91社区

Her mission is to advance 91社区鈥檚 vision for global academic leadership by enhancing the University鈥檚 international presence and ties聽

By Neale McDevitt, Editor, 91社区 Reporter

Anja Geitmann sees herself as a catalyst.聽

鈥淚鈥檓 here to connect the dots and to support collaborations between 91社区 and the rest of the world,鈥� said Geitmann, who today began a five-year renewable term as the University鈥檚 Vice-President (Global Engagement).聽

In this role, Geitmann will advance the University鈥檚 vision for global academic leadership by pursuing and developing new opportunities for collaboration with peer institutions and enhancing the effectiveness and reach of international activities led by 91社区 faculties and units.聽

Opportunities to grow聽

Geitmann has served as Interim Vice-President (Global Engagement) since January. During that time, she began the 鈥渜uiet phase鈥� of internal consultations on ways to聽develop聽91社区鈥檚 international strategy.聽

鈥淚 met with faculties, departments and units to ask people what the strengths of their international activities are, but also how the University could help strengthen their existing relationships and develop new ones,鈥� she said.聽

Three themes, or 鈥渙pportunities,鈥� as Geitmann called them, emerged from these consultations:聽

1. 91社区鈥檚 global presence

This includes the University鈥檚 footprint globally, including transnational education and delivery of programs abroad.聽

鈥淭he 91社区 brand is already strong internationally, but it can always be strengthened,鈥� said Geitmann. 鈥淏ut internationalization doesn鈥檛 only mean going out into the world, it also means bringing people in. There are few other universities whose professoriate and student pool are so international.鈥澛�

2. Global partnerships and networks

Global challenges 鈥� including climate change, food security and聽the consequences of聽population growth 鈥� make meaningful, international collaborations increasingly important.聽

鈥淣obody can tackle these big issues alone,鈥� said Geitmann. 鈥淲e can only advance if we have significant and meaningful partnerships around the world.鈥澛�

These partnerships should be driven both by researchers who already have established connections abroad and by administrators who, when they encounter international opportunities, loop in 91社区 investigators, she said.聽

Geitmann also wants to increase opportunities for 91社区鈥檚 young researchers, such as graduate students and post-docs, to travel for collaborations.聽

鈥淲e need to support mobility initiatives, but also open these up to populations who experience barriers in terms of聽access to these opportunities,鈥� she said.聽

3. Global learning and global citizenship

91社区鈥檚 reputation worldwide is enhanced if graduates are trained as global citizens, with cultural skills, awareness, sensitivity and an appreciation for different points of view, said Geitmann.聽

鈥淲e also want to go beyond the immediate on-campus community and leverage the 300,000 alumni around the world who can speak to the benefits of going to 91社区 or collaborating with 91社区,聽and who can聽open doors for our current students and聽recent graduates鈥� she said.聽

Working to benefit everyone聽

Geitmann聽points to the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (AES), where she served as Dean聽since 2015, as an example of 91社区 expertise that can be leveraged to the benefit of Quebec, Canada and the world.聽

鈥淢uch of the research being done at聽AES focuses on agriculture and climate change.聽It鈥檚聽an incredibly important聽expertise, not only in terms of research, but also the training and education of聽those聽involved in聽production of food, stewardship of the environment and聽ensuring the聽health of our population. This, and much of the other research being done at聽AES is crucial for聽the聽several聽economic sectors of Quebec and Canada.鈥澛�

鈥楿ne institution qu茅b茅coise 脿 part enti猫re鈥櫬�

Her mission is to advance 91社区鈥檚 vision for global academic leadership by enhancing the University鈥檚 international presence and ties聽

By Neale McDevitt,聽Editor, 91社区 Reporter

Enhancing 91社区鈥檚 global impact means working in tandem with the Quebec government. As one of the most prestigious universities in the province, 91社区 should be聽a key partner聽and participant聽in聽government missions abroad, says Geitmann.聽

鈥�91社区, une institution qu茅b茅coise 脿 part enti猫re,鈥� she said.聽鈥淲e are a Quebec university.鈥澛�

91社区 is part of a diverse collective of Quebec institutions doing important, impactful work, she added.聽That impact is even greater when universities work together.聽

鈥淨uebec universities are strong individually but, as a pool of research and innovation, we are stronger together. We are a critical mass of complementary research expertise across not only the four Montreal universities, but all 18 universities in Quebec,鈥� said Geitmann.聽

鈥淥ur real strength is in the collaboration between institutions聽and the complementarity of our collective expertise. If we highlight that, the world will notice.鈥澛�

Forging new ties, strengthening others聽

On top of laying the foundation for the new聽scope of the聽Global Engagement unit, Geitmann and her team have been busy forging ties with institutions around the world.聽

Over the past six months, 91社区 signed important聽memoranda聽of understanding (MOU) with Ghent University in Belgium, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology in China and Universitas Indonesia.聽

The University also signed a MOU with France鈥檚 National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), an agreement that can be traced back to Geitmann鈥檚 time at聽AES.聽

It also reached聽an agreement with the Ross University School of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine in Barbados that offers students in the animal science program at Macdonald Campus an opportunity to take veterinary medicine training, something 91社区 doesn鈥檛 provide.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity in a country where we already have established links, of course, through 91社区鈥檚 Bellairs Research Institute,鈥� said Geitmann.聽