Deakin University Australia celebrated its annual Friends of Deakin Awards ceremony at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel on February 29th, 2024. The event recognised all Agency Partners, Institutional Partners, Industry Partners, Alumni, and other stakeholders who support Deakin’s endeavors in Sri Lanka. Esteemed guests for the event included Dr David Halliwell, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Partnerships and International Manager, Ms Bri Gunn. The awards ceremony showcased several remarkable partnerships, each deserving recognition for their exceptional contributions.

The Award of the night “The Alfred Deakin Award” recognizing the most outstanding partner of the year was won by International Scholar Educational Services. IDP Sri Lanka, Australian New Zealand Education Consultants (ANZEC), and International Scholar Educational Services won the “Recruiter of the Year” awards for exceeding expectations in enrolments, quality of applications, and conversions. For the second time in a row, the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) won the “Institutional Partner of the Year” Award for outstanding transfers to Deakin University.

The “Best B2B Partnership” went to SLIIT and International Scholar Educational Services. A few special individuals were recognized for their hard work, and dedication to excellence, appreciating the importance of their roles to their respective partnerships. The “Agency Partner Superstar” was won by Pradeepa Mukesh Shankar from ANC Education, “Institutional Partner Superstar” was won by Tiran Jayasinghe from the Royal Institute of Colombo (RIC), and the “Rising Star” award was won by Anitha Siriwardhana from Lyceum Campus.

Eduko Pathways won the “Best Course Diversity Award”. Each award, a testament to the commitment and dedication added a unique sparkle to the night’s celebration of excellence and collaboration. In his address, Dr. David Halliwell underscored the critical role partnerships play in Deakin’s success. He specifically recognized Sri Lanka as a key partner, with a long-standing history of collaboration over 15 years. Furthermore, he highlighted the recent creation of a dedicated partnerships division, showcasing the university’s commitment to collaboration. Celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year, Dr. Halliwell emphasized Deakin University’s impressive growth, reflected in their strong rankings across education quality and other metrics.

“We are so lucky to work with such incredible partners and it is so important for us to show our thanks to them. 2023 was an excellent year for everyone and we have a wonderful team in Sri Lanka. In the coming year, we are looking forward to diversifying and expanding, which is very important for Deakin University as a whole. We want students to be driving that decision into their future with their parents also on board” Ms. Bri added with some closing remarks.