Adjunct Assistant Professor Marshall Jen: Fostering Entrepreneurial Growth and Student Development in EdUHK

Mr Marshall Jen is the Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies at The Education University of Hong Kong. He is a seasoned entrepreneur as well as a scholarly practitioner. He founded his first company during the final year of his undergraduate studies in Canada, and successfully exited the business before returning to Hong Kong. After returning to Hong Kong, he established a consulting firm specialising in succession planning and family office talent development. He also served as the Executive Director of the CUHK’s Centre for Family Business. 

Besides founding businesses and conducting research, he teaches at our department and other tertiary institutions. He often uses his spare time to organise various activities for students, helping them to build extensive social networks. Marshall shares his experiences and reflections on teaching at this department. 

Question 1: Why do you remain passionate about teaching after establishing your own business? 
Answer 1: During my teaching experience, I found that students have limited exposure to the outside world, and their thinking and perspectives need broadening. As a teacher, I intend to expand their horizons. Through the courses in the Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Social Entrepreneurship and Development Studies (BSocSc(SEDS)), I grow alongside the students, encouraging a shift in their thinking modes to help them not only prepare for future entrepreneurship but also solve various challenges they face in life. Once students learn to handle these challenges, they will be better equipped to face the future independently. The entrepreneurial journey is full of trials and tests one’s values, so as entrepreneurs, one must uphold their principles. I taught design thinking in class, a people-centred approach to problem-solving, aiming to enhance students’ empathy, problem identification, and confidence. Through repeated attempts and learning from failures, students gradually build their confidence. 

One of my students asked me, “any event made you feel the proudest and most successful?” Frankly, this cannot be answered by a single event. Teaching is like playing chess; I am the one uncovering and securing scarce resources behind the scenes while students need to seize opportunities to broaden their horizons. For example, I introduced the concept of Public-Private Partnership in one of my course, and in late October, I led the Year 1 BSocSc(SEDS) students to participate in an event organised by the Kowloon City District Office. Although the attendance was voluntary, nearly 90% of the students participated enthusiastically. After the event, many students stayed behind to interact with guests, such as Mr Gary Yeung, the President of Smart City Consortium. These valuable experiences enriched the students’ theoretical and practical understanding when they returned to class. I hope they can leverage these network in the future. 

Throughout my teaching career, I have also led students to dialogue with executives from various industries, such as senior management in PCCW, to learn about decision-making processes firsthand. I actively assist the department in establishing connections with distinguished persons across sectors, such as Ms Gilly Wong Fung-han, the former chief executive of Consumer Council, and Mr Mahesh Harilela, Family Council Convenor of Harilela Group Ltd., who recently engaged with our students on campus. These are previous experiences. 

Question 2: You teach in this department and at various tertiary institutions. Are there differences at the EdUHK when compared to other institutions? 
Answer 2: I deeply appreciate the team of BSocSc(SEDS) programme. Compared to other institutions, this programme has a strong collegial culture, and it will support its students in order to create a positive learning environment. Students at the EdUHK generally exhibit the resilient and hardworking “spirit of Hong Kong”, which is impressive and full of potential. Some graduates of the program have maintained contact and have even become colleagues.

Students are proactively seizing opportunities to participate in various competitions both inside and outside the university. Over the past years, I have guided many students in competitions, assisting their participation in entrepreneurship competitions in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. Recently, one student successfully entered the university’s Education+ and Social Entrepreneurs (EASE) Fund Scheme and was awarded a seed fund of HK$600,000, a notable achievement. 

This academic year, as the capstone project coordinator, I embedded the Hong Kong’s largest social enterprise startup competition – the Hong Kong Social Enterprise Challenge, as part of their capstone project. During the process, I matched students with practitioners from various fields, allowing them to enhance the quality of their project preparation by learning from these mentors’ first-hand experiences.