Message From Board Chair and Interim President and CEO

Message from the Board Chair and Interim President & CEO

When EduNova adopted a new five-year strategic plan in 2019, few, if any, would have guessed that a global pandemic would have been the most significant factor influencing our second year.

While COVID-19 has certainly affected EduNova members in 2020-21, the fundamentals of international education in Nova Scotia, as promoted by EduNova on behalf of our members, remain constant:

1. A high-quality learning experience, whether at our post-secondary institutions, public schools, independent schools or language schools; 2. Warm, welcoming communities for young people to build lives, not only through their studies but by staying after graduation; 3. Helping international students who wish to stay in Nova Scotia after graduation find good local jobs in their field of study; and 4. Connecting Nova Scotia students with global learning experiences, in turn making them ambassadors for all we have to offer in Nova Scotia.

The theme of this year’s Annual Report – resiliency – reflects a busy year at EduNova as we adjusted our work to support our members and students while the world changed dramatically to fight COVID-19.

With classes moving online, travel severely restricted, and other gatherings shut down, EduNova used technology extensively to deliver our programs on recruitment and retention. In many ways, the use of technology allowed us to reach more students than is normally the case through conventional, in-person activities. Dr. Peter Ricketts President and Vice-Chancellor Acadia University EduNova Board Chair

Among some of this year’s highlights:

1. EduNova’s virtual recruitment activities in the fall of 2020 involved 15 EduNova members across all our sectors, reaching more than 100 countries and generating more than 20,000 student leads; 2. Familiarization tours in the summer of 2020 and winter of 2021 switched to virtual, more than doubling the number of participating agents; 3. More than 200 students participated in the Atlantic Canada Study and Stay™ program – with retention post-graduation hitting 89%; 4. More than 450 students participated in our expanded EduNova webinar series; and 5. We set an all-time attendance record for the annual BEST Conference, with more than 550 participants joining virtually in March 2021.

The end of 2020-21 saw President and CEO Nicole Johnson-Morrison accept an exciting new opportunity as Associate Deputy Minister of the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education. Although we will miss Nicole’s leadership at EduNova, we are excited to have another champion for international education in a senior role in the Nova Scotia government. We look forward to continuing to work with Nicole for the benefit of EduNova members.

We recognize how difficult this past year has been for our members, our students and our partners. As the world moves past and learns from COVID-19, we see international education as an essential tool to reconnect Nova Scotia on a global level.

In that spirit, EduNova’s vision of transforming Nova Scotia through international education and mission of championing Nova Scotia as a leader in student experience are both as relevant as ever. Katie Orr Interim EduNova President and CEO