Faculty of Arts - Award in Internationalization (Previous Winners)

2010
Russell Smandych, Professor (Sociology)
Specialist in comparative criminology, Dr. Smandych envisions his scholarship, teaching, and service/outreach as the foundation for a compelling international dialogue that illuminates a Canadian experience of learning and discovery. Smandych has developed courses in comparative criminology that emphasize global issues in criminal justice systems. He has mentored both local and international students through readings and undergraduate and graduate theses that have emphasized understanding of international approaches to criminal justice, including youth crime. He has developed productive international scholarly collaborations that have given students direct access to other international voices. His students accredit him with their ability to “look outside the box” and to provide “a more complete and holistic understanding to the subject matter” long after they have left his classes and pursued doctoral or professional degrees outside Manitoba. As one student commented, “he opened my eyes to the idea that if we only examine ourselves in isolation, we will never learn other ideas and methods of how to make for a more . . . productive society.” Another student underscored the importance of Smandych’s work on the legacy of “colonial laws on indigenous peoples in New Zealand, Australia and Canada”: It is “emblematic of his desire to bring the experiences of hitherto colonized peoples to [light] and his quest for justice for the Other.” A colleague noted that “internationalization is a theme that stands out clearly” in Smandych’s work. He “draws attention to the ‘global’ and the importance of cross-cultural comparative analysis [as] an integral component . . .”  In his dedication to studying criminal justice systems from an international perspective, Russell Smandych is making a lasting impact on his discipline and on the educations, careers, and outlooks of collaborators and students who have benefited from their associations with him.

2009
Enrique Fernández, Associate Professor, French, Spanish & Italian.
A Specialist in early modern Spanish literature and 19th/20th c. Spanish literature, cinema and history, Dr. Fernández’s scholarship, teaching, and service/outreach exemplify his exuberant engagement with creating novel and compelling international experiences of learning and discovery for his students, academic colleagues, and members of the broader Manitoba community. One colleague underscored his current and “sustained dedication to initiating international experiences for Manitoba students abroad and welcoming international students in Winnipeg, creating outreach events that showcase the University and the Spanish language, and . . .engaging other faculty members in his international interests.”  Dr. Fernández is recognized for the lasting and profound impact that he has had on students in developing their critical awareness and respect of other peoples and other languages that has led them to careers in Spanish-speaking countries and in language education throughout Canada. He also is dedicated to making international students feel at home away from home, for example, in his staging of a campus celebration of El Dia de los Muertos, or in his production of a campus week of free Spanish cinema and the month-long  Noche del cine/Notte del cinema/Nuit du cinéma celebrating Spanish, Italian, and French classics. As one former student commented, “. . .[Dr. Fernández] situated Spanish culture not only in a European context but in a broader global setting giving it relevance. . .his students emerge with an appreciation and awareness of global conditions which enable them to situate themselves within a larger international context rather than restricting thought to a singular European or North American vantage point.”

2008
Cheryl Dueck, Associate Professor, Geman and Slavic Studies.
A specialist in Eastern German literature, German cinema, 20th c. German literature and culture, post-unification studies, and women’s studies, Dr. Dueck has extended opportunities for student learning and academic exchange in Germany and throughout eastern Europe. Through her insight, communication skills, and drive to open cross-cultural learning and collaboration to our students and faculty, she negotiated the University’s participation in the national consortium, Canadian Year in Freiburg, where students pursue classes at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität and are immersed in German language and culture. In addition to her role in coordinating other exchange programs offered through her Department (to Lviv, Ukraine; St. Petersburg, Russia; Trier, Germany) as Department Head and as Coordinator, Central and Eastern European Studies, she has used her energy and position to open another, exciting inter-cultural portal for scholarship with Szeged University (Hungary). One colleague underscored the unique combination of Dr. Dueck’s research, teaching and service in an international context by stating “all her research benefits the students . . .Dr. Dueck understands her German and European Studies research always from the role as cultural ambassador, of Canada in Germany, and German and Central European culture in Canada."

2007
Lea Stirling, Associate Professor, Classics.
Canada Research Chair in Roman Archaeology and international authority in Roman North Africa, Roman ceramic production, and cemetery archaeology, Dr. Stirling has used her energy and position as co-director of archaeological research in Leptiminus, Tunisia, to provide exceptional opportunities for the development of international understanding among the diverse members of her research teams and local peoples. Not only does the “cultural experience of living in a small town in Tunisia widen [student] perspectives”, according to a colleague, but the diversity of these teams—Canadian, American, British, French, Finnish, and Tunisian—provides a successful model for cultural immersion, sharing, and adaptation. Dr. Stirling’s exceptional ability to move from archaeological scholar to local community member is evident in invited participation of her and her teams in local Tunisian life. As one colleague states, she has an “unusual ability to communicate to a diverse public audience the joy she derives from her work, as well as its human dimension which cuts across both time and space.”

2006
John G. Adair, Professor Emeritus, Psychology
Impressive in the scope of his contributions to internationalization—sustained over many years and continuing throughout the past academic year—from the classroom, to the University, national, and global communities, Dr. Adair is described as the most internationally oriented faculty member in Psychology. Through his scholarship he has promoted the indigenization of the discipline of psychology throughout the world; fostered links across the international community of psychological scholars and researchers; mentored international students in psychology at Manitoba; and demonstrated distinguished administrative leadership in cross-cultural conferences throughout the world. His is an outstanding record of working to improve global understanding within the context of his discipline.

2005
Dr. George MacLean, Political Studies, has devoted his career to, as a colleague noted, “the principle of broadening our collective understanding of ourselves and others through a greater appreciation of perspectives, cultures, and issues in an increasingly globalized international system.” In research, teaching, and community outreach, he has expanded understanding of international relations; published extensively in multilateralism, economic integration, arms control, and human security; and represented Canada as advisor to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada throughout the world, among others. Recognized internationally as an expert in human security and arms control, invited to speak and consult throughout the world, he also shows outstanding devotion to facilitating students’ understanding of themselves as international citizens. Three times named to MacLean’s list of “most popular profs”, he offers courses in introductory politics, international relations, and international political economy, and has written a core textbook with a strong comparative approach, placing Canada in international context. An engaging public speaker, Dr. MacLean spreads knowledge of our international connectedness as a regular speaker at schools and organizations in Manitoba. A colleague states” Dr. MacLean has shown...a deep and abiding interest in raising awareness of issues in the global arena.”