Building Bridges: From Heritage to Empowerment
- Dr Pauline Crawford
- Aug 5
- 4 min read
A Reflection by Dr. James A. Omps on the Next Chapter of the International University of Entreprenology
Every generation is given a choice. One can preserve the past exactly as it was or he/she carry evolving regenerative principles forward into a changing world.
In 1972, my father, Dr. James R. Omps, and his esteemed colleagues, a US Senator, Orrin Hatch, and a retired US Airforce Colonel William A 'Bill' Long , founded the International Institution of Entreprenology (IIE) in 1972 from the Hawaii location at the Business School at the University of Hawaii. Prof Omps based this innovatove enterprise upon a bold belief: Education should not be solely what people acquire from the innumerable hours spent in a classroom.
Education should also acknowledge what they have experienced, what they have created, and what they imagine is possible. That philosophy became the foundation of the evolution to the International University of Entreprenology (IUE), where we have brought Knowledge. Experience. Imagination Together for more than half a century. That vision has been carried forward for more than five decades, by my father and myself, preserving the university's heritage while ensuring that its principles remain relevant throughout changing times.
In 2011, something unforeseen occurred when my professional commitments, President of IUE took me to Budapest, Hungary to honor friend and colleague Gian Franco Terenzi, President of the World Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (WUSME).
At that conference in San Marino, I was fortunate enough to meet the lady who would be my new partner in life and enterprise. That happy accident, if you will, not only brought Pauline T. Crawford into my life, it proceeded to bring me to the precipitous realization that the leadership of the IUE had, for far too long, inadvertently neglected to embrace a minimum of fifty percent of the resources needed to develop our organization effectively and, more importantly, appropriately.
As a matter of record, I grew from the application of entreprenology and music. A lifelong performer, I discovered that it is one’s intrinsic, natural gifts – not necessarily the takeaways from a series of conventional classrooms - that makes us who we are and/or the direction that life will often take. My soon to be partner and future PHD, Pauline Crawford, had spent three decades of her productive life working across Europe, Asia, Africa and America, helping leaders navigate life’s complexities through communication, relationships and authentic leadership. Neither of us realized that meeting would become the beginning of the IUE’s next chapter.
Over the ensuing years, our conversations confirmed those things that we knew would occur. It was confirmation of forethought – a profound discovery.
The world has changed.
Leadership has changed.
Entrepreneurship has changed.
Both Pauline and I knew these things well in advance of their occurrence. How? I believe it was futurist and author Alvin Toffler who once said, “Change is not merely necessary to life - it is life.” The IUE's founding philosophy had not become outdated, it had become more relevant than ever.
But one important dimension was waiting to emerge. The future would not be built by women alone, nor by men alone. Not through competition. Not through division. It would be shaped through their partnership. This was never about adding women to entreprenology. It was about completing the conversation.
Today, as Dr Pauline Crawford, my wife, life partner and collaborator, becomes the first female President of the International University of Entreprenology, it is with deep respect for those who came before that she embodies this role and the legacy of entreprenology. This is not a change of direction but rather the continuation of a journey.
Together with our Board of Directors, we are committed to preserving and taking the IUE’s heritage forward while preparing it for the next generation of entrepreneurs, educators and visionary leaders. The principles remain unchanged and our motto will forever be, Bringing Knowledge, Experience and Imagination Together.
Our responsibility is to ensure those principles continue to illuminate the future, because leadership is not about holding on to the past, it’s about carrying forward what matters most. The next horizon is not built by one generation; it is built by each generation choosing to become trustworthy stewards for those who will follow.
The lighthouse is a symbol that the principles remain constant while the horizon continues to expand.
2026 isn't the year the University changed direction — it is the year it consciously chooses to evolve while remaining true to its founding philosophy. This is a legacy worth building.
Finally, let me quote futurist Alvin Toffler one last time. Keep in mind that: "Knowledge is knowing ... or knowing where to find out."
My heartfelt gratitude to my father Dr. James R. Omps, Founding President and Visionary Entreprenologist (1921-2014), and the co-founders whose vision will continue inspire future generations.
Dr James A Omps
Senior Member of the Founding Team and Preceding President
International University of Entreprenology
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