A Northern Perspective on Northern University Initiatives Sarah Wright Cardinal ACUNS Banquet October 2010
Purpose To provide: • Background on Aurora College & Aurora Research Institute • Background on desire for northern university • Current developments • Opportunities • Challenges • Key questions
Demographics of the NWT • The NWT includes 33 communities 4 settled land claim regions: Inuvialuit, • Gwich’in, Sahtu Dene & Metis, Tlicho • Claims in process: Deh Cho, Akaitcho, Northwest Territory Metis Nation • Two reserves: Katlod’eeche & Salt River • 11 Official Languages • Yellowknife has citizens of over 100 countries of origin Aurora College has 3 campuses, 25 • community learning centres, and a research institute
AC Programs by enrolment • School of Education 2010 Fall Enrollments School of (Full and Part-time Students) • School of Health & Human Education, 105, Services Developmental 14% Studies, 295, 40% • School of Trades, School of Health, 161, 22% Apprenticeship & Industrial Training • Business Programs School of Trades, Environemntal 59, 8% Programs, 26, 4% Business • Environmental Sciences Programs, 90, 12% Programs • Developmental Programs
Aurora Research Institute Initiatives 2009-2011: • World class research facilities • Research Advisory Council to our Legislative Assembly • Community participation • NSERC & SHERC accreditation Intellectual Property & • Traditional Knowledge policy • Faculty & Staff research
University in the North? • Education transferred from federal to territorial government in 1968/69 Every province of Canada has universities • • Arctic Sovereignty (John Raulston Saul) • Researchers doing research in/about the North seek northern host • Northern researchers seek northern host • Circumpolar universities seek partnerships
Current Developments Proponents/Interested parties Who are the stakeholders? University of the Arctic (UArctic) UArctic Canada Residents of the three Walter Duncan Gordon Foundation territories seeking Dechinta Institute northern opportunities University North Society for university level Federal Government programming and/or Three Territorial governments research. Yukon College, Aurora College & Nunavut Arctic College
University of the Arctic • Officially launched in 2001 • A cooperative network of 121 universities, colleges, and indigenous organizations committed to higher education and research in the North. • Bachelor of Circumpolar Studies: Delivered by distance with circumpolar co-hort OR by member institution within program of study • Graduate Studies (UAlaska and ULapland) • PHd Field Schools • Faculty & Student Exchanges
UArctic Dialogue Example: University of the Arctic – Institute for Applied Circumpolar Policy, Considering a Roadmap Forward: The Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment, Workshop Report 2009 • Enhancing Arctic Marine Safety: knowing who is and is not represented at the international organizations • Uniformity of Arctic Shipping Governance: Key examples of state regulations for possible integration and harmonization Arctic Search and Rescue: Evaluation of adequacy of • cooperative SAR agreements • Survey of Arctic Indigenous Marine Use: Identify who to communicate with – organizations, community leaders and spokespersons. Aurora Research Institute: A researcher tests the thickness of Arctic ice as part of a study being carried out for the International Polar Year. • Engagement with Arctic communities: Fostering conflict avoidance and communicating importance of building trust
UArctic Canada Position of the three Northern colleges: • 30 universities, colleges and other research and Aboriginal • With continued federal funding and possibly territorial funding, there is organizations opportunity to create Circumpolar • Currently Dean resides at U of S Studies Centres at each college to Bachelor Circumpolar Studies: 3 rd • host the UArctic BCS, UArctic Mobility and 4 th year courses by distance Program, create links to our college and member institution delivery research institutes, and future graduate programs. • Student Mobility Fund: exchange programs with circumpolar • This is not a “university solution” in universities and of itself. This expands university • Federal funding degree offerings and research opportunities with northern relevance.
Walter Duncan Gordon Foundation Notable Canadian Philanthropic • Dechinta: Bush University Centre for organization: health, Research and Learning is a northern- environment, education, the arts, led initiative to deliver land-based, and public policy research university credited educational experiences led by northern leaders, Environmental Scan “Dialogue • experts, elders and professors to Towards a University in the engage northern and southern youth North” in a transformative curricula based on the cutting-edge needs of Canada’s North. • Seed money: Dechinta Institute, an NWT field school, piloted 4 courses in Summer 2010, seeking accreditation
Local Interest Groups Aurora College Distributed campus • University North Society: Seeking model: Yellowknife campus a university in Yellowknife (top), Inuvik’s Aurora campus (middle) and Fort Smith’s • Iqaluit has a local group seeking a Thebacha campus university (bottom). The Challenge: Do not have strong • Forums and blogs on the physical presence in need/desire for universities in the captial city. Nunavut, NWT and Yukon The Opportunity: A doorstep in almost every community of the NWT.
Governments • Federal government: UArctic (INAC, DFAIT, HRSDC); the Northern Strategy • Territorial Premiers Communique, September 5, 2009: Recognizing importance of research and innovation in building healthy and sustainable northern communities; committed to examining options for development of a Northern university • Aboriginal governments: Requests for capacity-building, governance, land claims initiated and self-government roles
The three Northern Colleges The three Northern Colleges submitted a • Legislated degree granting status working paper in February 2010 to the Tri-college MOU 1999, Reaffirmed • territorial Ministers responsible for education 2009 supporting the commitment of the Territorial Premiers and offering a vision for a pan- • Yukon College: independent from territorial university anchored in the territorial government, Education Council colleges with a front door in every northern established 2008 community. • Aurora College: dual reporting to Board of Governors and Minister, Education Council in process, requires legislative change • Nunavut Arctic College: President is a Deputy Minister
Working Paper: Key Principles The vision of a pan-territorial university is built on the following principles: • Northern leadership and governance; • Indigenous perspectives embedded throughout programs, services, and research; • Pan-territorial partnership building on existing resources and programs; • Shared funding and fundraising for future growth; • Community access through enhanced information Communication Technology; • Delivery structure and systems appropriate to Northern needs; • National and international higher learning and research affiliations; • Maintenance of each college’s unique identity.
Working Paper: Key Objectives The vision of a pan-territorial university honours Northern knowledge and experience by supporting and promoting: Northern knowledge and worldview; • • Northern human and societal capacity; • Research relevant and beneficial to Northern researchers and communities; • Northern dialogue and inquiry; • Expanded post-secondary opportunities in the North; Sustainable communities, cultures and economies; • • Northern degrees responsive to northern needs and recognized across Canada.
Opportunities Northern control and participation in Northern • research • Increased opportunities for university level programming • Increased opportunities for northern research by northerners • Increased opportunity for visiting expert professors and researchers • Economic benefits Societal benefits •
Embed Aboriginal Perspectives In Aurora College Business Opportunities: • Governance: Elder Rep • Faculty & Staff development • Succession planning • Student activities • Course content • Research opportunities • Approaches to doing business
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