VANCOUVER, Jan. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - CIBT Education
Group Inc. (NYSE AMEX: MBA) (TSX: MBA) ("CIBT Group" or
the "Company") is pleased to announce that its advisory
board, which consults with senior management on strategic
initiatives, will by chaired by Sir John
Daniel.
Sir John Daniel
is one of the world's most eminent practitioners and thinkers in
open, distance and technology mediated learning. He has helped to
progress the international development agenda in education globally
and has been a distinguished leader of universities and
intergovernmental organisations in Canada, France and the United Kingdom. A citizen of both
Canada and the UK, he was knighted
by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for services to higher education
in 1994 and holds 31 honorary doctorates from
universities in 17 countries.
Sir John Daniel
obtained his full-time university education in Metallurgy at the
Universities of Oxford and Paris
and later demonstrated his commitment to lifelong learning by
taking 25 years to complete a part-time Master's degree in
Educational Technology at Concordia
University. The internship for this programme, which took
him to infant UK Open University in 1972, was a life-changing
experience. He saw the future of higher education and wanted to be
part of it.
This career took Sir John on an international
odyssey with appointments at the Télé-université, Québec (Directeur
des Études, 1973-77); Athabasca
University, Alberta
(Vice-President for Learning Services, 1978-80); Concordia University, Montreal (Vice-Rector,
Academic, 1980-84); Laurentian
University, Ontario
(President, 1984-90); the UK Open University (Vice-Chancellor,
1990-2001); UNESCO, Paris
(Assistant Director-General for Education, 2001-04); and the
Commonwealth of Learning, Vancouver (President and CEO,
2004-2012). His non-executive appointments have included the
presidencies of the International Council for Open and Distance
Education, the Canadian Association for Distance Education and the
Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education. He also served
as Vice-President of the International Baccalaureate Organisation.
He is currently Education Master with the Beijing DeTao Masters
Academy, China.
Among Sir John's 320 publications are his
books Mega-Universities and Knowledge Media: Technology
Strategies for Higher Education (Kogan
Page, 1996) and Mega-Schools, Technology and Teachers:
Achieving Education for All (Routledge, 2010).
"In order to continue our global expansion
strategy, we must retain experienced professionals with in-depth
knowledge and vast networks to assist our future endeavours,"
commented Toby Chu, Vice-Chairman,
President and CEO of CIBT Group. "With over 40 years of leadership
experience in the education sector, Sir John Daniel has accumulated the knowledge,
experience, credentials and global network to add strategic value
to our future plans and potential partnerships. We welcome Sir John
to the position of Chairman of the Advisory Board."
"I am delighted by the opportunity to work with
Toby Chu in this dynamic phase of
development of the CIBT Group" said Sir John. "I used to be
sceptical about remote-classroom teaching with interactive media
but I have become an enthusiast. CIBT is a pace-setter in this
exciting world. Its impressive Global Learning Network sets new
standards of clarity, reliability and speed. Education is at a
tipping point - on the verge of a revolution that will raise the
quality of teaching and learning while making it less costly and
more widely available. CIBT is at the leading edge of this
revolution because it combines state-of-the-art technology with
consistent student support. From students' first contact until they
graduate and find employment, often with the help of its Global
Career Centre, CIBT defines its success as empowering people to
live better lives".
About CIBT Education Group:
CIBT Education Group Inc. is an education
management company focused on the global education market. Listed
on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the NYSE Amex, CIBT Group owns
and operates a network of business, technical and language colleges
and has cooperative joint programmes in 18 countries. Its
subsidiaries include Sprott-Shaw Community College (established in
1903), Sprott-Shaw Degree College,
CIBT School of Business China, and King George International College. Through these subsidiaries,
CIBT Group offers Western and Chinese accredited business and
management degrees, and programmes in college preparation,
automotive maintenance, information technology, hotel management
and tourism, English language training, English teacher
certification, and other career/vocational training. In addition to
its wholly-owned subsidiaries, CIBT Group is the exclusive licensee
for the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHL-EI)
in China and the Philippines, and the WyoTech Automotive
Institute for China. CIBT Group
also owns Irix Design Group, a leading design and advertising
company based in Vancouver,
Canada.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
"Toby Chu"
Toby Chu
Vice-Chairman, President & CEO
Neither the NYSE Amex nor the Toronto
Stock Exchange accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy
of this news release.
SOURCE CIBT Education Group Inc.