ENVISIONING AN OPEN, INTERCONNECTED AND INTERDEPENDENT FRAMEWORK
The university village envisions a campus that is open with strong features of interconnectedness and interdependency. The following are some examples articulating the operational concepts:
Open
• The higher learning experience engages multiple venues, parties and modes.
• The students and village community will be engaged with local and global challenges that lead towards sustainable solutions.
Interconnectedness and Interdependency
• While sustaining individual uniqueness, jointly designed offering of activities/programmes are strongly encouraged through the practice of trust collaboration.
• This trust collaboration between participants is based on the Quadruple Helix concept.
• There will be a strong drive towards cross fertilization of contemporary and traditional technologies, facilities, knowledge and expertise.
In its manifestation, it is where resources, expertise and effort can be pooled together, or shared, to create an enriched and even more supporting atmosphere where the participants work in harmony towards mutual benefits and growth, e.g. in areas such as teaching, research, or for any knowledge-related engagements.
UNIVERSITY VILLAGE CONCEPT AND ITS CREATION
A More Contemporary Working Model
In line with our Green Concept and Philosophy, University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) believes that in the new challenging era there is a need to pursue new perspectives that lead to the creation of new models of dynamic entities that are eco-friendly and Nature-based.
Globally, we have migrated from the Holocene Age to the Anthropocene Age, when humans have established themselves as the dominant species on Planet Earth, gained dominion over Nature and have the means of destabilizing Planet Earth and its inhabitants.
An Eco-centric Model
To move in this direction, we believe we should move away from the very human-centric perspective to one that is more eco-centric. This we can achieve by paying due attention to Nature, learning how it has been successful in sustaining a dynamic and sustainable ecosystem. Hence, our very first proposition is to construct a Nature-based ecosystem.
The Ecosystem
Our concept visualizes the creation of an ecosystem based on the worldview of eco-centrism whereby every participant has an inherent value. This value is upheld and respected by all the participants in the university village. It is an inclusive ecosystem that is founded on the spirit of collaborative trust rather than the conventional gathering of competing agents.
This is congruent with the notion of coopetition, whence the participants (various institutions and its residents) in the ecosystem give due focus to achieving success of the village by engaging in a network of committed partners, relationships and dynamic activities.
Its Form
The concept of a university village is unlike others, where the emphasis is still very much bounded by perspective of physicality, i.e. the manifestation of the village is limited to creating a physical campus with an environment that is conducive towards being independent, physically complete and self-sustainable.
We believe today’s challenging scenario requires that we leverage on the virtual world. Hence, the university village we conceive would manifest itself, both in the physical and the virtual worlds.
In its apparent manifestation, we have a physical entity; a university campus that serves as the foundation of a village, comprising various institutions of higher learning, its residents as well as those who interacts with the village. The active participants also include the environment (non-humans). In the extended form of manifestation, the virtual component will complement the physical entity.
UNIVERSITY VILLAGE UNDERLYING STRENGTH
Based on Strong Collaborative Trust.
The university village envisioned is one that transcends over constraints created by being fixated by physical reality, like the conventional need to have a large area to house various physical infrastructure. Rather, it will be an open and connected campus, leveraging on the virtual dimension. Further, emphasis will also take the path of optimal accessibility achieved through sharing of resources among the partners. This will reduce wastage as well as optimise investments for an optimal ROI and maximal positive impacts to society and Nature.
It sees the growth, long-term sustainability and resilience of any organisational entity, or any establishment including institutions, being built based on a foundation that is sync with a dynamic resilient ecosystem which features constructive interactivity, interconnectedness, interdependency and harmonization.
Possessing Regenerative Power
This will also provide for a more complete, wider or equilibrium approach to be taken into consideration, especially in seeking novel and holistic solutions toward addressing the magnitude and overcoming the multitude of challenges faced today.
In addition, it is the collaborative dynamics which provides an underlying impetus for expansion, regeneration, reinvention, or even the reinvigoration power for adaptive transformation.
It is the resilient ecosystem that will sustain all its participants, be it small or large, and the interconnectedness and interdependency ensue actions in a web of relationships which is ever evolving, dynamic and adaptive.
Diversity in Unity
In today’s borderless and richly connected world we believe mobility, in its conventional physical sense, and the virtual forms should be elevated further. As such, the university village advocates and embraces diversity. However, this diversity as guided by the Green Concept and Philosophy of UCSF works to the realization of the concept and practice of unity in diversity; all moving in the direction of wellbeing and harmony.
Without this guiding principle, we foresee the perennial challenge for the various participants to embrace the ‘other’, due to racial, cultural, beliefs and ideological differences, as one of us. Collectively, the strength of this diversity will yield new insights and generate innovative ideas and solutions which are more holistic, balanced and inclusive in nature.
