2014 SIEF Award Recipients

Waterloo International is pleased to announce the winners of the first annual Staff International Experience Fund (SIEF). Congratulations to our recipients!

2014 SIEF Recipients

Jana Carson

Waterloo International has given an award to Jana Carson, Manager of Evaluation & Accountability in the Department of Institutional Analysis & Planning. She will be travelling to Monash University in Melbourne, Australia in April 2015.

Jana is enthusiastic to learn how key institutions carry out activities including strategic planning, indicator development, survey administration and institutional data management. She will observe how their international counterparts use data processes to inform strategic planning and support decision making for the institution.

I am thrilled and honoured to have been awarded the SIEF. This is an incredible opportunity to learn about promising practices in institutional planning from our partner institutions. Travelling is always a transformative experience, and I hope to return to Waterloo with lots of great stories to share!

Tanya Andrews

Tanya Andrews is the only employee at the University of Waterloo cross-appointed in the Student Success Office and Counselling Services. Tanya has been awarded the SIEF to travel to ETH Zurich in Switzerland, the University of Rome in Italy and the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in Spain in mid-April, 2015.

Tanya wants to learn how internationally acclaimed institutions are incorporating life skills into their first year programming and curriculum. Universities worldwide have been faced with the challenge of welcoming students who meet high entrance standards only to find high dropout rates, under performance and lack of fulfillment at an all-time high (Lowe & Clarke, 2003).

Through her experience abroad, Tanya will enhance the aims of the mental health review by encouraging the importance of thinking in term of preventative, early identification and intervention.

Our campus is rich with students and staff from around the world. They bring with them valuable knowledge and experiences that make the UW a wonderful place to work. I want to go out and explore other universities, learn great international ideas, and have my chance to bring something back to make our school even better!

Jennifer Kieffer

Jennifer Kieffer is the Senior Manager of Policy and Enrolment
Planning in the Department of Institutional Analysis and Planning. Jennifer will be travelling to the United Kingdom in April.

Jennifer's travel is focused on building Waterloo’s connections with the Russell Group, an organization of 24 leading research-intensive universities across the United Kingdom that parallels the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities. Jennifer will be visiting the Russell Group Headquarters in London as well as several member institutions including the University of Warwick, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and King's College London.

I am happy to see Waterloo making this investment in staff members with projects that also benefit UW strategically. This project provides me with the opportunity to take on a significant challenge that will test and strengthen my research and consultation skills.

In recent years, the U15 has undergone a significant transformation, moving the organization from one that focused heavily on supporting internal management, to one that is much more public-facing, focused on building a strong advocacy agenda on behalf of Canadian research-intensive universities. Jennifer will investigate how the Russell Group operates and what Waterloo and the U15 might learn from their experiences. She is particularly interested to learn how individual member universities benefit from the broader advocacy efforts of the Russell Group and how member institutions leverage their membership to support their strategic goals.