There was a powerful moment at the height of last year’s pay scandal at Western University, when president Amit Chakma spoke at Senate for the first time since revelations that he had been paid twice his normal salary in 2014. Amit Chakma Western University. Among other achievements, in 2014 Chakma became the first Canadian university president to receive the Michael P. Malone International  Leadership Award sponsored by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. “As I was growing up, it became very clear life was going to be very difficult for us … and the only way out of it was education,” he says. He currently serves as chair of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities, chair of the World University Service of Canada and as a member of the Science, Technology & Innovation Council of Canada. In 2011, he was asked by federal ministers Jim Flaherty, Ed Fast and Ted Menzies to Chair an Expert Advisory Panel to study the challenges and opportunities facing Canada in the realm of international education, which ultimately led to the development of Canada’s successful international education strategy. He has led the development of a new strategic plan, the goals of which include attracting the best and brightest students as demonstrated through the highest entering grade average. London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5B8Tel: 519-661-3104Privacy | Articles by Amit Chakma Global university collaboration is key to fighting nationalism Universities have a big role to play in counteracting the nationalist sentiment emerging around the world, Amit Chakma says ahead of 2018 Asia Universities Summit In his brief time at London, Ontario-based Western U, Chakma has positioned the university to grow from being a nationally recognized school to one that is globally recognized for teaching and research excellence. She hopes to work for the United Nations one day to create policies for mental health across the world. Web Standards | that may be of interest to me from Canadian Immigrant. And in October 2018, he joined hundreds of alumni, faculty, staff, students, friends and volunteers in Conron Hall to celebrate the more than $805 million raised during the course of his presidency through the Be Extraordinary campaign. New to Canada? “Fulbright scholars have made remarkable contributions to the world – engaging in genuinely collaborative research and … President Chakma arrived at Western in July 2009 after serving the University of Waterloo since 2001 as Vice-President, Academic & Provost, and as a … Previously he served as president of the University of Western Ontario from 2009 to 2019. In addition to his role at Western, Chakma is currently chair of the World University Service of Canada, a member of the Science, Technology and Innovation Council of Canada and a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. “Early on my parents instilled in me the need to study.”. He was one of four high school students in Winnipeg that died by suicide within the timespan of one month. Amit Chakma: The fascinating story of UWA’s new Vice Chancellor. Kate Ryan The West Australian. ... Education WA News Perth. Responding to a letter from Conference leaders, Robert G. Sun, 19 July 2020 11:29AM. “As I took on leadership roles in Canada, I was a champion for international education,” he said. By the 2018-19 academic year, 15 per cent of Western’s first-year students were arriving on campus from more than 120 countries, and 1-in-10 hailed from Canadian locales outside Ontario. Previously he was the Vice President, Academic and Provost and Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. "Canada has to seize this moment," the president of the University of Western Ontario, Amit Chakma, told attendees. A handful of high schools across Manitoba have created Peace of Mind groups within their school to sustain mental health conversations throughout the school year. Yes! He was the eldest among four siblings. Early life and education. He also served as Chair of the World University Service of Canada and was the inaugural Chair of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities. Dangu Amit chakma will serve as Chair of the prestigious advisory panel. See Amit Chakma's compensation, career history, education, & memberships. Born in southeastern Bangladesh and a member of the Chakma ethnic minority, he received a scholarship from the Algerian government, along with nine other Bangladeshi students, to study natural gas processing engineering at Algerian Petroleum Institute in Algeria.In 1982, he graduated at the top of his class. Kate Ryan. In 2016, he played an instrumental role in securing a $66-million investment from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund – Western’s largest-ever research grant – strengthening the University’s position among the world’s top centres for neuroscience. This commentary originally appeared online on the Times Higher Education website. Amit Chakma will succeed Paul Davenport as president of The University of Western Ontario. “As I was growing up, it became very clear life was going to be very difficult for us … and the only way out of it was education,… On Jan. 15, 2014, in response to the work of this panel, the federal government unveiled Canada’s International Education Strategy: Harnessing our knowledge advantage to drive innovation and prosperity, a blueprint to attract talent and prepare Canada for the 21st century. He has served as Chair of the Canadian Government’s Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy, helping guide the development and launch of the Strategy in 2014. Dangu