APLU Names University of Calgary 2017 Institutional Award for Global Learning, Research, & Engagement Winner

Washington, DC – In recognition of its extraordinary global engagement efforts, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) today named the University of Calgary the winner of its 2017 Institutional Award for Global Learning, Research & Engagement. The award recognizes institutions at the leading edge of inclusive and comprehensive efforts to internationalize their campuses.

“To achieve excellence in the 21st century, universities must integrate global teaching, research, and engagement into their missions,” said APLU President Peter McPherson. “Public universities are searching for ways to increase their international presence and the University of Calgary has contributed an exceptional example of how an institution can deepen its impact at home and abroad through international work.”

“We are honoured and happy to be the first Canadian university to receive this prestigious award.” says Vice-Provost (International) Janaka Ruwanpura who spearheads University of Calgary’s internationalization efforts. “Our international strategy and relentless work has served us well and we’re pleased to see this work acknowledged.”

The award recognizes institutions with a demonstrated commitment to:

• Inclusivity — the degree to which the institution is committed to and successful in empowering all students through global learning;
• Research and Engagement of Consequence — the degree to which the scientific, scholarly, and engagement efforts of the institution are directed to addressing pressing global problems;
• Pervasiveness — the degree to which the institution has been successful in fostering a pervasive international culture across campus, including a broad range of internal and external stakeholders in the process of internationalization; and
• Leadership and Measurement — the degree to which the institution’s leadership has made internationalization a priority for the institution and is measuring progress and impact across the institution.

The University of Calgary is working to become a global intellectual hub through the international strategy it launched in 2013. Leveraging the four pillars of its international strategy – diversity, cross-cultural competencies, partnerships and international development – the University of Calgary made vital strides in internationalizing its campus.

The university launched Global Research Initiatives and sites in China and Mexico with more than $57 million in external funding, delivering international development projects, creating collaborative degree models, and increasing its funding commitments to enhance international learning experiences for its students. The university’s undergraduates are studying abroad at a rate 55 percent higher than their peers.

University of Calgary researchers are also currently undertaking international engagement projects in: Tanzania to improve maternal and child health (with more than $12 million funding); in Bangladesh to prevent poisoning from well water contaminated by high levels of arsenic; and in Guyana to establish a cardiac intensive care unit and train nurses and physicians.

In addition to the University of Calgary, Michigan State University, Queen’s University, and the University of Washington were finalists for the award. Last year, the University of Minnesota won the Institutional Award for Global Learning, Research, & Engagement.