2010 Alumni Awards of Excellence

CAPILANO UNIVERSITY - 2010 ALUMNI AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE RECIPIENTS

2010 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD RECIPIENTS

Dr. Rob Butler

Dr. Rob Butler is one of Canada’s top ornithologists and wildlife biologists who has inspired generations of biologists. His boundless energy and ideas have been the impetus behind many projects dedicated to research, education and conservation. Currently president of the Pacific Wildlife Foundation, which he established, he is also a founding director of the Young Naturalists Club of BC. He is a widely published and a sought after scientific advisor to national and international conservational organizations.

Anosh Irani

Award winning author Anosh Irani grew up in Bombay and moved to Vancouver to pursue writing. He studied creative writing at Capilano before earning Bachelors and Masters of Fine Arts degrees in Creative Writing at UBC. His debut novel, The Cripple and His Talismans, won critical praise for its magic realist depiction of India and his second, The Song of Kahsunsha, became an international bestseller. Anosh’s writing is acclaimed for evoking compassion and understanding, while transporting his audience to unfamiliar worlds in a way that makes them familiar. His latest novel, Dahanu Road, was just released and already receiving worldwide acclaim.

2010 ONE TO WATCH AWARDS RECIPIENTS

Marshall Axani

Marhall Axani was the first recipient of BC’s Motion Picture Production Industry Association Short Film Award. With the Award’s funding, he wrote and directed the short film, The Light of Family Burnam, which garnered seven awards at the Vancouver Short Film Festival including Best Director and Best Picture. To create an outlet for filmmakers with compelling and innovative stories, Marshall founded Awkward Moments Productions with two fellow alumni. His overarching goal is to help local filmmakers play an integral role in the rise of the Canadian film industry.

James Haga

When James Haga lost his older brother to drug addiction while in the inaugural year of Capilano’s Global Stewardship program, he organized a drug awareness event that attracted politicians from all levels of government as well as hundreds of community members. Completing an internship with the African Canadian Continuing Education Society in Kenya, James earned accolades for quickly building efficiencies into their programs. A graduate of SFU, James was a Rhodes Scholarship nominee and plans to continue his education in international development, likely at the London School of Economics.

Elicia MacKenzie

Capilano University Musical Theatre graduate, Elicia MacKenzie, captured the hearts of the Canadian public when she auditioned and won the coveted role of Maria in the national TV reality show, How do you Solve a Problem Like Maria in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Sound of Music. She won a Dora for her performance in the production that ran for 15 months at Toronto’s Prince of Wales Theatre. She is currently rehearsing for the starring role of Sherry in the Mirvisch production musical, Rock of Ages, set to open in Toronto in May.

Dianne Whelan

Dianne Whelan was an accomplished photographer before she enrolled in Capilano’s documentary and Small Unit Production Program. Her film, This Land, was awarded Best Short Canadian Documentary at the 2009 Planet in Focus Film Festival in Toronto. Passionate about raising awareness of the Inuit people living in the Arctic, this gripping documentary documents Whelan’s experience as the first woman to travel with the Canadian Forces and the Canadian Rangers from Resolute to Alert, a never attempted snowmobile journey. Currently, Dianne is working on her next production at Mt. Everest, 40 Days at Base Camp.

2010 OUTSTANDING TEACHING AWARD RECIPIENT

The Outstanding Teaching Award honors an exemplary teacher who exemplifies Capilano’s status as a leader and innovator in teaching and learning and the University’s mission of enabling student success.

Seanna McPherson

Seanna McPherson brought years of experience in the film industry to her teaching role at Capilano where she has been on faculty in the Motion Picture Production Program since 2003. In addition to her commitment in the classroom to teaching, Seanna led the process for developing the Bachelor of Motion Picture Arts Degree that recently received final approval from the Ministry of Advanced Education. She is renowned for her abilities in helping students find their own voices as filmmakers and grooming them for a tough, competitive industry that tells stories from the human heart. To quote one of Seanna’s former students: “Rarely does instructional and emotional connection to the material connect on a fundamental level so whole-heartedly than with Seanna McPherson’s teaching style.”

2010 PRESIDENT’S SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENTS

Advisory Council – McRae Institute for International Management

The Advisory Council was instrumental in the development of Capilano’s award winning McRae Institute for International Management. The group was tireless in providing expertise and time in the development of the Institute, which prepared Capilano students to work in the international community equipped with language, cultural and business skills necessary for success. Members of the Advisory Council included:

Atonio Arreaga-Valdes – Honorary Consul General of Costa Rica in Vancouver; Dr. David Fung – Founder of ACDEG International; Bill Johnson - Former Canadian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City; Johnathan Manthorpe – Vancouver Sun’s International Affairs columnist and foreign correspondent; Andre Nudelman – Chairman of Addexo and leader of its international expansion; John Powles - a significant figure in Canada-Japan relations, including former Japan chair for BC’s Asia Pacific Trade Council.

Sewell’s Marina

Sewell’s Marina has been in operation since 1931 and is a North Shore focal point for tourism and marine recreation. It is a family run marina and soft-adventure company that has, over the years, offered professional, positive work experiences for many Capilano students and every year demonstrates a real commitment to education. Several Capilano students have returned to Sewell’s as full time staff members.

Pacific Arbour Group

As the lead sponsor of Capilano’s Eldercollege Program, The Pacific Arbour Group (PAG) has enabled Capilano to offer programming accessible to seniors at locations around the North Shore. PAG has also provided funds to support Capilano’s Continuing Education summer camps for children and last year funded the Pacific Arbour Speaker Series at Capilano’s Performing Arts Theatre. The success of the series is a testament to the community’s need for opportunities to hear forward thinkers, debators and scholars. These lectures have inspired, informed and engaged community members leaving them with a deeper understanding of the nuances and complexities of the global community.

RBC

Believing in the power of the arts to enrich lives and enhance communities, Royal Bank of Canada has consistently invested in creative vision and artistic talent at Capilano University. As a partner in Capilano’s arts programs since 1995, RBC has helped to ensure that students have opportunities to engage in the kind of relevant hands-on experience that is essential to move their art careers forward. RBC has been involved in supporting Bachelor of Music, Jazz Studies, Acting for Stage and Screen, Motion Picture Production and Illustration Design Elements & Applications programs.