Ottawa, June 1, 2015
Delegates gathered from all four corners of the globe on May 27th to attend the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics Annual General Meeting in Winnipeg, Canada. For the first time in the Federation’s history, members were able to attend the AGM by video conference. The members attending, themselves representing 31 countries in total, were greeted by the Board Chair, Denise Amyot, who delivered the first ever WFCP Annual Report, recounting the highlights of the Federation’s year, including the Congress in Beijing, which welcomed the Beijing Declaration.
Delegates approved the new Board, which will serve for two years, until the next Annual General Meeting in Vitória, Brazil, to be held following the 2016 Congress. The new Board members are:
- Denise Amyot – Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) – Canada
- Michael Chipps – American Association of Community Colleges (AACC); Northeast Community College – USA
- Martin Doel, OBE – Association of Colleges (AoC) – UK
- José Luis Fernández Maure – Institute of Innovation and Applied Research for Technical Education in the Basque Country (TKNIKA) – Basque Country
- Vibol La – PSE Institute – Cambodia
- Richard Masika – Commonwealth Association of Polytechnics in Africa (CAPA) – Tanzania
- Joaquim António Belchior Mourato – Portuguese Polytechnics Coordinating Council (CCISP) – Portugal
- Ricardo Paredes – Duoc UC – Chile
- Martin Riordan – TAFE Directors Australia (TDA) – Australia
- Cláudia Schiedeck Soares de Souza – Conselho Nacional das Instituições da Rede Federal de Educação Profissional, Científica e Tecnológica (CONIF) – Brazil
- Zong Wa – China Education Association for International Exchange – China
The gathering also approved incorporation in Canada for the Federation. WFCP hopes to incorporate as it would be allowed to seek and obtain new sources of funding over and beyond he membership fees. Through incorporation, the WFCP will increase its reach and the breadth of services available to its members.
At the first meeting of the new Board, which was held immediately after the AGM, Denise Amyot was re-elected as WFCP Board Chair. Four regional Deputy Chairs and a Treasurer were also elected to the Board’s officer positions. Martin Doel, AoC, was re-elected as Treasurer for the Federation and happily accepted the position of Deputy Chair for Europe. Dr. Richard Masika, CAPA, was named Deputy Chair for Africa; Cláudia Schiedeck Soares de Souza, CONIF, was named Deputy Chair for the Americas; and, Zong Wa, CEIAE, was named Deputy Chair for Asia.
The Annual Report is available by clicking here, along with the spring edition of the WFCP Newsletter, which includes biographies of the new board members.