Student housing solutions in an era of COVID-19
Around the continent, university students face a shortfall of student accommodation, a situation exacerbated by the current COVID-19 pandemic containment measures which call for fewer students in living spaces.
At universities in Kenya and South Africa, students face a shortfall of over 600,000 and 300,000 beds at universities respectively.
“With the WHO voicing alarm at the spread of the coronavirus in Africa, African students living in dormitory-style accommodation will have to adhere to strict hygiene and social distancing measures, as under such conditions, a single COVID-19 infection could yield an uncontrolled outbreak within very short time,” Morad Ahmed Morad, professor of medicine at Egypt’s Tanta University, told University World News.
A Humane Entrepreneurial Oriented Professor
Estimated at the end of last year, ICSB foresaw a dramatic change in the role of the “educator,” be that for entrepreneurial and small business studies or other subjects. This global reshape has led professors and lecturers to confront the barriers posed by responses to the worldwide health crisis. Professor Hooi Den Huan of Singapore described today’s environment as R.U.D.E or rapidly changing, uncertain, dynamic, and engaging. ICSB focused this understanding of our modern environment on educators, expanding that the instructors themselves will evolve from being “bearers of information” to being R.U.D.E. In rapidly changing their knowledge base to grasp new theories and their applications, they will steer the education ship to a safe port of reflection and learning, while mastering engagement. Educators will do more than teach, entertain, and educate. However, they will engage their learners in the real journey of reflection, double-loop learning, and personal growth.
The world will be kinder post COVID-19
Not a single contingency plan was ready for the current situation. But the silver lining is that there are leaders in all walks of life that have stepped up and made a dramatic decision that has helped save hundreds of thousands of lives. History will capture this, and we will set a roadmap for generations to come. It is unfortunate, but it is reality. We learn from situations like this. The world will be kinder
Knowing Knowledge and the Future
In a fully connected and ever-changing world, what does knowledge mean? The global public has access to seemingly all the information that one might desire to know. However, despite this possibility, understanding and information are still somehow disconnected from each other. There seems to be only a select few who can decipher data in a way that presents that data. Yet, again, this translation often does not reach the general public or even the practitioners and professionals that might use it.
Photonic Tensor Cores Boost Machine Learning Capacity for Optical Feeds and 5G
A new approach to performing neural network computations for machine learning using photonic tensor cores instead of graphics processing units (GPUs) suggests 2-3 orders higher performance can be achieved for processing optical data feeds. It also indicates that photonic processors have the potential to augment electronic systems and may perform exceptionally well in network-edge devices in 5G networks.
The Future of Leadership
As I am transitioning into a new leadership position, I am confronted with the higher truths of leadership and how they unfold within an entrepreneurial orientation and, further, a humane entrepreneurial orientation (as found in the theory and practice of Humane Entrepreneurship, or HumEnt). Leadership grasps the critical importance of creating workplace climate and culture, thus determining the state of the Humane Entrepreneurship at any given enterprise.
JSBM Special Issue: Humane Entrepreneurship from Research to Practice
The UN Declaration of the Micro and Small Business (MSMEs) Day, spearheaded by the International Council for Small Business (ICSB), has been a critical milestone in the fulfillment of ICSB’s mission to support entrepreneurs and small business is progressing towards inclusive economic growth. The Declaration, while highlighting the complexity and the multidimensionality of the entrepreneurial role, recognizes the role of MSMEs in the achievement of the UN – Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).