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Roots (history), Focus, and Status of the Graduate School

The THIERRY Graduate School of Leadership was founded in Belgium by Jean-Pierre Bal. Our School started offering its first degree-programme -the Master of Arts in Leadership (MAL) - at the turn of the 21st century. The programme-launch was preceded by a developmental phase of two years, further building on extensive research initiated in 1992 at the Baldwyn Institute (the former training and development think-tank based in Belgium, and integrated into the School at the end of the 1990s). The THIERRY practice-oriented rootstock programmes, and masters and doctorate curricula, include, amongst many other components, an expanded and progressive learning version of the 4 Dimensions of Leadership, the leadership development programme that has been in existence since 1967. Furthermore, a process of practical research and study of leaders, and about leadership, across the centuries (spanning nearly three millennia of worldwide civilisation), has been ongoing for the past fifteen years.  

 By its interdisciplinary approach to leadership, through which leadership is also established as an academic discipline of study, as well by its statutory foundations, our leadership school is the first in its field and of this type in Europe. Based in Belgium, our School was founded by virtue of the civil rights guaranteed by the Article 24 of the Belgian Constitution. Our institution is world-oriented; its mission flows across countries and continents, far beyond the borders of the European Union. Not being funded by governmental subsidies or similar grants, nor by endowments, the school purposely functions as an autonomous, non-profit, self-sustained institute funded by tuition fees only. THIERRY is an entity of a private and not-for-profit educational organisation, with legally registered statutes and activities, and governed by a board of trustees. In line with the independency principle there are no political, religious, or sectarian ties or connections. The school also operates its own internal financial aid system, called TuitionBridge.

In the first half of this decade the Graduate School undertook a staggering ascent to the highest levels of leadership education worldwide. The international accreditation of our MA, EML, MPhil, PhD, and of the exclusive Coryphaeus degree-programmes became an important milestone in the "beyond borders" recognition of our institution, and in demonstrating that leadership can be a fully-fledged discipline of study at the post-graduate education level. Degrees are awarded upon the recommendation of the Faculty of our Graduate School (further details, see >> programmes and degrees). 

Our Graduate School also undertook another leap towards the future, by means of a remarkable reverse time-travel into the medieval past. In connection with research undertaken in cooperation by faculty members at other educational institutions, our School has been entrusted, since 2008, with the role of being the custodian of the historical legacy of an ancient leadership school, founded in Western Europe more than twelve hundred years ago ( >> more).

Last but not least, the main focus of our educational approach is the special attention and care expressed to  our programme-participants -- in preparing each one of our graduates to the responsibilities of effective leadership, or of leadership education and development, in various types of organisations, and environments, and at many levels. The number of places in our degree-programmes unit is therefore limited, to a maximum of fifty participants per year. This choice is furthermore supported by the proven fact that although most human beings have innate leader talent and abilities, far less individuals experience a will (intrinsic want, desire, drive) that is strong enough to support the actual steps leading to the state of becoming (being) a (better) leader.

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