Award

World Affairs Council Honors Blackboard for Global Commitment to Education

• By Richard Chang
• 11/14/16

The World Affairs Council-Washington, D.C. has honored Blackboard with a Global Education Award, recognizing the ed tech company’s commitment to education worldwide.

The annual World Affairs Honors Global Education Gala will be held March 29, 2017. Blackboard and four other honorees will receive awards that exemplify the mission of the council, which is to empower educators and students to effectively compete, communicate and lead in this diverse, multicultural nation and worldwide. Blackboard’s chairman, CEO and president, Bill Ballhaus, will attend and accept the award.

“We greatly appreciate the recognition from the World Affairs Council of our work to help institutions and learners around the globe overcome their challenges and achieve success,” Ballhaus said in a prepared statement. “At Blackboard, we are passionate about education and understand the profound difference it can make in individuals’ lives and in society as a whole.”

In a separate statement, the World Affairs Council-Washington, D.C. provided some context for the award given to Blackboard:

“The Global Education Award is our apex annual award for a corporation, foundation or organization that demonstrates global best practice in its international market sector. Each year, the award is presented to a global corporation, foundation, nonprofit or educational institution that is an international exemplar in the development, advancement and delivery of worldwide programs that advance global education, international affairs and global communications.”

Blackboard reaches more than 100 million users in 90 countries, a representative from Blackboard said Monday.

The other honorees include Marymount University, recipient of the Educator of the Year Award; the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, recipient of the Global Communications Award; and the Republic of Colombia, recipient of the Distinguished Diplomatic Service Award. Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, will deliver the keynote address and accept the Global Ambassador Award.

“The World Affairs Council-Washington, D.C. is pleased to award Blackboard with the Global Education Award for its dedication to helping bring millions of people around the world closer to the knowledge they seek,” said Pat Gross, the council’s co-founder and chairman of the 2017 Honors Gala, in a statement. “We share a joint commitment to creating an environment where all individuals can explore the world beyond the classroom and achieve their academic goals.”

To learn more about the Washington, D.C. chapter of the World Affairs Council, visit the nonprofit organization’s website. More information about Blackboard is available on that company’s website.