H. James Harrington Awarded Medal by Arab University

(Quality Digest: May 29, 2009) -- The first Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University Medal was awarded to H. James Harrington, Ph.D., on April 8 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), for his efforts to support quality education throughout the UAE, and for his leadership as chairman of the advisory board of the e-TQM College. The college was the first e-learning educational institution in the Middle East.

Harrington is the CEO for the Harrington Institute, in California, and for Harrington Middle East, in Dubai, providing a full range of consulting services including management, technology, education, e-learning, knowledge, and Six Sigma solutions. For more than 11 years, he’s shared his knowledge with Quality Digest’s readers in his column “Performance Improvement.” Harrington served 10 years as an A-level member on the ISO/TC 176, the technical committee responsible for revising the ISO 9000 series of quality management standards. During the mid-1980s he served as president and then as chairman of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), two of the many achievements earned during his 20-plus-year membership with ASQ. Traveling the globe through these endeavors, he’s served in the honorary role as president of the Asia-Pacific Quality Control Organization, director for the Association Chilean de Control de Calidad, and as quality advisor to the Chinese government.

Harrington is now honored in the Arab world for his quest in promoting education in total quality management through the e-TQM College, established in 2002. Although one of Harrington's earlier achievements as chairman of the ASQ was the establishment of the World Crusade Harrington says that the two are not really related. “[The e-TQM College] developed from knowing a lot of people that have devoted their lives to being true quality professionals,” he explains.

 

Dr. Mansoor Al Awar (left), Vice Chancellor of Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University and H. James Harrington at Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University award ceremony.

As chairman of e-TQM College’s advisory board, Harrington has participated from day one. “The team at the college set new ground rules and developed new approaches that the rest of the world will learn from. I am happy to have been part of the team,” says Harrington.

The success of e-TQM College propelled it to evolve into an e-university; on February 2, 2009, the Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University was officially launched. It carries the name of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. The e-University has four main colleges, e-school of quality and business management, school of e-education, e-school of health and environmental studies, and e-school of continuing education.

“There was a lot of satisfaction seeing an idea grow from nothing to a college and then into a university," says Harrington. "This award is a symbol of what can be accomplished by people working together.”

According to Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, chancellor of Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University, “The UAE has always been a leader in the Arab world when it comes to adopting latest practices and innovative methods in the various sectors. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has realized the added value that the e-TQM College has been providing to the UAE by raising awareness about the principles of total quality management driven by its qualified team of world-renowned quality experts. We are proud to be the first e-learning institution to have officially recognized academic programs by a ministry of education in the Arab world. This move reflects the progressive approach of endorsing innovative techniques and practices in the education sector in the UAE.”

For more information about the e-University, visit www.hbmeu.ae/en/home. For more information about the Harrington Middle East Institute, visit www.harrington-me.com .

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