Dr Jonathan Driver

We worked very hard with Navitas on this so that we got a greater range of countries represented in our international student population. 

My name is John Driver. I was formerly Vice President Academic of Simon Fraser University in western Canada from 2008 to 2016, and then again from 2019 to 2020. 

When and how did your university come to partner with Navitas? 

So, when I became Vice President Academic in 2008, the partnership between Simon Fraser University and Navitas had just been established and we had Fraser International College on the SFU campus. So, my work was to strengthen the relationship to ensure that we were working together well, and then to work with the college to build enrolments over the next few years. 

What has been a highlight of your time with Navitas? 

Well apart from obviously the interactions with the students and getting to know international students through Fraser International College, I’m going to say that the highlight for me was actually conducting an external review of Fraser International College when we were, I think really struggling to establish the value of the college for the university. And I felt that impartial external review would really demonstrate to the university the value of having the college on our campus. 

And the results of that review were very positive and I think it went a long way to showing that the partnership was productive and also, and perhaps most importantly, that the partnership was good for students. 

How has partnering with Navitas made an impact on the university? 

The partnership with FIC was really set up to try and diversify and build the numbers of international students coming to the university. 

I think the two big changes that the relationship with FIC has brought to SFU are, firstly, that we have been able to diversify our international student body and we worked very hard with Navitas on this, so that we got a greater range of countries represented in our international student population. And that really meant that we were not only recruiting people with different backgrounds, but also people with different academic interests as well. And so, FIC students have gone on to a wide range of departments and programs in the university. 

I think the second big benefit of partnering with FIC was that students moved into the university already familiar with the environment, familiar with the services that we offer to students because we share those services together and much better prepared than many other international students to start their career at SFU. So that was, that was very important. 

We looked at the success rate of those FIC students and we knew that they were, they were going to do well at the university. 

What key achievements come to mind during the partnership with Navitas? 

Well, certainly one of the key achievements was building the international student numbers at the university. 

I think another really important achievement was ensuring that those international students who came to Canada with the expectations of getting a really good education got the education they were looking for. And you only had to attend a convocation ceremony at FIC to see how many students had succeeded. 

When I think, we have plenty of evidence that other international students struggle, particularly in their first year as they come to Canada. So, this just laid a wonderful foundation for those international students as they move forward into the university. So, that I think was a particularly important achievement both for FIC and also for the university. 

What would you say to a university considering partnering with Navitas? 

So, if you are considering partnering with Navitas, I would say first of all, you need to be really clear about why you’re doing it. You need to do the research on what the partnership would offer. You need to talk to other universities that have already partnered and make sure this is the right relationship for you. It’s a relationship that takes work, it takes diplomacy, takes commitment, and long-term planning. So, you really have to know why you want to do this. But if you do do it, and you do it for the right reasons, I think you’ll find it’s a highly productive relationship.