Amit Chakma, President of University of Western Ontario has been nominated by the Government of Canada to head an expert panel tasked with guiding Canada’s international education strategy as part of the next phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan. Dr Amit was awarded an honorary crest and sash by the UWA Society of Bangladeshi Culture-USBC The UWA Bangladesh Community, an organization of Bangladeshi students, staff, and alamni of the University of Western Australia (UWA), gave a warm welcome Dr Amit Chakma, the recently appointed Bangladesh-born vice-chancellor of UWA, on Saturday. Aquino has worked alongside a branch of the Government of Manitoba on several projects. Professor Chakma is a Professor of Chemical Engineering and holds a Master of Applied Science and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of British Columbia. Amit Chakma is Former Vice-Chancellor/President at University of Western Ontario. The plan also commits Western to increasing international undergraduate student enrolment to at least 15 per cent. Chakma was born in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of the then East Pakistan now Bangladesh to Prabhat Chakma and Alo Chakma. He passed his HSC examination from Dhaka Collegein 1976. Terms of Use | Canadian Immigrant not only connects newcomers in Canada, but also aspiring immigrants from more than 150 countries. He worked as chair of the federal government’s advisory panel on Canada’s international education strategy. The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations welcomed the many responses from presidents of leading universities and academic associations across the United States rejecting the call by the American Studies Association for a boycott of Israeli universities. Get advice from RBC Top 25 Winner! Amit Chakma, President & Vice-Chancellor, Western University Debra Dawson, Director, Teaching Support Centre, Western University Keynote Session 9:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. SSC 2050 Student Engagement: The Key to Deep and Effective Learning Alastair Summerlee, President … Amit Chakma is on the board of C.S.T. Aquino is a student at the University of Toronto, pursuing a double major in mental health studies and international development studies, with a minor in public policy and governance. Loizza Aquino is an 18-year-old social justice activist. Professor Amit Chakma has been appointed at the University of Western Australia as its 19th Vice-Chancellor. Since 2009 Amit Chakma has been the President and Vice Chancellor of Western University. Early life and education []. The announcement was made Dec. 22 at the university, following … Prof Chakma was born in 1959 in Bangladesh, where he completed his school education. Today in Halifax, Trade Minister Ed Fast officially received a report from Western University president Amit Chakma and the rest of Chakma’s panel on internationalizing Canadian higher education. Previously he served as the 10th president and vice-chancellor of the University of Western Ontario from 2009 to 2019. Chakma will be taking over … Amit Chakma, London, Ontario. Amit Chakma, vice-vhancellor of the University of Western Australia highlights the need for universities to take advantage of the changes that have occurred in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and that, he anticipates, will help create a new world. Her past awards include the Young Humanitarian Award of Manitoba, Global Bayaning Filipino Award, TD Scholarships for Community Leadership and the Youth Premier Healthy Living Award. University of Western Australia Amit Chakma was the 10th President & Vice-Chancellor of Western University. UWA Vice-Chancellor Amit Chakma “Being selected as a scholar for the prestigious Fulbright program is a great honour,” Professor Chakma said. After a countless number of hours spent on trying to find answers as to why this was happening, Aquino realized that she needed to stop searching for answers, but instead, create solutions to ensure this would never happen again. UWA vice-chancellor Amit Chakma on Monday welcomed Mr Cormann to his new unpaid job in which he will give guest lectures to students and offer support to academic researchers. He studied in Ispahani School in Comilla and completed his secondary education from Rangamati Government High School. The controversy around presidential pay at Western proved to be a flashpoint for taking back control. Consultants, Inc. and AltaGas Canada, Inc. and President & Vice Chancellor at the University of Western Ontario, Member of Association of Professional Engineers & Geoscientists of AB and Member of Institute of Corporate Directors. Chakma will begin his term as Western’s 10th president and vice-chancellor July 1. Send me email announcements, notices, special offers and other information Amit Chakma, President and Vice Chancellor of Western University. (2009-2019) A graduate of chemical engineering from UBC and an expert in petroleum waste management, Dr. Chakma became Western's 10th President & Vice-Chancellor in July 2009 after serving eight years at the University of Waterloo as Vice-President, Academic & Provost. “I looked to Australia as a model country.” For example, upon Chakma's arrival at Western less than 3 per cent of the University’s incoming undergraduate class came from outside Canada, and a similarly small percentage came from provinces other than Ontario. Education Western president on the short-list to lead University of Maine. Accessibility. She is a public speaker who has received many different accolades for her work in the topic of mental health, online