ICCM HIGHLIGHTS IN 2021

OUR CO-OPERATIVE

The Co-operative Management Education Co-operative (CMEC) welcomed six new members in 2021:

• African Confederation of Cooperative Savings & Credit Associations
• Leading Edge Credit Union
• Federation of Southern Cooperatives
• CDF Canada
• Faye Lageu
• Brad Lynch

Drawing on 80 co-operatives/co-operators from around the globe, CMEC ensures that the activities of The Centre respond to the real business needs of the co-operative economy and they help The Centre grow. Thank you to Vancity Credit Union for making a special contribution this year to help The Centre explore new projects.

INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM

In 2021, with support from diverse actors in the global co-operative education sector, the International Co-operative Business Education Consortium (ICBEC) connected 150+ institutions from 40+ countries around the world to improve co-operative business education and create opportunities for collaboration. The Centre, CMEC and EURICSE currently jointly serve as the Secretariat of the Consortium.

NEW STUDENTS

In 2021, The Centre welcomed 33 new students across our three online, part-time programs – Masters, Graduate Diploma and Certificate in co-operative and credit union management.

Students represented the richness and breadth of the co-operative economy: from consumer, producer and worker co-ops, associations and organizations servicing co-ops; and from sectors including financial/insurance, food, agriculture, technology, development, education, daycare, law and retail. 2021 marked our best student intake to date!

It's application time (May 31 deadline) for our Masters, Graduate Diploma and Certificate programs!

CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

2021 marked the 5th anniversary of the Certificate in Co-operative Management. The Certificate is a professional development program (online, part-time) for co-operative practitioners that want to expand their knowledge of co-operative and credit union management tools and best practices.

Nearly 50 students have enrolled in the Certificate since its founding. We are so excited about the Certificate program's continued growth.

BURSARIES

With the generous support of our co-operative community, we were able to provide nearly $70,000 in bursaries to new and current students. We want to express our gratitude to:



• Atlantic Central and League Savings & Mortgage
• Heartland Farm Mutual Insurance
• The Co-operators
• Staff, alumni and supportive individuals
• CMEC co-operative members

GRADUATES

In 2021, 12 Master's students and 7 Certificate students graduated. We congratulate them on this achievement! We had the absolute pleasure of celebrating with 7 of our Master's students in-person at the fall convocation at Saint Mary's University.

GRAD PAPERS

The Final Research Project is the capstone of the Master's program. Students build on an area of special interest and apply learnings to their co-operative, credit union or the co-operative sector more broadly. Here are some examples of graduate papers from 2021:

• Aaron Russin, Assiniboine Credit Union: Lean Management for Cooperatives, Cooperativism for Lean Practitioners: Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things
• Lisette Lemus, Vancity Credit Union: Circular Economy Value Creation: A procurement approach for Co-operative-to-Co-operative Trade and Fair-Trade
• Karen Flamand, The Co-operators: The Search for Opportunities: Integrating Sustainability and a Circular Economy Within The Co-operators Group Limited’s Core Insurance Products and Service

NEW FACULTY

Our faculty welcomed Dr. John McNamara as the new instructor for the Strategic Advantage course, offered to Master's, Graduate Diploma and Certificate students. Dr. McNamara has had a life-long career in the co-operative economy - as an organizer, developer, student and teacher. He has worked with organizations the likes of Union Cab of Madison, the US Federation of Worker Co-ops, Democracy at Work Collaborative and the Northwest Cooperative Development Center (currently). Dr. McNamara is a Master's graduate.

We were privileged to have Dr. Derya Tarhan join us as a co-instructor for the Field Research course in 2021. Dr. Tarhan is a post-doctoral research fellow at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. His work focuses on the theory, practice, and intersections of social and solidarity economy (SSE), community development, and socio-environmental change. He has been involved in the forming of a renewable energy co-operative in Ontario and serves as a board member of the Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation.

NEW COURSES

We added 3 new courses to our curriculum in 2021:

The Enterprise Model: Students examine the co-operative model of enterprise based on the Statement on the Co-operative Identity of the International Co-operative Alliance. Students analyze a values-based business model that is people-centered, democratically governed, and jointly owned and controlled by its members, in various contexts.

Strategic Advantage: Students discuss the co-operative advantage as a values-based, member-owned business. Besides member loyalty built on shared surplus and values alignment, the course explores business models and operational practices fit for leadership in the new economy and rooted in co-operative identity and culture.

Current Issues: In a seminar-style course students explore pressing global issues from the co-operative business and movement perspective. Topics may include co-operative responses to the COVID-19 pandemic; data ownership in co-operatives; gender issues in co-operatives; diversity, equity and inclusion; law and others. The course will change each year to address emerging topics.

NEW EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

In 2021, we launched a new short course "Operationalizing Co-operative Identity - Strategy to Practice" in conjunction with NCBA CLUSA's Cooperative IMPACT Conference. This course explores the many facets of the co-operative identity including how purpose, values, and principles translate into enterprise strategy and practice. We are pleased to offer it again in April 2022.

GOVERNANCE SYMPOSIUM

In June 2021, The Centre hosted the 2nd International Co-operative Governance Symposium to explore and elevate participatory, people-centred and democratic governance in co-operatives. It engaged over 200 attendees, and 60 speakers from 12 countries! Enjoy the Highlights Report and session recordings.

