For the second year in a row, Humber has been awarded Gold at CICAN’s annual Awards of Excellence ceremony, which is being held in Halifax, Nova Scotia and virtually from April 25-27.
Humber received gold in the Excellence in Global Engagement category for their ongoing leadership and commitment to internationalization and globalization efforts. This is the second award for Humber in this category in the past two years, receiving Bronze in 2021.
“To receive recognition two years in a row, and to win gold this year, is really special for every member of the International department and the entire Humber community,” said Andrew Ness, dean, International.
Humber’s application emphasized many of the college’s diverse and industry-leading international initiatives, which includes:
- Opening of International Graduate School in 2020, which now includes 899 students from 55 countries Launch of Humber’s Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Global Virtual Exchange Framework in 2021 (COIL website)
- Humber’s International Development Institute now has seven projects in two countries valued at $6 million dollars
- Expansion of international opportunities on campus through Humber’s Global Summer School
- Enhanced virtual mobility through the award-winning Global Systems Gap Challenge
Humber’s international partnership strategy currently focuses on 34 international academic collaborations across 24 countries. In 2019, Humber created the Global Polytechnic Alliance (GPA) - an international partnership of three global institutions - Humber, Otago Polytechnic (New Zealand) and VIA University College (Denmark) - to work on multinational solutions. Thus far, the GPA has significant achievements related to microcredentials, program development and research.
“Our international partnership strategy provides endless collaborative opportunities for our students, faculty, staff, and our community and industry partners. This work is embedded in Humber’s DNA,” said Ness.
Humber's 2018-2023 Internationalization Strategy drives international learning and initiatives at the college. It stresses the importance of teaching students to be global citizens who have the skills and knowledge to be successful on the world's stage. Development on the next plan is well underway.
Since 2015, Humber has won eight CICan Awards of Excellence, including three gold, one silver, and four bronze awards.