The winners of Colleges and Institutes Canada’s (CICan’s) Awards of Excellence were announced on April 29, 2024 at CICan’s annual Connection Conference. George Brown College received two honourable mentions: one for Leadership Excellence and another for Global Engagement.
The first honourable mention was awarded to Mandy Bonisteel, Professor, Centre for Preparatory & Liberal Studies; Joanna Friend, Professor, Centre for Community Services and Health Sciences; Jessie Paterson, Professor, Office of Academic Excellence. This team of faculty members from three different academic divisions collaborated to make critical changes to post-secondary education across the province. They created an online, four-module professional development course for post-secondary teachers — Universal Design for Learning: Inspiring Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education.
“It was a wonderful project to be part of — and I’m so appreciative of this honour from CICan,” said project co-collaborator Joanna Friend. “It really did take a village! I want to recognize my colleagues who co-wrote the curriculum and content with me, along with the wonderful interdisciplinary team who helped produce the project. I am so very proud of this course.”
“This project has had a tremendous impact at GBC and across the post-secondary system,” said President Gervan Fearon. “It has reinforced GBC’s position as a leader in Universal Design for Learning across the college sector. This recognition from CICan is truly well-deserved.”
The second honourable mention went to GBC’s Global Partnerships and Education Team, who demonstrated sensitivity, responsiveness and creativity while continuing to focus on exceptional student experiences during the height of the pandemic. They stayed committed to long-term partners and developed effective online experiences so teaching and cultural exchanges could continue.
“CICan’s honourable mention for this team speaks volumes about our commitment to fostering international connections and promoting global engagement within our institution,” said Fearon.
Congratulations to George Brown College’s honourable mentions! Congrats, as well, to all of George Brown’s CICan nominees:
- Indigenous Initiatives - The Indigenous Education Excellence Award
- The Office of Research + Innovation - The Applied Research and Innovation Excellence Award
- Financial Planning Graduate Certificate, School of Accounting and Finance, Centre for Business - The Program Excellence Award
- Honours Bachelor of Food Studies, Chef School, Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts - The Program Excellence Award
- Valerie Scovill, School of ESL and Immigrant Education - The Leadership Excellence Award - Faculty
- Viz Saraby, School of Interior Design - The Leadership Excellence Award - Faculty
- Dr. Ana Rita Morais, Associate Dean, School of Design - The Leadership Excellence Award – Managerial
- Dr. Krista Holmes, Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation - The Leadership Excellence Award – Managerial
- Abha Trivedi, ITS Enterprise Application Portfolio Lead - The Leadership Excellence Award – Non-Managerial
