University News & Insights
19/11/2025 2025-11-19 22:13University News & Insights
University News & Insights
Culture Happens. Let’s Build One We Love
At Euro University of Bahrain, weโve never viewed culture as something soft or secondary. For us, culture is the operating system of the universityโthe way things actually get done when no one is watching. Thatโs why weโve taken the time to articulate it, not in the abstract, but in terms of the behaviours, expectations and shared norms that underpin how we work. Our Culture Code doesnโt try to enforce conformity or flatten individual voice. Instead, it provides clarity. It gives everyoneโstaff, students and partnersโa sense of how we approach problems, make decisions and learn from failure.At its core are four principles. ๐ช๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐. Autonomy at EUB isnโt a perkโitโs a responsibility. We expect initiative, ownership and good judgement. Not everything requires permission. We focus on results, not time served, and trust people to make things better without waiting for direction. ๐ช๐ฒ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ต. Silence slows us down. Weโve worked hard to foster an environment where people can speak candidlyโincluding to leadershipโbecause challenge is vital to learning. Psychological safety doesnโt mean avoiding disagreement. It means knowing that disagreement is welcome. ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ. This is a place where data, reason and open debate matter more than title or instinct. Decisions should be made by the people closest to the issue, and arguments should be won with substanceโnot status. ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ. Perfection can paralyse. We favour minimum viable plans, rapid iteration, and constant refinement. Getting things done matters. โGood enoughโ is not an excuse; itโs a discipline. Done right, it accelerates learning and builds momentum. These foundations werenโt plucked from nowhere. Weโve been influenced by thinkers like Stephen Covey and Andrew McAfee, and by modern examples of adaptive organisations that value integrity, evidence and speed. But most importantly, this Code reflects what weโve observed within EUB when we are at our best. ๐๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด, ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ต ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต. ๐๐ฆโ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ตโ๐ค๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ญ๐บ, ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ช๐ค๐ญ๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ตโ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ค๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ช๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ.
Learning Isn’t Easy. And It’s Not Meant to Be
A recent piece in Times Higher Education raised a concern that deserves attention. As AI becomes more common in universities, we risk something important. Not a loss of control or academic integrityโbut a loss of purpose. Learning isnโt supposed to be easy. At Euro University of Bahrain, weโve said from the start that students donโt always want difficulty. But they often need it. Because real learning happens in the struggle. In the pause. In the moment something doesnโt come easily, and you have to work it through. Thatโs how judgement is formed. Thatโs how confidence grows. AI can help. But if we use it to smooth over every challenge, weโre not helping students learn. Weโre helping them avoid the very process that builds their understanding. Learning isn’t simply finding the answer. It’s practising how to work through the question to discover the answer for yourself.
Not Everything That’s Asked For Should Be Given
One of the realities of higher education is that students arrive with very different expectations. Some are focused on the long-term. Others are trying to get through the next step. Some want a full experience. Others are simply looking for a recognised degree and a clear outcome. None of that surprises me. Itโs not our job to label those motivations as right or wrong. But it is our job to be clear about what kind of institution weโre building. At Euro University of Bahrain, weโve made deliberate choicesโabout our curriculum, our teaching and the wider student experience. That includes structured internships from the first year, real-world projects and teaching that encourages reflection and independent thinkingโnot just to reinforce theory, but to prepare students for the kinds of decisions theyโll face beyond the classroom. Itโs designed not only for those who arrive seeking challenge and growth, but also for those who might discover those ambitions through the experience itself. That wonโt appeal to everyone. And thatโs fine. Weโd rather be clear about what we stand for than try to be everything to everyone. Hereโs the challenge. What students often want is simplicity, structure and predictability. What theyโll actually needโin the workplaceโis the ability to think critically, make decisions without perfect information, communicate clearly and adapt under pressure. And thatโs not something you can bolt on at the end of a degree. It has to be built into the experience from the beginning. Thatโs the EUB model. ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ข๐ญ๐ธ๐ข๐บ๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ด๐ต๐ถ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ฆ๐น๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ค๐ตโ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต, ๐ฆ๐น๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ญ๐บ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฅ.
