The Canadian Bureau for International Education presented its annual Excellence Awards this week, showcasing innovation and outstanding leadership in the sector.
In this year’s accolades, the President’s Award for Distinguished Leadership in International Education, recognising outstanding leadership in the internationalisation of Canadian education, was awarded to both Ann Buller of Centennial College and Vianne Timmons of the University of Regina.
“I made a vow that internationalisation for students was critical for the global world we need”
Presenting the awards at the 49th annual CBIE conference in Niagara Falls, CBIE president and CEO Karen McBride said Buller’s work at both CBIE and Colleges and Institutes Canada has “greatly enhanced the profile of internationalisation and in particular, the benefits of cross-border mobility, for both Canadian and international students: the two-way street of international education”.
“I am rarely at a loss for words, but I find myself that way at the moment,” Buller said.
Vianne Timmons, who McBride said has “championed internationalisation at the institutional, national and international levels”, related how she decided early in her career to dedicate herself to international education
“I made a vow then as an assistant professor that internationalisation for students was critical for the global world we need,” she said. “Our job is to ensure that they are well prepared to leave this world a better place than we left it for them.”
Focussing on service to international education within a particular institution, the CBIE Chair’s Award for Meritorious Service went to Judy Macdonald of Vanier College.
Presenting the award, CBIE chair Patrick Deane said that Macdonald has “constantly fostered the inclusion of Vanier’s diverse student population through innovative strategies”.
And the CBIE North Star Award for Emerging Leader in International Education went to Teeba Alsafar, whose mentorship programme at Memorial University of Newfoundland has been highly successfully in “providing students with meaningful opportunities”, commented CBIE director Katie Orr.
The awards also recognised two students for their leadership in international education. The Elizabeth Paterson Award went to Mubanga Ngosa and Danish Soomro, co-managers of Fraser International College’s Peer Education Program.
As well as the individual awards, three Panorama Awards showcased outstanding international education programmes.
Winning the academic category, the Master of Science in Global Health programme at McMaster University was described as an “innovative, collaborative programme” which provides “hands-on experiences that mirror the complex international work situations graduates will face in the real world”.
The Global City & Global Campus Network at Ryerson University, a unique cross-border broadcast project created by students, researchers and educators in different countries, won the extracurricular category.
And the capacity-building award went to the Mikumi VTC Solar Project at Nova Scotia Community College, a joint student project to create a solar power and water pumping system for a campus in Tanzania that tripled the number of NSCC students going abroad in 2015.
