2022 Award for Excellence in Service: Mimi Fourie

Mimi Fourie was a Graduate Program Assistant in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (MBB) from 2011 until her retirement in 2023. Throughout her time in that office, she worked diligently to provide graduate students with helpful support, including ensuring that students are meeting their academic requirements and are not missing out on any funding opportunities.

PhD candidate Christopher Rushton shared how much Fourie impacted his and other students’ experiences at SFU.

“I discovered that she double-checked every single application a graduate student made to each internal award to ensure it was complete and met all requirements… I have no doubt that due to her efforts, many students received awards which we otherwise would have been ineligible for, myself included.”

Additionally, Fourie checked everyone’s individual progress and made sure each student was on track with their progress. If they weren’t, she would let them know and send over documents they needed to make sure they were meeting all of their requirements for their program. Plus, she actively connected with students to identify their unique needs to set them up as best as she could with success in every step of their program.

“She shepherded our graduate students and postdocs through every stage of their time at SFU and went beyond the call of duty to ensure their successful progress through all administrative hurdles of the program,” states Dr. Christopher T. Beh, professor and MBB Departmental Graduate Studies Committee (DGSC) chair.                                                                                                                                         

Christine Beauchamp, the department’s administrative services manager, who worked with Fourie for more than a decade also has high praise for Fourie.

“Fourie’s greatest strength was her relationships with the students. She adapted to each student’s unique needs in a caring and equitable manner, and perhaps most importantly, provided a sympathetic ear whenever needed.”

Fourie’s commitment towards maximizing the graduate student experience at SFU was incredible and made a lasting difference for those she worked with to support. She took on her duties in a time efficient manner, such as updating the department’s website, answered questions about the graduate program, processed applications, managed awards, organized course schedules every term, advised students, and sent links to resources whenever someone needed it.

In her role, Fourie was incredibly hospitable. She was passionate about maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for her students and colleagues. “You could always rely on her smiling and saying hi whenever I saw her, whether in the MBB office or in the hallways; chatting you up and asking how everything is going,” says PhD candidate Justin Jia.

While Fourie is now enjoying the delights of a well-deserved retirement, we are grateful for everything she did to make graduate school for students an easier path to tread. We congratulate her on this award and wish her a happy retirement.

The 2024 Dean of Graduate Studies Awards for Excellence are open for nominations. Deadline for nominations is May 17, 2024.