Algonquin College receives donation for international education from guard.me International Insurance

Posted on Tuesday, November 12th, 2019

Photo: Keith Segal, President, CEO and Founder of guard.me International Insurance and Claude Brulé, Algonquin College’s President and Chief Executive Officer

Algonquin College has received a $450,000 donation from guard.me International Insurance — the first part of a $650,000 contribution towards international education opportunities first announced in the summer.

The special, two-year investment will benefit international students in the form of new scholarships and a bursary fund, and seed funding for unique entrepreneurship and applied research initiatives. The funding will also help more domestic students study and work abroad.

“International students make significant social, economic and education contributions to Algonquin College and the Ottawa community,” said Cheryl Jensen, former Algonquin College President and Chief Executive Officer, when the funding was first announced on Friday, June 28. “This generous donation from guard.me will help support international students who have a sudden, unforeseen change in their financial situation. It will also provide our domestic students with more opportunities abroad – experience that is highly attractive to potential employers.”

The donation was announced Friday by Keith Segal, President, CEO and Founder of guard.me International Insurance. “We see ourselves as more than just an insurance provider,” Segal said. “We become a partner to the schools we work with, and we play an important role in helping International students achieve their educational goals. Today I am proud to deepen our partnership with Algonquin College with a gift of $650,000 over the next two years. We believe that individuals become better global citizens through learning, travelling, and experiencing new cultures and ways of living.”

The guard.me investment will:

  • increase the number of domestic students who are able to study and work abroad
  • create the guard.me International Student Emergency Bursary Fund to support International students facing financial crisis
  • create 40 new guard.me International Student Scholarships, each valued at $2,500, and
  • provide seed funding for International student entrepreneurship initiatives, and applied research in the area of internationalization

In 2018–19, more than 3,800 unique International students from 100 different countries were enrolled in Algonquin programs, with another 500 international students registered for language training at the College’s Canadian campuses.

Friday’s announcement was held in Algonquin College’s new International Education Centre, located in Student Central, an integrated service space that opened in October 2018. The announcement comes as Algonquin prepares to launch a new 2019-2022 International Strategic Plan Empowering Globally Minded Learners.


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