To Teach is to Prompt Reflection
Good teaching isnโt about transferring knowledge from one person to another. Itโs about encouraging the learner to pause, to re-examine and sometimes to rethink what they thought they already knew. That kind of education isnโt always easy. It asks students to reconsider what they know, not just to remember it. And that can be uncomfortable. But if we want to prepare young people for a world that is fast-changing, ambiguous and often contradictory, then we have to help them develop the confidence to sit with uncertainty. We have to prompt curiosity, not just deliver conclusions. At Euro University of Bahrain, this is part of our academic culture. Yes, we want our students to succeed in their assessments and careers. But more than that, we want them to ask better questions and to develop the critical judgement to navigate complex realities. That takes time, patience and a very human kind of teaching. The most rewarding moments are not when students find the โrightโ answer, but when they pause and say – I hadnโt thought about it that way before. ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ตโ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด.
Where Education Meets Markets
This week, something quietly powerful took place in the heart of Bahrain Bay. In a district built around investment, capital and long-term economic vision, education walked through the front doorโsat at the tableโand began a conversation about access, structure and possibility. Together with Mrs Ameera Alabbasi, Director of Individual Banking at Khaleeji Bank, I had the privilege of signing an MoU that lays the foundation for a new Sharia-compliant educational financing solution for EUB students and their families. Also present at the signing were Mr Salman Aljanahi, our Chief Operating Officer and a son of EUBโs founder, Dr Ahmed AlJanahi, and Ms Dalal Buasalli, Product Development Specialist at Khaleeji Bank. Salman’s leadership was central to making this partnership a realityโfrom first conversations to final agreement. It reflects the same vision his family has championed from the start: one where education isnโt just a destination, but a bridge to opportunity, contribution and long-term national impact. This is exactly what we mean when we say that Euro University of Bahrain is where education meets markets. Itโs more than a tagline. Itโs a philosophy we build toward every day. We offer world-class degrees. But just as importantly, we design the systems that support learning: structured internships from the Foundation Year, a financial support framework that reduces barriers, andโsoonโa new path to affordable financing, developed with care and purpose. Weโre grateful to the senior team at Khaleeji Bank for their trust and clarity of vision. They understand whatโs at stake, and they bring practical tools to a shared national mission. ๐๐ฅ๐ถ๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ค ๐ช๐ฏ๐ง๐ณ๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ถ๐ค๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฎ. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฌ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ณ๐ต, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ค๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ถ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐บ.
City Centre Conversations: Supporting Informed Student Decisions.
Last weekend, the wonderful team from Euro University of Bahrain (EUB) spent three days at The City Centre Mall speaking with prospective students and their families. I found it a rewarding experience. Conversations ranged from academic goals to future careers, from financial considerations to campus life. And while everyoneโs path is different, one theme kept resurfacing: people want to make a decision they wonโt regret. At EUB, we believe that choosing a university is more than selecting a programme. Programmes at different universities can appear similar on paper, but the learning experience, academic expectations and support structures can vary significantly. We encourage students to be curious, to visit campuses and to speak with faculty. These decisions deserve time and attention. What we offer at EUB is distinctive. Students study for globally respected University of London degrees. These programmes are designed and updated each year by experts from leading UK institutions. All of our degrees are delivered here in Bahrain by academic staff with extensive international experience. Classes are small, relationships are personal and every learner is known by name. Teaching is interactive and reflective, focused not just on content mastery but on critical thinking and human communications. We invest in student growth beyond the classroom. From their first year, students have access to internships, mentorship opportunities and real-world challenges that help bridge the gap between theory and practice. This approach builds capability and confidence in equal measure. It also reinforces the idea that higher education must prepare students for complexity, collaboration and change. We recognise that finances matter. University is a significant investment for many families. Thatโs why EUB offers a broad portfolio of full and partial scholarships, as well as bursaries and financial incentives. These are designed to reward potential, support ambition and make our programmes accessible to those who are ready to make the most of them. To anyone considering their options, you are welcome to tour the campus, speak with our team and explore what makes EUB different. Such interactions matter. They help us understand what students and families are looking for, what questions theyโre asking and what concerns they carry. At the same time, they give the public a clearer picture of what EUB offers, especially our programmes, our teaching philosophy and our approach to student support. ๐๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข ๐ง๐ฆ๐ธ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ง๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ต ๐๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต.
