On Friday, September 14th, the Balsillie School of International Affairs celebrated its 10th anniversary with many of its students, graduates, faculty, staff and community members. Almost 300 people enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and cupcakes while UW president Feridun Hamdullahpur, Laurier president Deborah MacLatchy, and CIGI’s managing director Aaron Shull spoke about the unique and successful collaboration among its three partners. The School was also pleased to welcome congratulatory remarks from the Honorable Bardish Chagger and Kitchener Centre MP Raj Saini. The School’s director, John Ravenhill, and BSIA Board Chair, Robert Gordon, who was also the MC, closed the speaking portion of the event with a huge thanks to all those who have contributed to making the School a leading international centre for research and teaching in the field of international studies in such a short time.
The School now has approximately 300 graduates, who are doing important work in countries all over the world. To ensure graduates could participate in the 10th anniversary celebrations in some way, a call went out over the summer to request photos and videos from those who could not be at the celebration in person. The anniversary committee chose a selection of 26 photographs from more than 100 submitted, depicting the countries where BSIA students and graduates now work, or where they completed fieldwork research or internships for a display at the anniversary event. Those photographs will be permanently hung throughout the School in the coming weeks as a tribute to the impact BSIA graduates have around the world. Short, rough-cut videos from graduates and PhD students taken from countries including Iraq, South Africa, Nepal and Hong Kong were also screened at the anniversary and will be uploaded to the School’s YouTube channel soon.
A big thanks to all those involved in the planning of this special event, and to the string trio of Laurier students who provided music for everyone to enjoy.