College of the Rockies honoured by ACCC

College of the Rockies Executive Director, International and Regional Development Patricia Bowron accepts the Gold Internationalization Excellence Award at the ACCC Annual Conference.

College of the Rockies President and CEO David Walls is pleased to announce that the College has been recognized with the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) Gold Internationalization Excellence Award.

Walls and the College’s Executive Director of International and Regional Development, Patricia Bowron, were presented with the honour at the 2014 Annual ACCC Conference in Ottawa on Sunday, May 25.  This award recognizes Canadian colleges’ innovative international programs and partnerships.

“We are thrilled to receive this award from ACCC,” says Walls. “Our passion for internationalization is a great source of pride for us at College of the Rockies. Earlier this year we were pleased to be named number one in Canada and number one in the world for international student satisfaction through the 2013 International Student Barometer survey. To have our international team and employee body as a whole recognized further for their commitment to including a global dimension in all aspects of learning is a great honour.”

“Small rural colleges have unique challenges in trying to meet internationalization goals,” Bowron adds. “I am proud to work with such an innovative team that works so diligently to access the resources and opportunities needed to provide international options for our students, our college and our community.”

For over 15 years, the College has supported the ongoing development of education and training in developing countries and is committed to collaborating with other stakeholders, recognizing value in forming, leading and supporting small partnership projects to enhance internationalization and learning opportunities.

“College of the Rockies’ commitment to train a new generation of global citizens has led it to develop an impressive array of international partnerships”, said ACCC president and CEO, Denise Amyot. “They have also shown us that all types of colleges, whether urban or rural and no matter the size, can engage with partners on a global scale and develop successful international projects.”

Over the past few years, the College has launched international initiatives in a number of countries and developed a large network of partners, opening up student mobility opportunities on every continent but Antarctica. Intensive recruitment efforts abroad have led to the College hosting students from over 30 different countries. Approximately six percent of the College’s student population now comes from outside Canada.

College of the Rockies has also taken an active role in primary and secondary school events in the City of Cranbrook as well as in the greater East Kootenay region. These outreach activities and participation in community multi-cultural events help to increase local awareness of international issues.

College of the Rockies Business Administration faculty member Greg McCallum supports the College’s international focus. “The more we connect with the world around us, the better suited we will be to adapt to the globalization that is taking place,” he says. “The opportunities to bring international learners and educators to the College and have our students and faculty assist in other countries will connect our countries and increase trade, global environmental awareness, and cultural understanding.”

To learn more about College of the Rockies International projects go to: cotr.ca/interdev