safety and media literacy, youth empowerment and human rights. Under Chakma's leadership, Western aspired to raise its expectations beyond its brand as "Canada's best student experience at a research-intensive university" to becoming a more global university with higher recognition for its research and teaching on the world stage. Occupation: He will be speaking on ‘Breaking boundaries: research universities in the 21st Century’ at the 2018 THE Asia Universities Summit in Shenzhen, China, in February. An academic, public policy enthusiast and a global citizen interested in education, environment and global issues. He was the eldest among four siblings. The Chakma people are an ethnic minority from the south-east region of Bangladesh and Northeast India. He received a scholarship from the Algerian government, … Copyright © 2020 Metroland Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. These events have inspired students to get help and have even saved students’ lives. President and Vice Chancellor, Western University, As a young boy from a tribe in the hills of southeastern Bangladesh, neither Amit Chakma, nor his parents, dreamed he would one day become a university president. Professor Chakma was Inaugural Chair of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities. Student; activist 2.4K likes. City: Winnipeg It follows an outstanding career in higher education leadership and academia in Canada, most recently 10 years as President and Vice Chancellor of The University of Western Ontario in Canada. Country of Origin: Philippines. Having left his native Bangladesh after receiving a scholarship to study engineering in Algeria before migrating to Canada, Professor Chakma is a strong advocate for international education. Leveraging the generosity of more than 49,000 donors, the Campaign generated $118 million for student awards, more than $102 million for campus infrastructure, and grew Western’s endowment from $265 million in 2009 to more than $785 million by 2019. UWA’s new Vice Chancellor Amit Chakma is a fascinating man with an even more fascinating story. In 2012, he received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contributions to Canadian post-secondary education. This inspired Aquino to create her own youth-led non-profit organization at the age of 15 called Peace of Mind. Chakma was born in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of the then East Pakistan now Bangladesh to Prabhat Chakma and Alo Chakma. Amit Chakma is the 10th president and vice-chancellor of Western University (the University of Western Ontario). Founded in 2004, the magazine began with a mandate to "inform, educate and motivate" immigrants to Canada and assist them in their new found journey. During the same period, the University witnessed an ever-increasing number of domestic students choosing to enrich their education by enrolling at Western and by participating in some of the 170 study-abroad programs offered through institutional partnerships in 40 countries. Since then, the magazine has grown to be the only national multi-platform brand for all immigrants to Canada, on topics from careers to education to settlement. Amit Chakma is the President and Vice-Chancellor of Western University. Aquino also recently created her own scholarship fund to empower other youth mental health activists and support across Canada and the Philippines. Since 2015, they have reached more than 2,000 students, and have expanded from Manitoba to Ontario. Mr. Chakma leads a panel assembled by … The Chakma people are an ethnic minority from the south-east region of Bangladesh and Northeast India. Posts about “Amit Chakma” written by canadianacademicnews. Amit Chakma (born 25 April 1959) is the current Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Australia since July 2020. Professor Chakma ’s professional role, which included chairing a Canadian government strategy review on international education, also brought him into contact with Australia. Chakma, now Western University’s 10th president and vice chancellor, is a passionate, dedicated advocate of post-secondary education in Canada, and specifically for the important role international students play in the future of the country. London, Ontario As a young boy from a tribe in the hills of southeastern Bangladesh, neither Amit Chakma, nor his parents, dreamed he would one day become a university president. Beyond his leadership role at Western, Chakma served as Chair of the Council of the Association of Commonwealth Universities as well as a member of the Science, Technology & Innovation Council of Canada. Ashton College Bursaries for New Immigrants. Professor Amit Chakma became the vice chancellor of the University of Western Australia in July 2020. Amit Chakma (2009-2019) A graduate of chemical engineering from UBC and an expert in petroleum waste management, Dr. Chakma became Western's 10th President & Vice-Chancellor in July 2009 after serving eight years at the University of Waterloo as Vice-President, Academic & Provost. The Amit Chakma Engineering Building, a technologically innovative, high-performance, and student-focused engineering building at Western University, has achieved LEED Platinum certification from the Canadian Green Building Association (CaGBC). She has been involved with social activism since the age of nine, but, in 2015, she started to focus on mental health advocacy in 10th grade after she lost one of her best friends to suicide. Former president and vice-chancellor of Western University Amit Chakma is headed to a new institution Down Under. 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