Paul Pan, Executive Director, International

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was born and grew up in Taipei, Taiwan. At the age of eight, my parents decided to send my sister and I to the United States as international students, because they believed that this would provide better opportunities for our future. My parents continued to work in Taiwan while my sister and I were studying in the US. They made the decision to immigrate to Canada after visiting some friends in Vancouver and fell in love with the city. Our family immigrated to Canada in the late 1980s.

After high school, I worked for about three years before attending university. I worked in various jobs in the retail sector mainly in sales. I was also a tour guide for a travel company that did bus tours from Vancouver to Banff for Chinese tourists.

I graduated from the University of Northern British Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Geography with a minor in International Studies (1999) and a Master of Business Administration (2010). I worked as a resident assistant in housing for two years and was also a student athlete playing on the UNBC Timberwolves varsity basketball team while completing my undergraduate degree.

I have worked in the international education field since 2004. I was hired on by UNBC as a coordinator to develop an English as Second Language program for international students. In the summer of 2008, I was asked to lead the department and expand the program offerings. By 2010, the program grew to over 600 students per year from the 14 students we originally had in 2004.

I got the opportunity to advance my career in international education in 2013 when I became the director of the international centre for students at the University of Lethbridge. In 2014, I became the Executive Director, International at ULethbridge.

How long have you been at ULethbridge and what do you do here?

I just celebrated my 10th anniversary at ULethbridge. I am responsible for the overall development and implementation of the International Strategy to increase opportunities within a comprehensive organizational structure for international collaborations and partnerships to engage students, faculty and community so that teaching, research and services may be further enhanced. The ULethbridge International unit consists of international student services, international student recruitment, the English Language Institute, international partnerships and education abroad.

What's the best part of your job?

There is never a dull moment in international education from student services to recruitment to partnership development. I love the people that I get to work with every day and that makes my job way more enjoyable. One of the major benefits of working in international education is that I get to travel to different countries on University business. I get to experience so many different cultures and foods! Did I mention all the delicious food?

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

When I am not at work, I enjoy spending time with my wife, Jan, daughter, Lindsay and son, Aaron. I am active in the community and volunteer my time with various sport organizations. I have coached or managed many of my children’s sport teams over the past eight years. I am an avid golfer, but I do not get to play as much as I would like. Our family also likes to travel and experience different cultures.