Recognising excellence: meet the EAIE's 2017 Award winners
We live in a world today where outstanding advocates in the field of internationalisation are needed more than ever before. Fortunately for the EAIE and those it serves, there is no shortage of these individuals. With many of us surrounded by these passionate professionals every day, it was difficult for the EAIE Awards and Talent Committee to narrow down the selection. However, the time has come to recognise those who continue to work tirelessly to further the field of international higher education. Read today’s blog and become inspired by our 2017 EAIE Award winners.
Institutional Award for Innovation in Internationalisation
Recognising a European higher education institution for its exceptional efforts to promote internationalisation, this year’s Institutional Award for Innovation in Internationalisation goes to Ghent University in Belgium. This institution has been at the forefront of the implementation of all European higher education funding programmes since the start of the Erasmus programme, and they have continued to contribute as coordinators of critical projects such as the EGRACONS and the eQuATIC tool. Come learn from university representatives about the steps Ghent University has taken to develop its comprehensive internationalisation strategy during their session at EAIE Seville 2017.
Constance Meldrum Award for Vision and Leadership
Honouring inspiring leaders for their contributions to the field, this year’s Constance Meldrum Award for Vision and Leadership goes to Alan Smith and Hywel Ceri Jones. Alan and Hywel have dedicated their careers to assisting the European Commission in the early stages of the Erasmus Programme and further developing the project. Their outstanding commitment to internationalising higher education is an inspiration to us all, especially on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Erasmus programme.
Alan Smith devoted his entire career to European cooperation in education. As Operations Manager of the European Commission’s ‘Joint Study Programmes’ scheme for higher education cooperation, Alan participated actively in developing ‘Erasmus’ and was Director of the Erasmus Bureau during its first five years. He completed his career with various positions at the European Commission, in particular developing the adult learning programme ‘Grundtvig’. He is widely-published on European and international cooperation in education.
Hywel Ceri Jones was Head of the European Commission’s first-ever Department for Education and Youth Policies, as well as the Commission’s Director for Education, Training and Youth. He played the leading role in the design, negotiation and management of several EU flagship programmes, notably Erasmus, Comett, Tempus and Petra. He also played a special role in the promotion of equal opportunities and in the development of the EU’s policy on behalf of disabled persons.
Bo Gregersen Award for Best Practice
This year’s Bo Gregersen Award for Best Practice winner goes to Stig Arne Skjerven and Marina Malgina in recognition for the impressive external reach and impact of their project, an initiative called ‘European qualification Passport for Refugees’. Their work supports refugee education and increases the effectiveness of integration into the society of host countries.
Stig Arne Skjerven is Director of Foreign Education at the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT). In addition to leading the Norwegian ENIC-NARIC office, he has been crucial in developing recognition schemes in Norway. He has experience as an elected representative of the EAIE and he is currently a member of UNESCO’s Drafting Committee for the Global Convention for Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications.
Marina Malgina has been leading NOKUT’s work in developing and implementing recognition procedures to support refugees in accessing further studies and employment since 2010. Prior to that she worked for several years as a credential evaluator and a university lecturer.
Rising Star Award
This year’s Rising Star Award honours Adriana Perez Encinas, whose contributions across the EAIE’s activities have not gone unnoticed in the last two years. A Lecturer, Researcher and PhD Graduate at Autonomous University in Madrid, Adriana has participated in EAIE Academies as a trainer, contributed as an author for Forum magazine and is currently serving as a Steering Group member for the Mobility Advising Expert Community.
Many congratulations to the 2017 EAIE award winners! We look forward to honouring their achievements at the 29th Annual EAIE Conference and Exhibition in Seville.