Niagara College is celebrating a trio of employees who received prestigious national accolades from Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) on April 23. Maxine Semple was among those honoured, receiving CICan’s 2026 Silver Leadership Excellence Award for Managerial Staff in recognition of her transformational cultural and global engagement initiatives at the College.
“I feel privileged to have built a career pursuing a dream that began as a Niagara College student – to foster the development of cultural humility in our community – and am humbled that this passion has led to a national award,” said Semple. “Leading with integrity and heart to create a vision and program that speaks to my values has been deeply fulfilling.”
As Director of Cultural and Global Engagement, Semple, M.Ed., has dedicated her career to preparing globally minded, world-ready graduates. One of her most notable contributions to the College so far is the signature Be World Ready (BWR) program, which she co-created to prepare students for success in a globalized world.
“Maxine’s work is the institutional catalyst for students to connect practical skills with a global mindset through thoughtfully curated international experiences,” said Shawna Luey, Senior Director, International Students. “We are thrilled that Maxine has been recognized by CICan for her outstanding contributions that are helping students develop critical skills to become both world-ready and work-ready.”
Semple (middle right) receives her award from CICan on April 23. Others L-R: Pierre Zundel, President and CEO, Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB) and Chair of the CICan Board of Directors; Pari Johnston, President and CEO, CICan; Steve Laurin, Vice President, Affinity Market Group, TD Insurance. Photo credit: CICan
Lifechanging experiences
Inspired by a transformative co-op experience in South Africa as an NC student, Semple, who is an alumna of the College’s Honours Bachelor of Business Administration – International Commerce & Global Development program, has made it her mission to help others access new experiences and cultures through the BWR program.
“My success story is an NC story. I was a student whose life was changed by NC, in our classrooms and abroad,” she said.
Created in 2010, BWR prepares students for career success through work abroad, summer institute, semester exchange and global learning experiences. The program includes an academic curriculum that wraps around a global experience and allows for reflective learning in culturally diverse environments that connect classroom learning with international contexts.
BWR initiatives also involve NC faculty and staff, as well as stakeholders including academic partners, global and local industries, private vendors, Indigenous communities, and Canadian missions, reflecting a holistic approach to global engagement.
To date, nearly 2,000 students have broadened their views and knowledge through more than 120 BWR experiences world-wide.
“When I ask students, after they return from a BWR experience, to tell me in one word how they would describe their experience, and it is consistently ‘life-changing,’ it can’t be more rewarding than that for me,” said Semple.
Driving the continued evolution of the program, Semple recently led the creation and delivery of a general elective course, recognizing the academic integrity of the learning abroad experience. The BWR course (SOCL 1128 or IDPL 9103) is required for all NC students embarking on a Global Learning Experience (GLE) to help them build essential skills in preparation for their journey.
Leading with heart
Championing BWR, Semple has built relationships with community partners across the world to create meaningful global learning experiences.
Recent highlights include the launch of the first Cultural and Global Engagement Summer Institute in Barcelona, Spain in partnership with academic partner La Salle College, and an International Field Studies (IFS) trip to Japan with NC’s School of Technology that combined the exploration of cutting-edge technology with immersive cultural experiences.
Semple was also the driving force behind the College’s first land-based learning BWR experiences to help advance truth and reconciliation. In partnership with NC’s Indigenous Education department, she was instrumental in building trust and relationships with Indigenous community partners to develop itineraries that provided immersive experiences for employees and students. Experiences with the Squamish Nation in unceded Coast Salish Territory in BC and in Hawaii with the Kanaka Maoli, the Indigenous people on the island of Oahu. Participants cite these experiences as lifechanging and partners have commented on Semple’s genuine commitment to Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing, welcoming her into their communities through mutual respect.
Recently, she contributed to a new sociology textbook called “Walk a Mile” that will be used in post-secondary classrooms across North America. Her story of “Reconciliation in Practice” is based on the Indigenous work that she has championed.
Semple describes her ongoing commitment to the success of the BWR program:
“Every term, I get to lead building Be World Ready to be better – developing better experiences, more opportunities to learn, helping students and staff see more potential and possibility in themselves, creating partnerships around the world and at NC, and making sure that when a student invests in a BWR experience, they graduate NC with it being a highlight of their time here.”
Adapting and connecting through creativity
Semple’s ingenuity and her compassionate approach have been leveraged during times of challenge.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked tirelessly to safely bring home NC students that were studying in countries all over the world through the BWR program. When NC was required to develop a 14-day quarantine program for incoming international students, she reverse-engineered BWR to facilitate travel and support for international students coming to Canada. She executed 24-7 support that included pre-arrival education, travel support, providing for students’ every need for an isolated quarantine, COVID testing and vaccination requirements with Public Health, and ensuring students had social and mental health supports. Through her leadership, 3,000+ students received quarantine support.
Semple has also designed virtual experiences through her out-of-the-box thinking.
She introduced NC faculty to global academic partners through the concept of “micro-Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)” – a term she created. Partners from Norway, Scotland, Brazil, Ireland and Spain have engaged in these small projects that bring students from NC and abroad together virtually. The approach of small global learning opportunities is an accessible option for faculty and learners in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system.
She also helped inject global perspectives into program reviews by working with NC’s Centre for Academic Excellence and academic partners on program assessor opportunities. These reviews have been successfully completed with Irish academic partners for three of NC’s academic schools, incorporating global best practices from post-secondary educators from a different cultural context.
In all of her work, Semple directly supports the College’s commitment to being Canada’s leading global college by creating meaningful experiences that have a lasting impact on everyone involved.
