2017: A Year in Review

Year end is a time to look back over the past 12 months and take pride in our achievements. Here are some of the highlights of 2017:

Learning Beyond Borders: A National Conversation on Learning Abroad

On February 23 we launched our signature initiative Learning Beyond Borders with the support of over 90 member institutions who committed to raising awareness of the benefits of learning abroad and to specific actions to get more of their students to take advantage of learning abroad experiences. Through this campaign CBIE has leveraged its national network of member institutions as well as its own advocacy, communication, research and professional development capacities to shine a spotlight on the critical importance of learning abroad for Canadian students and for the country. At our Annual Conference in Halifax we shared highlights of the campaign.

#LearningAbroad Community

In April we launched the Canadian Learning Abroad Alumni Community on LinkedIn, led by educational institutions across Canada, and managed by CBIE. This network enables Canadians who have had a learning abroad experience to engage and connect with like-minded individuals and help inspire learning abroad through storytelling, insights and advice. Membership in this group is open to Canadians who have completed a learning abroad experience. Membership has grown actively to over four hundred.

International Students and Immigration Education Program

Eighty learners enrolled in our online International Students and Immigration Education Program (ISIEP) for international student advisers (ISAs) with a cumulative average pass rate for the RISIA entry-to-practice exam of 96%!

Key Immigration Issues and Challenges

Over the past year CBIE’s Immigration Advisory Committee developed a series of briefing notes which addressed key challenges for international students, outlining impacts and recommendations. These have been disseminated to the membership and key partners, including colleagues at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Launching Economic Achievement Program

In February CBIE began the implementation of the Launching Economic Achievement Program (LEAP) for Women in Jordan, a 4 year, $5 million project which supports women’s economic empowerment through programming which improves the enabling environment for female entrepreneurs. The program is funded by the Global Affairs Canada and managed by CBIE, in partnership with Ryerson University and INJAZ.

Agreement with Commission on Higher Education (CHED)

In June the Canadian Bureau for International Education and the Commission on Higher Education launched a project to strengthen the qualifications and capacity of Filipino higher education institutions. The project includes four programs: CHED-CBIE Scholarship for Graduate Studies in Canada designed for faculty and non-teaching staff of Philippine Higher Education Institutions (HEIs); Internationalization of HEIs Training Program; Second Career /Adult Education Training Program and Community College Best Practices Training Program.

In July CBIE delivered a comprehensive training program in internationalization to senior leaders from universities in the Philippines. Training took place in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal.