CBIE honours the recipients of our Excellence Awards during the annual conference. Developed by the Board of Directors, the Excellence Awards Program recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of international education in a range of specialties.
Member Emeritus Award
Richard Poulin
Université Laval
Thanks to his extensive experience, Richard Poulin has been a source of inspiration for many international education stakeholders. He has played a key role in boosting Université Laval’s visibility and international standing. In addition, he has taken part in numerous committees, projects and conferences, where his contributions and experience carried significant influence.
Richard has also been an outstanding ambassador for Canada around the world. His track record includes a number of innovative and important initiatives, including supporting the development of recognized mobility programs and major international cooperation projects; forging stronger ties between universities in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres; and implementing, along with his team, the Policy on the Safety of International Travel and Travel to Remote Regions of Canada, an ambitious undertaking that inspired a number of Quebec universities seeking a safer and more effective approach to managing international relations. After heading Université Laval’s International Office for 15 years, Richard retired in the summer of 2021. He can take pride in his international education career and his many achievements.
Board of Directors Leadership Award
Carol Zachs
Simon Fraser University
Carol brings almost 20 years of experience working in the field of International Education, but this number alone does not adequately showcase her deep understanding, rich experience, and impact within the field.
Carol’s contribution to the field has extended far beyond her role as Senior Director of Global Engagement at Simon Fraser University. Her strong leadership within the community of international relations professionals has had – and continued to have – a significant and long-lasting impact on other colleagues and institutions in both Canada and abroad.
Her fellow members in CBIE’s International Relations Professional Learning Community describe Carol as a “resourceful, supportive and collaborative” colleague. She has forged respectful and cooperative relationships with stakeholders and partners in pursuit of deeper engagement globally.
We are extremely fortunate to have Carol leading in our community, and to be able to call her our colleague and mentor.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Award
Vander Tavares
York University
Vander Tavares was nominated for this award in recognition of his significant research-based contribution to higher education. His research advocates for a more ethical and inclusive view of multilingual international students in higher education. Tavares calls on Canadian universities to return to the founding principles of internationalization and recognize, celebrate and integrate international student diversity into the socio-cultural fabric of present-day higher education. His research is presented in a book entitled “International Students in Higher Education: Language, Identity and Experience from a Holistic Perspective” (Lexington Books, 2021), which employed a critical, holistic, and humanistic investigation into the lived experiences of four multilingual international students at a Canadian university by drawing also on the perspectives of faculty, support staff, and local students in relation to their experiences engaging with multilingual international students.
Elizabeth Paterson Award
Mohamed Bouya Ely Vall
Université de Moncton
In addition to being an exemplary student, Mohamed Bouya Ely Vall is of great character and possesses impressive leadership skills. When he arrived from Mauritania in 2015 as an international student at Université de Moncton (UdM), he spoke neither English nor French. In the span of just a few months, Mohamed Bouya was already getting by in French and learning English – a testament to his dedication and perseverance.
Mohamed Bouya has committed himself wholeheartedly to UdM since he first set foot on campus. In addition to his extracurricular activities, he has held various professional positions, including within the Faculty of Administration. He has also mentored new international students just beginning their journey at the university. Mentoring has been a highly positive and educational experience for Mohamed Bouya and his mentees.
North Star Award
Sandra Efu
Keyano College
At Keyano College, Dr. Sandra Efu is known for always going above and beyond, especially drawing awareness to international education efforts. Through Sandra’s leadership and selfless pursuit to foster a culture that embraces international education and global citizenship, Keyano has made great strides in improving international initiatives at the college and in the community of Fort McMurray. Sandra spearheaded Keyano’s first international recruitment and support services strategy and created Keyano’s first internationalization strategy. Through her leadership, Sandra brought diverse voices together to help shape Keyano’s future in international education.
Panorama Award
Dr. Karen Dubinsky and Dr. Susan Lord
Queen’s University
Dr. Karen Dubinsky and Dr. Susan Lord are a model for leadership in student mobility. These two individuals’ commitment to excellence has paid off with the Cuban Culture and Society program. Queen’s has seen numerous cohorts of students coming out of this program transformed with new academic goals and ways of understanding the world. Dr. Dubinsky and Dr. Lord’s collaboration, careful planning, and advancement of meaningful cultural exchange are outstanding in the modern landscape. Over a decade has passed since this program first launched. It has been a decade of resourceful leadership and an incomparable level of international relationship-building dedicated to widening students’ understanding of Cuba. As the world adapts to its upcoming challenges, their model of focusing on intentional learning before and during travel is one that we wish to see emulated across Canada.
Panorama Award
The Global Education and Academic Partnerships Team
Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
Humber’s Global Education and Academic Partnerships Team demonstrated exemplary work designing and implementing the Humber Beyond Covid-19: Global Systems Gap Challenge in spring 2020. The dynamic trio of Rebecca Fitzgerald, Rebecca Trautwein, and Erin Cole led hundreds of students from Humber and around the world through a four-week global program to work through solutions to global challenges. The team marshalled a tremendous amount of support from both inside Humber and with academic partners globally, then implemented and ran the challenge themselves using only technology available to Humber staff. The project amplified the outcomes expressed in Humber’s Strategic and Academic Plans, the Internationalization Strategy, and the Humber Learning Outcomes.
