Professor Philip Michael Allmendinger joins the Forward College team in a bid to reinvent the current higher education model.
Operating in Lisbon since September 2021, the international Forward College has just announced the appointment of Professor Philip Michael Allmendinger as its Academic Director.
With a remarkable track record, the professor joins the Lisbon European institution. Between 2015 and 2020, Allmendinger was the dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Sciences at the University of Cambridge, having held the position of vice-rector until 2022 before joining as number two at the equally renowned University of Bath in the United Kingdom.
The investment in a world-renowned faculty coincides with the launch of the third campus in Berlin. The first group of students who entered in 2021 in Lisbon, a city considered the primary European hub, will now complete their studies in the German capital. Aiming to reinvent the traditional higher education model, the three-year university programme takes its students to three European capitals: Lisbon, Paris and, finally, Berlin.
From Cambridge to Forward College: former dean joins the project that wants to reinvent the current higher education model
Graduated in urban planning and expert in urbanism, Phil Allmendinger has more than 25 years of experience in higher education in the United Kingdom, including 14 years at Cambridge, where he was professor, head of department, dean and vice-rector.
At Cambridge, Phil Allmendinger led the creation of interdisciplinary courses, particularly those related to climate issues. He also developed partnerships with universities such as Berkeley, the National University of Singapore and the University of Munich. It has been number two at the University of Bath since September 2022, an institution that was named Times Higher Education University “University of the Year” for 2022/2023.
Phil Allmendinger joins Forward College’s senior management team to support the institution’s academic ambitions. As Academic Director, he will be responsible for educational and scientific management and will aim to develop a growing international academic team recruited from the best European universities.
For Boris Walbaum, founder and president of Forward College, this is a moment of consolidation of notoriety: “We are particularly proud of Phil’s arrival at Forward College. His technical and institutional knowledge, global academic network, demand for excellence, appetite for innovation and commitment to equal opportunities made him the ideal candidate for Forward College. Furthermore, it is great news for our students, who can count on an excellent ambassador to represent our institution in the best universities and schools, where they can then continue on to master’s degrees.”
“When I found out about Forward College, I was impressed by the fact that the vision and approach of this new institution corresponded exactly to my understanding of the new needs of students, companies and employers. This evidence and the team’s seriousness inspired me to take a step forward,” explains Phil Allmendinger, Academic Director of Forward College.
After Lisbon and Paris, Berlin: training in human intelligence continues
After the Lisbon and Paris campuses, Forward College’s international project continues with the opening of a third campus in Berlin, where the school’s first class of students is starting their final year. Founded by Boris Walbaum, former advisor to the French Minister of Finance, between 2002 and 2004, Forward College aims to shake up an outdated view of higher education by offering innovative training to international students.
Small classes, individual classes and projects applied to real life are part of the challenge that combines tradition and innovation, where the development of other forms of intelligence (practical, social and emotional) prevails to create a more human type of leadership and ethics.
The first curricular year started in September 2021 in Lisbon and coincided with the inauguration of the campus in the Portuguese capital. In 2023, Forward College has 100 places available for almost 2,000 applications, making it one of the most selective and demanding European institutions. Its financial aid policy, unique for a private institution, involves dedicating 20% of its revenue to support 40% of its students financially.
The Forward College educational model was developed under the academic direction of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and King’s College London and accredited by the University of London. It aims to respond to the increasingly greater demands of the job market, bringing together the development of soft and digital skills in the same curricular universe.
Available courses cover areas of specialization such as Economics, Politics, International Relations, Data Science, Business Management and Psychology. The comprehensive and multifunctional model includes workshops and courses integrated into programmes emphasizing personal development.
