Katherine Hawn

Katherine Hawn

CANDIDATE FOR VP Academic

Students come first (even in my introduction)!

Welcome to NAIT, whether it’s your first year or you’ve come back for more!

I look forward to becoming your VP Academic because I’m passionate about the student experience. I’m currently pursuing my BBA – Management, my third program at NAIT. I can’t seem to stay away!

So, what would it mean for us to have me (call me Kat) as your VP Academic? My causes are the key issues that matter to you, and here’s what I’d love to advocate for:

Academic Integrity
The NAIT name will always be on our resumes, so it needs to mean that we’re skilled and qualified. When your credentials look good, so do everyone else’s. As NAIT is bringing focus to Academic Integrity we can advocate for fair policies that protect us and our credentials.

Fair and Transparent Grading
We can’t meet expectations when we don’t know what they are, and we deserve an environment built for us to succeed. I advocated for fair grading at class level in my first programs at NAIT and will continue that advocacy on a larger scale as NAITSA VP Academic. With Brightspace in its early stages of use, we have a chance to have an impact in how it will be used to give us a fair playing field.

Mental Health Initiatives Relating to Academics
We have good mental health initiatives on campus, and we can do more. Mental health isn’t just about resilience through hardship. Fair, transparent, accessible, and consistent academic delivery can reduce our stress load through the many hours we spend on our education.

Representation In Whatever Comes Next
With the moving pieces of a post-secondary institution, we can’t always predict what changes are on the way. We always have a voice, so while we may not know what’s next, we do know that students need to be at the front of academic decisions.

I’ve represented NAIT Students on Academic Council, Faculty Emeritus and Program Excellence Committees, and as class representative.

I’ve received recognition as a recipient of the Laurence Decore Scholarship for Student Leadership (twice!), Neil G. Hutton Award (NAITSA Volunteer of the Year), IACC Scholarship for Student Leadership and Campus Clubs Extra Mile Award.

I’ve volunteered as a NAITSA Senate Meeting Assistant, NAITSA Poll Clerk, NAITSA Grant Reviewer and Bootcamp Leader, founder/executive of multiple clubs, and more!

I have career experience as a Continuing Medical Education Event Coordinator, subject matter expert on accreditation, in various management positions including policy and protocol development, implementation and management, professional development, quality assurance and quality improvement, training development and delivery. I’ve also worked as a NAIT Technical Assistant for Continuing Education and a Tutor for NAIT Learning Services (formerly SSD), and more!

TL;DR

Students come first. I’m passionate about the student experience at NAIT. I have the drive and experience to use our voice to address important academic issues!

Vote Katherine (Kat) Hawn as your first choice for VP Academic!