Forward College
This webinar is a part of an Innovative Universities Global Webinar Series.
Forward College was founded in 2021 by Boris Walbaum, Celine Boisson, and Jeffrey Sampson with a vision to redefine higher education through a blend of academic excellence and personal development.
Forward College students study in three cities: Lisbon, Paris, and Berlin, earning degrees from prestigious institutions like the London School of Economics and King’s College London. But it's not just about the classroom—Forward emphasizes “positive leadership”, personal development of cognitive, social, emotional and practical intelligence.
This approach is about equipping students with the new tools to tackle big global challenges in a fast changing world.
Join the Webinar (valid from October 24th 5-6 CET)
Dr. Boris Walbaum, Founder and President of Forward College
- Walbaum holds degrees from Sorbonne University, ESSEC Business School, ENA, and a PhD in management.
- He began his career in the French Government, working as an auditor and advisor before joining McKinsey as a consultant in multiple sectors.
- In 2004, he co-founded Frateli (now Article 1), a charity helping over 150,000 underprivileged students anually to access and complete higher education.
- Walbaum founded Dual Conseil, a leading strategy consultancy focused on higher education.
- He has been involved in international organizations such as the United Nations as an External Auditor, Aspen Institute as Secretary General of the French branch, Atlantik Brücke’s European young leaders program, and German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Dara’s takeaways:
- Forward College's freshmen study in Lisbon, then move to Paris for the second year and, finally, end up in Berlin for the third year. Why? First, students get to experience three very different cities and understand what they might want a bit better. Second, adjustment trains mental faculties, making students more adaptable. My remaining question: how is the effect of itinerant programs, where the whole cohort moves to a different location, different from international academic mobility?
- Forward College is a teaching center linked to both London School of Economics and the King's College, London. How did they do it? You have to know how to link your idea to the interests and sentiments of the audience: in this case, a European program was a direct answer to the frustration the British academia felt after Brexit.
- Relational pedagogy might be our answer to the question of higher education relevance in the age of AI and tech. What does a university offer that GenAI, tailored to your needs, cannot? Well, generative relationships between faculty and students. After all, we learn not just because we feel we need to, but also because we see someone who is truly passionate about the subject.
- You can lose a lot by optimizing too much in institutional design. There should be some slack.
- Balance innovation and reassurance (should be a mantra for university leaders indeed!).
