Insights from Dr. Jens Frederiksen: The Top Trends Shaping Education
“We live in a world that has lots of challenges to solve and they are increasingly global in scale, and to solve that, we must gain a variety of perspectives, which has to be multi-disciplinary and multi-global” quoted Dr Jens Frederiksen, President, of New Havens University, USA during his visit to the Jio Institute campus.
Dr Frederiksen advised the students to have an entrepreneurial and proactive mindset, to extract the most out of a new landscape of learning, that is prevalent globally. This culture of comprehensive learning, which includes a personalized curriculum, Research focus, and Internships when imbibed by institutions globally, would benefactor the students in a huge manner. He gave the example of the American education system’s focus on academics, athletics, and overall development, equally and how students have benefitted through it, over the years.
The discussion moved on to emerging technologies and their impact in today’s world. Dr Frederiksen talked about the dangers of the Eco Chamber effect, (where an individual only encounters information or data that only reflects and reinforces their own opinions) in decision-making and how it’s crucial to have a multitude of perspectives. He emphasized that there is no substitute for critical thinking and that a logical approach always helps in better decision-making.
At the end of the session, Dr Frederiksen talked about his journey and reflected upon the values that can make a student become a good leader: Integrity, Determination, Passion, and hard work. He asked the students to always put their best foot forward at every level, trust their instincts, and back it up with their work.
Dr Frederiksen’s insights provided students with perspectives that could inspire them to become future leaders of the world.
Dr Jens Frederiksen is currently the President of New Havens University, USA. He previously worked at Fisk University, in Nashville, Tennessee, where he has served as executive vice president for institutional advancement and enrolment management. Dr Frederiksen has served as a professor at Vanderbilt, Fisk, and the University of the South and as a consultant for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. He earned six degrees in political science, history, economics, and philosophy from Vanderbilt, where he was a member of the men's tennis team.