Delivering Strategic Plans: Why Culture, Clarity and Ownership Matter
When I wrote Euro University of Bahrain’s five-year strategic plan, that was the easy part. Knowing what you want to achieve is one thing. Assembling the teams and making it happen is something else entirely. I quickly realised that culture is critical to delivering strategy operationally. Culture should be viewed as your companyโs operating systemโthe platform used to get things done. Companies are the sum of their people and it’s essential everyone understands the big picture, how ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ fit in and how ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ contribute. A plan is not a wishful thought or mere hope. I took inspiration from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, specifically Habit 2: Start with the end in mind. I wrote our strategic plan backwards. I imagined what we could look like in five years. Then I designed KPIs to track progress towards that vision. Next, I worked backwards again, defining the small steps, tasks and strategic objectives that would bring us closer to the vision. Middle managers play a vital role in operationalising the plan. They translate the strategy into day-to-day actions but often get bogged down in process or simply working long hours. The myth that long hours equal good work is common but wrong. What matters is focusing on the right work. Everyone needs to know their strategic goals, their day-to-day priorities and how their success will be measured. Communication must happen at the right frequency. Quick check-ins daily keep teams aligned. Weekly meetings review progress. Monthly sessions link work back to strategy and allow course corrections. Line management is different from general communication. It’s about supporting individuals, helping them prioritise, clearing obstacles and developing skills. Good line managers turn broad strategy into practical steps for their teams. Creating a culture where everyone feels empowered to act proactively is equally important. When we all have the agency to get things done and improve processes bit by bit, delivery becomes a shared responsibility. This ownership drives steady progress instead of bursts of last-minute effort. Finally, I’ve found the 1% principle invaluable. Small improvements made consistently over time add up to big change. Delivering strategy requires steady progress, day after day. Delivering a strategy requires more than a plan. It needs a culture focused on outcomes, clear communication, strong line management and a commitment to continuous, proactive improvement. The ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ you help build, the ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ you provide and the ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ you encourage will determine our collective success.
How do you navigate complex and uncertain problems?
In leadership and research, the toughest challenges rarely have straightforward solutions. Often, you donโt have all the data and the connections between actions and results arenโt always obvious. Human behaviour, for example, can be unpredictable. I’ve learned that speedโthe steady rhythm of trying, learning and adaptingโis essential to making meaningful progress amid uncertainty and complexity. Speed doesn’t mean rushing or cutting corners. Itโs about cadence: an iterative rhythm of doing, learning and improving. We start with a minimum viable plan and then act. Good enough, not perfect. We evaluate honestly, discuss openly what worked and what didnโt, and apply those lessons to the next iteration. This approach requires teams who communicate clearly, take genuine agency, and foster transparency. Only with those qualities can continuous improvement become truly embedded in how we work. This matters because many of the challenges we face in education, research or organisational development are complex and cannot be solved by a single, perfect solution. Instead, we chip away at them over time. Having studied for a PhD myself and then supervised more than 65 PhD students, I have witnessed this process in action. A PhD is not about solving a problem in one leap. It is about iteration: testing ideas, learning from setbacks, refining questions and gradually deepening understanding. The more you learn, the more you know; the more you know, the more you learn. It is a virtuous cycle. As Andrew McAfee emphasises in The Geek Way, rapid iteration and empowered teams are essential to adapting and thriving amid complexity. This mindset is precisely what we cultivate at Euro University of Bahrain. In many ways, this mirrors how we approach challenges: purposeful momentum through continuous learning and honest reflection. Speed is not about haste; it is about thoughtful progress. ๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ด ๐ช๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ. ๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฆ๐น๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ, ๐ง๐ฐ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข ๐ค๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ, ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ง๐ญ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฑ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ช๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ข๐ฎ๐ช๐ฅ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐น๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ณ๐ต๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐บ.
