In the academic world, professor Jennifer Welsh is a superstar.

For the past 12 years, she has been teaching international relations at Oxford University in the UK. Oxford of course is famous for housing some of the great minds of western civilization;  Hobbes, Locke, Eliot, Donne, Hawking, Hubble, Huxley, Sontag and Hitchens all studied there. It's an intimidating list of intellectual alumni -- you don't end up on it by chance.  And nor has Welsh. She's a Rhodes scholar, a Trudeau fellow, the sole Canadian fellow at ground-breaking Somerville College and has been a foreign affairs advisor to the Canadian government.

The Trudeau Fellow

'In the midst of the open and flat plain in southern Saskatchewan, a gravel road three kilometres long leads down into the lush green of the Qu’Appelle Valley. It is here, more than anywhere, that I feel I truly belong' - Welsh Ironically, Welsh couldn't be further from Qu'Appelle and Regina where she grew up. Her success has led to a life  that seems unlikely to return her home anytime soon. She and her husband love the city of Oxford, Somerville College is an intellectual hub, her two children were born in England, the eldest apparently has a lovely Oxonian accent. But as with many Canadians who live internationally there remains a strong attachment to Canada. In Welsh's case, it is particularly strong. Her father is Metis, his grandfather was one of the last prairie buffalo hunters. Her mother is the daughter of Romainian emigrés who came to Canada just before WW1.  The family ancestry is linked to the Hudson Bay Company, the fur trade, and Louis Riel, Welsh even speaks French because a dashing Pierre Eliot Trudeau made a big impression on her as a young girl. Her history, is a Canadian history.

The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation was established in 2001 as a living memorial to the former Liberal Prime Minister by his family, friends, and colleagues. The Government of Canada endowed the Foundation with a donation of $125 million following a unanimous vote in the House of Commons in 2002.  Trudeau fellowships give money to scholars in order to do research. They are chosen for their ability to imagine and promote new solutions to major contemporary issues. Fellowships are worth as much as $225,000. They run for three years. Welsh received hers in 2006 - The Trudeau Foundation Photo courtesy of Library and Archives Canada

Welsh came into her academic own

'I increasingly think a huge aspect of Canadian foreign policy is simply being who we are, which is a highly successful liberal democracy' -Welsh Credit: Seth McAllister/AFP

following the defining moment of our times: September 11, 2001. She was in her Oxford office reading an email when the jets hit the WTC. "I looked at the internet first, then went over to one of the Colleges to watch, along with colleagues, while the towers fell. One of my early thoughts was 'I fear the missiles are going to start flying in response'."

Osama bin Laden had changed the world, Welsh knew it, and not long after began formulating her own ideas about how Canada should position itself in the post-9 11 era.

Three years later she came out with her response; a book called "At Home in the World: Canada's Global Vision for the 21st Century." Among her conclusions, she called for Canada to become a global "model citizen." She disliked Canada being called a "middle power," and felt we had more to offer than just "niche" or "soft" power. Welsh felt Canada had an enviable identity, she argued that we are good at nation-building, our own success the proof, and thus she believed, and still believes, that our experience is something we can share with the world.

The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation

The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation was established in 1965. The private foundation is trying to improve public policy in Canada. It is currently run by Tom Axworthy, former Principal Secretary and speechwriter for Liberal PM Pierre Elliot Trudeau. The foundation has promoted public discussion on peacekeeping, peacemaking and nuclear disarmament, global fresh water, the Arctic, global citizenship and numerous other initiatives. Welsh has been a member of the WDG Board of Trustees since 2006. - Photo courtesy Thomas Axworthy via Wikipedia Commons

Welsh is a thinker, but she's also a doer. She wants to prepare Canada for the future, a future that she believes requires less dependency on the US and more integration with multi-lateral organizations like the WTO. This requires a plan and agreement from Canadians. Perhaps this explains why Welsh is taking a leading role in a variety of exclusive Canadian think-tanks.

The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation, the Pacific Council on International Policy, Canada2020  and the Banff Forum are spearheading discussion on the key issues of our times. Their influential memberships are helping to redefine public policy in Canada. They are powerful and connected and you can bet they will have a big say in who and what Canada will become as a nation.

At some point during our chat, I asked Welsh to wade in on the state of the Canadian university.

She says it is difficult to make broad generalizations.  But Welsh -- who has taught at two of Canada’s so-called top schools, McGill and the University of Toronto -- says Canadian universities measure up well against their Brit counterparts.

She concedes that students tend to approach post-secondary education as more of a 'tranasction' these days, realizing it's mainly a means to get a job. But she also says Canada’s top students are as good as any at Oxford, and broadly speaking, she says Canada's top schools are as competitive as any in Britain. And in some ways they might actually be better.

She says she likes the way Canadian schools grade on a 'continuous assessment' basis rather than loading the pressure on year-end exams as they do in England.  She also likes the way Canadian students are not forced to specialize in a particular subject as early as they do in the UK.

Canadian universities are also cheaper. According to the Oxford University website, foreign students who want to do a Phd (DPhil) in political science will pay around $25,000 a year in tuition fees. At McGill, a similar degree costs less than a fifth of that.

Not that that dampens the allure of Oxford. More than 400 Canadians are currently studying there. Welsh says it is a fantastic multi-cultural university, a world class research school; its envied tutorial system ensuring it will maintain its place near the top of the academic ladder; its iconic PPE degree a global calling card.

In many ways, @World.ca is a Jennifer Welsh creation. @World.ca was conceived of to learn more about the large population of Canadians living abroad and to show how important and influential they've become. In part, this is Welsh's project. She is one of 73,000 Canadians living in England. She has no plans to return. But she strongly believes in her Canadian identity, and thinks that Canada should tap the potential of the 3-million strong diaspora.

In her essay, "Our Overlooked Diaspora,"  Welsh explains how this group of Canadians has been neglected, and suggests to naysayers that this 'liability' could actually be a gigantic asset. She goes as far as to call them a 'national treasure' if used properly. And while she respects the idea that citizenship requires rights AND responsibilities she is equally clear that it is possible to have more than one social contract and still be a loyal Canadian.

Welsh says "Canada is a nation not imposed, but built painstakingly from the ground up. And it is one that I and every other Canadian have a duty to keep building." That impetus to participate, to help build the national identity makes Welsh not just a Canadian citizen, but a model citizen. 

@World.ca is hoping to contribute to this nation building project. In the next two weeks, I will be announcing  2 new ways that you can contribute to Canada's future. Check this space.