And the winner is… Diane Purvey

We are delighted to announce Diane Purvey, Dean of Arts, Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), as the newest recipient of the Award for Excellence in Open Education. Other honourees include Irwin DeVries, Tara Robertson, Christina Hendricks, Tannis Morgan, and Inba Kehoe.

Post by Amanda Coolidge, Senior Manager, Open Education

The project of “opening” higher education takes place at many levels in the post-secondary institution. Very often the most visible change agents are faculty leaders who create or teach with OER, researchers who study the impact of OER, and advocacy groups who fund open education initiatives. However, academic administrators — Associate Deans, Deans, AVPs, VPs, and Presidents — play an equally important, if less noticeable, role in funding open education initiatives, implementing policy changes, leading institutional change, or providing other forms of behind-the-scenes support. Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s (KPU) Dean of Arts, Dr. Diane Purvey, is one such academic administrator.

Diane has consistently supported open education at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and beyond. Under her academic leadership, KPU offered Canada’s first Zed Cred certificate. Diane has provided moral and financial support to faculty to pursue open education initiatives, she is an active member of KPU’s Open Education Group, and she has presented on the value of open education at both the Festival of Learning and the Colleges & Institutes of Canada Conference.

Diane has embraced open education initiatives in the Faculty of Arts, the broader institution, and beyond KPU. Her open education advocacy work includes the following conference presentations:

2018 Festival of Learning, Vancouver, B.C.: Going global with OERu – TRU and KPU experiences
2017 Colleges & Institutes of Canada Conference, Ottawa, ON: Building an institutional culture of open: Best practices from Kwantlen Polytechnic University
2016 Festival of Learning, Burnaby, B.C.: Building an institutional culture of open: Strategies, insights, and lessons from Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Beyond advocacy, Diane has also helped increase open education adoption at KPU through her work on the institution-wide Open Education Group, adjudication of OER grants, and hosting Canada’s first Zed Cred, a foundational 30-credit Certificate in Arts program in the Faculty of Arts. For her quiet, unwavering, and effective support for the project of “opening” higher education, it is our honour to announce Dr. Diane Purvey as the latest BCcampus Award of Excellence in Open Education recipient.

Notable quotes:

“In her position as Dean of Arts, Diane has been integral in the success of open education at KPU. She inspires, supports, and is strategic all at the same time. Her leadership and her ability to find the time to make Open a priority with her Faculty, and at KPU is remarkable – so fitting for her to be recognized in this way.” – Caroline Daniels, Systems, Web and Interlibrary Loan Librarian, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

“Dean Diane Purvey at Kwantlen Polytechnic University has demonstrated clear leadership in her support for open education initiatives across our institution. The adoption of innovations, whether technological or organizational, often encounter resistance. Having an academic leader as committed and creative as Diane Purvey has been critical to overcoming some of that resistance.” – Farhad Dastur, PhD, University Teaching Fellow, Experiential Learning, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

“I am thrilled that Diane’s leadership in open education is being recognized by BCcampus. Both as Dean of the Faculty of Arts (home of Canada’s first Zed Cred) and a founding member of KPU’s Open Education Working Group, Diane has been a tireless advocate for our faculty and has worked hard to build support for members of the KPU community to learn about and embrace open educational practices. Her contributions to the success of open education initiatives at KPU simply cannot be overstated. Working alongside Diane and benefiting from her generous mentorship has truly been one of the joys of my career. Diane is a truly visionary leader and this award is richly deserved.” – Rajiv Jhangiani, Special Advisor to the Provost on Open Education, Kwantlen Polytechnic University