FACULTY PUBLICATIONS

Here is a sample of our faculty publications from 2021:

• Sonja Novkovic, Anu Puusa, Karen Miner, Co-operative identity and the dual nature: From paradox to complementarities, Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management, Volume 10, Issue 1, 2022, 100162, ISSN 2213-297X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcom.2021.100162
• Sonja Novkovic, Cooperative identity as a yardstick for transformative change, Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics 2021, DOI: 10.1111/apce.12362
• Rixon, D., L. Brown and H. Weigand (2021), Mental Health Co-operative, Nonprofit Book Series, Sagamore Venture Publications. https://js.sagamorepub.com/npbs (accepted October 11, 2021). 
• Rixon, D. and L. Brown (2021), Island Co-op Grocery transitions to a franchise operation: Salvation or Downfall?, SAGE Business Cases, forthcoming (accepted September 8, 2021). 
• Mantzari, E., M. McCulloch, D. Rixon and I. Adderley (2021), Accounting and reporting for co-operatives: a UK perspective, Journal of Co-operative Studies, forthcoming (accepted May 20, 2021). 
• Pillai, A.,Vieta, M., & Sotomayor, L. (2021). University Student Housing as Business Proposition and Entrepreneurial Activity: The Canadian Case. Housing Policy Debate, https://doi.org/10.1080/10511482.2021.1883703 (online first).
• Vieta, M. (2021). Responding to business succession issues and crises by converting to co-operatives: Canadian realities and possibilities. Canadian Journal of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research, 12(2), 13-22.
• Vieta, M. (2021). Recuperating and (re)learning the language of autogestión in Argentina’s empresas recuperadas worker cooperatives. In S.M. Scott (Ed.), Languages of Economic Crises (Chapter 4). London: Routledge (reprint).​

WORKING PAPERS & CASE STUDIES

The Centre's Working Paper and Case Study Series publishes research papers and reports in the field of co-operative management, economics and governance. Enjoy our 7 publications from 2021:

Case Studies

• Isthmus Engineering by Margaret Lund
• Unicorn Grocery by Cian McMahon, Abbie Kempson, Karen Miner and Sonja Novkovic 
• Just Us! Coffee Roasters Cooperative by Cian McMahon and Karen Miner 
• Arctic Co-operatives Limited by Margaret Lund
• Suma by Cian McMahon and Sonja Novkovic 

Working Papers

• Literature Review on Co-operative Resilience in Times of Crisis by Anne-Marie Merrien et al.
• Industry Reports & Media Review on Co-operative Responses to the Pandemic by Hanan El-Youssef et al.

SPECIAL TOPIC WEBINARS

We host free webinars offered by co-operative sector leaders on special topics in business, management, governance, economics and social movements. Enjoy our webinar recordings from 2021:



• Global Research on Environment and Co-ops (ICA-EU Partnership) with Jeffrey Moxom, Simren Singh and Melvin Khabenje
• Digging into the Global Research on Youth and Co-ops with Jeffrey Moxom, Simren Singh and Melvin Khabenje
• A Broader History of Co-operation: from Europe to the World with Nazik Beishenaly
• How Inter-cooperation Strengthens Co-operatives, Economies, and Communities facilitated by Karen Miner, Cory Munden, Kelly Storie and Colette Lebel and hosted by Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada

TOM WEBB RECOGNIZED

Tom Webb is a founder of The Centre's Co-operative Management Education programs and long-time co-operator, educator, author, organizer and volunteer. The Centre and several enthusiastic students and alumni nominated him for the Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada Co-operative Achievement Award. He was awarded in June 2021. Congratulations, Tom! Well deserved.

STUDENT & ALUMNI RECOGNIZED

Our students and alumni are making waves in the co-operative sector! We want to congratulate students and alumni whose contributions were recognized in 2021:

• Josh Noble, Graduate Diploma alum, was awarded the Co-operative Young Leader Award by the Saskatchewan Co-operative Association
• Alex Stone, Master's student, was awarded the Association of Cooperative Educators' William Hlushko Award to Young Co-operative Educators
• Iva Jankovic, Master's student, was one among 25 co-operative leaders under the age of 25 to be profiled by the International Cooperative Alliance. Iva was also awarded the Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation (CASC)'s Lemaire Co-operative Studies Award
• Cynthia MacNeil-Burke, Master's student, was awarded the Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation (CASC)'s Lemaire Co-operative Studies Award
• LaDonna Sanders Redmond, Master's student, was elected to the board of NCBA CLUSA

GRATITUDES

The work of The Centre is made possible because of you: our international co-operative community of faculty, students, collaborators, partners, donors and friends. Thank you for your commitment to elevating the co-operative economy through Co-op Principle 5! We are excited to continue this critical work in 2022.

Master's graduating class members who could attend in person at Saint Mary's University, September 2021

Discussions during the International Co-operative Governance Symposium, June 2021

Master’s students (Aaron Stewart and Stephen Gill from VME Coop) at the ICA Co-operative Research Conference in Seoul, Korea, December 2021

Elevating the performance and impact of co-operative enterprises through customized business education and research.

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The International Centre for Co-operative Management at Saint Mary's University is located in Mi'kma'ki, the unceded and never surrendered territory of the Mi'kmaq. The Mi'kmaq have stewarded these lands since time immemorial. It is covered by the 18th century Peace and Friendship Treaties. We are Treaty People.