Jim Novo Award - 2009 Winner

Congratulations to Ali Shah, 2009 winner of the Jim Novo Award of Academic Excellence!

The Digital Analytics Association (DAA) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) Continuing Studies are pleased to announce that Ali Shah has been earned the 2009 Jim Novo Award of Academic Excellence.

Ali Shah graduated in 2009 from the UBC Award of Achievement in Web Analytics with an astounding grade average of 99%.

"I am honored to receive this prestigious award from UBC and the DAA. I greatly admire Jim Novo and look up to him as a leader in this field," says Mr. Shah, who lives in Ontario, Canada.

"I took the program last year in order to transition my career from working in traditional market research to digital media marketing, and was recently hired as a web data analyst by Canwest Digital Media (a publishing/broadcasting company with over 80 web properties across Canada). I’m also applying what I learned in the program to my own company, Web Star Research, in which I assist businesses to improve and leverage their online presence for maximum benefit.

Because Web analytics is a relatively new field, it was also important to Mr. Shah to gain reputable certification along with his new knowledge. "The UBC Web analytics program is endorsed by the DAA, the established authority in this area, so I felt confident that it was a solid program," says Mr. Shah. He is also planning to further his current education by taking additional courses to earn a Certificate in Web Intelligence, co-offered by UBC Continuing Studies and the University of California, Irvine.

Raquel Collins, senior program leader with the UBC Award of Achievement in Web Analytics, is impressed with the high caliber of students that the program is attracting. "We have many excellent students in the program, and Mr. Shah is at the top of the class with his 99 percent grade average," said Collins. "He put a lot of hard work into his studies and deserves to be recognized with the Jim Novo award."