010, and while maintaining its vocational and statutory independency, THIERRY in Belgium had been the special liaison organisation endorsing INSIL's candidacy as a private institution of higher education in France. In April 2010 INSIL obtained approval and matriculation by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research of France.
Extended information
Roots, research, first programmes. The THIERRY Graduate School of Leadership was founded in the year 2000, in Belgium, by Jean-Pierre Bal. At the beginning of the 2000's decade leadership was still a relatively new discipline of study in which to attend entire curricula at the graduate or postgraduate levels. In fact less than ten educational institutions around the world were providing long-duration programmes in the specific field of leadership, and eventually leading to a degree. Our school initially offered a comprehensive leadership programme (in the then Rootstock or non-degree programmes unit). A year later the degree-programmes unit started offering the curriculum leading to a Master of Arts in Leadership degree. The launch of the first programmes, of the school, was preceded by a developmental phase of two years, itself being the continuation of extensive leadership development research that had been ongoing since the early 1990s. Subsequent to the MA programme other degree curricula were introduced, leading to an MPhil degree (2003), and to a PhD degree (as of 2005).
About leadership, discipline of study. The programmes offered at THIERRY are in the specific domain (discipline of study) of leadership, therein being comprised, for example, courses in leadership; development and education; management and mastery of change, and environmental ("green") leadership. In the THIERRY curricula and courses leadership is the pivotal element, as in a vortex where the related course subjects are corollaries to the core axis in which the multidimensional approach (across disciplines, sectors, professions, and cultures) prevails. The courses offered by THIERRY focus on developing practical expertise in leadership -- in leading, and in educating leaders; not about leadership in the sense of an academic science. Furthermore, the school's mission is world-oriented; however the total number of students per year, all programmes combined, is limited to fifty at the utmost (cooperative projects not included).
Inception, statutes, funding. By its interdisciplinary approach to leadership, as well as its independency by statutory provisions, our leadership school was the first in its field and of this type in the entire Europe. The School was founded by virtue of the civil rights of organising education, as provided in Article 24 of the Belgian Constitution. Not being funded by governmental subsidies or similar grants, nor by endowments, the school purposely functions as an autonomous, self-sustained institute funded by tuition fees only. In operational terms it is a department of a private and not-for-profit educational organisation with legally registered statutes (bylaws), and governed by a board of trustees. In line with the independency principle there are no political, religious, or sectarian ties or connections whatsoever.
To the present day the school still is one of only very few sui generis type of institutions of higher education around the world, operating with the abovementioned set of principles, conditions, and provisions.
Educational systems, status. On grounds of, on the one hand, its raison d'être; and on the other hand the main language of instruction (English), plus the type of programmes and field or category of study (leadership), the modes of programme delivery (including distance education), the school can technically-speaking not be part of either or both of the two higher education Communities' systems in Belgium. The latter systems are based on various factors including the linguistic and political Communities intrinsic to the nation; the recognised institutions of Belgium being de facto the State-subsidised ones only; the established educational categories or disciplines of study in each of the Communities; or other factors that are not compatible with the school's independency, or in stride with the Constitutional freedom.
Nonetheless, the public recognition of our graduate school is that of being regarded or accepted as a supra-Communitarian type of institution, or international educational institution of Belgium, with non-partisan roots. Furthermore, while the school had since the start reckoned with the "technical" aspects, the latter did not hamper the institution's sustained growth, based mainly on the demonstrated quality and reputation of its programmes, and internationally.
The now completed affiliation with INSIL of France has provided an indirect and alternate basis for, amongst others, the official higher education registration of programmes, curricula, and educational methodologies and delivery, yet without affecting THIERRY's statutory bases and principles of independency.
Diploma plus degree programmes, twin curricula. After many years of experience in providing leadership education, a time-span during which other educational institutions or university organisations provided the master's and doctoral degree-earning possibility for our students, the school modified in 2008-2009 its one-stage degree curricula into two-stages' ones. By this change still more emphasis has been placed on actual leadership development and growth, than on the final degree per se. The two-stages are found in the twin curriculum PhD path for participants at the postgraduate (post-master's, pre-doctoral) level, and in the graduate/masters programme (MA). The successful completion of the first stage leads to a Graduate Diploma in Applied Leadership Studies (DAL, or GD), or in Environmental Leadership; or to the Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Leadership Studies (PALS, or PGD).
The DAL and PALS graduates can complete the supplemental requirements for a master's degree; or the research and thesis for the doctorate degree. This is being made possible in several ways; by means of intercollegiate joint-agreement(s) or validation, or the normal credits' transfer system between institutions, or in some cases on special recommendation by the school's executive director (ex officio chairman). In the course of the 2010-2011 academic year a form of streamlining will be achieved in respect of the degree-earning paths, a process undertaken in cooperation with INSIL.
Top leadership (CEO) programme. For top executives at the highest level in organisations the school offers an exclusive top-level programme, called CHRONOS. It is aimed at chief executive officers (CEO) in various types of organisations, and leads to the equally exclusive Chief Executive Leadership diploma of the school.
Other programmes, seminars. Other programmes include the Summer Residencies (since 2003); the programmes, curricula, and courses leading to a Certificate in leadership, or environmental leadership; to a Diploma in Leadership (non-graduate level); as well as a series of seminar type of course modules, "The 4 Dimensions of Leadership" being the flagship one (this module is found in all of the school's programmes).
Programmatic standards, assessment. Building further on already established norms and standards, and in correlation with and subordinate to intercollegiate accords, the school adopts in 2010 the "QUADRA" set of policies and procedures (Quadra is internally used, or surname of the set). It is an extensive, institution- and programme-wide, norm-system which combines the accreditation standards from four external sources into one comprehensive set ("Quadra" stands for the four axes, and the four connecting angles, comprised in the set of policies and procedures). All is contingent on the requirements set forth by the separate regulations the educational institutions active in the intercollegiate partnerships specifically, have to comply with.
|
General Information:
|
||
|
© Copyright 2009-2010, The THIERRY Graduate School of Leadership. All rights strictly reserved. |
Updated: 11 August 2010 | ||
 |
