This award was established by AIRC through the generosity of AIRC Sponsors and Members in remembrance of Dr. Marjorie Peace Lenn, a well-known and influential international educator who passed away in October, 2010. A leader in the global quality assurance movement in higher education, Marjorie Peace Lenn was founding president of the Center for Quality Assurance in International Education (CQAIE). She established the AIRC Certification process for educational agencies and brought together AIRC members and thought leaders to develop the AIRC Standards for educational agencies.

Throughout her career, Lenn was in high demand internationally as a consultant on quality assurance and accreditation systems. Working with dozens of governments, ministries of education, universities, and intergovernmental agencies such as the World Bank, UNESCO, OECD, Organization of American States, United Nations Development Program, and the Asia Development Bank, she also became an official advisor to the U.S. government on trade in education services as a member of the International Trade Advisory Commission, influencing the development of accreditation infrastructure in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. An archive of her papers can be accessed at http://scua.library.umass.edu/lenn-marjorie-peace/

The Marjorie Peace Lenn Research Award encourages scholarly research on international education, student mobility, and recruitment, a topic about which Dr. Lenn was passionate.

The Marjorie Peace Lenn Research Award is open to both undergraduate and graduate students who have completed the research within the last year of applying. Research that is close to completion will also be considered. This means, for example, the researcher is working on data analysis, implications, and/or the conclusion.

The selected awardee will receive a $500 cash award and complimentary all-inclusive attendance to the AIRC annual conference where they will have the opportunity to present their research to the conference attendees. In addition, the awardee’s final research product will be posted on AIRC’s website.

The Awards Committee is comprised of experienced AIRC members, the AIRC Executive Director, and a Lenn family representative.

To Apply:
Please email memberservices@airc-education.org to receive the application. We look forward to reviewing applications!

To Contribute:
Charitable contributions sustain this award, and are tax deductible. To contribute, click on the “Donate” button above. A donation acknowledgement letter will be provided for your records.

Award Recipients:

2023:
Eric Leise, South Dakota State University
Research Topic: The Role of University Structures and Cultures in Internationalizing Higher Education

2022:
Mr. Kebler Tozini, The George Washington University
Research Topic: The Role of International Student Associations on the Reduction of Inequality in International Higher Education

2021:
Mr. Max Crumley-Effinger, Loyola University of Chicago
Research Topic: Experiencing International Student Mobility and Migration Policy: A Qualitative Multicase Study

Honorable Mentions:
Dr. Tracey Hidalgo, University of Toledo; Factors Impacting International Students’ Sense of Belonging
Ms. Lina Heaster-Ekholm, UMass Amherst; Insuring Culturally Inclusive Online Courses for International Students A Delphi Study to Identify Requisite Instructor Competencies
Ms. Martina Schiavo, Ball State University; Impact of International Office’s Role in Teaching English in an ESL/EFL Context

2020: 
Ms. Jody Pritt, University of Missouri, Columbia 
Research Topic: Beyond the Horizon and Back. Making Meaning of the International Student’s Experience: A Case Study in Sultan Qaboos Study Abroad Scholarship Recipients in Oman. Some of Ms. Pritt’s research results can be found in Chapter 13 of this forthcoming edited book.

2019: 
Ms. Emily Kirsch, University of Minnesota, 
Research Topic: Ethical Possibilities In International Student Recruitment 

2018:
Mr. William Geibel, University of California, Los Angeles 
Research Topic: Diplomacy in Higher Education: Middle Eastern International Students' Perceptions of Internationalization

2017:
Mr. Kishmar Best, University of Albany, State University of New York
Research Topic: Internationalization and International Recruitment at Historically Black Colleges & Universities: Administrative Structures, Institutional Support & Challenges​

2016:
Mr. Harrison Fuerst, SIT Graduate Institute
Research Topic: How Experiential Off-Campus Study Opportunities Impact International Student Enrollment Decisions

2015:
Mr. George Kacenga, University of Pittsburgh
Research Topic: Globalization of Foreign Academic Credential Placement Recommendations for Graduate Study in the United States, 1932-2015

2014: 
Ms. Jingzhu Zhang, College of William and Mary
Research Topic: Effects of Virtual Conversations with American Students on International Students’ Intercultural Communicative Competence

2013: 
Ms. Lindsay Coco, University of Georgia 
Research Topic: Capturing a Global Student Market for College and Universities: The Use of Private Third Party Agents in International Student Recruitment

2012: 
Dr. Gloria Shenoy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Research Topic: Information Mismatch: What International Students Thought Their Community College Experience Would Be Like

2011: 
Ms. Yuanyuan Dai, M.A. University of Tulsa
Research Topic: The Relationship Between The Usage Of Recruitment Agents And Student Satisfaction Among Chinese International Students

About Marjorie Peace Lenn 
 

Dr. Marjorie Lenn’s contribution to international education and global quality assurance was unparalleled-and her contributions to AIRC were critical to its founding and early growth.

Marjorie was the founder and President of the Center for Quality Assurance in International Education (CQAIE) which served as a transnational resource on quality assurance for associations, institutions, and governments worldwide. CQAIE was the leading architect of the AIRC standards and Certification process and served as the administrative arm of AIRC Certification in its founding years. 

Prior to founding CQAIE Marjorie served as the Vice President of the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation. She was a member of the International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies, Higher Education, founded the Global Alliance for Transnational Education (the first truly global academic quality assurance agency), and of the National Committee on International Trade in Education.

Marjorie Peace Lenn Papers are in a collection at Special Collections and University Archives, U Mass Amherst Libraries

http://scua.library.umass.edu/ead/mums838