A Northern Perspective on Northern University Initiatives

Sarah Wright Cardinal ACUNS Banquet October 2010 Purpose To provide: • Background on & 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 • 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 (Full and Part-time Students) School of • School of Health & Human Education, 105, Developmental 14% Services Studies, 295, 40% • School of Trades, School of Health, 161, 22% Apprenticeship & Industrial Training

• Business Programs Environemntal School of Trades, Programs, 26, 4% Business 59, 8% • Environmental Sciences Programs, 90, Programs 12% • 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 has universities • 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? (UArctic) UArctic Canada Walter Duncan Gordon Foundation Residents of the three Dechinta Institute territories seeking University North Society northern opportunities Federal Government for university level Three Territorial governments programming and/or Yukon College, Aurora College & research. 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 Aurora Research Institute: A researcher tests the and spokespersons. thickness of Arctic ice as part of a study being carried • Engagement with Arctic communities: Fostering conflict out for the International Polar Year. avoidance and communicating importance of building trust UArctic Canada

• 30 universities, colleges and Position of the three Northern colleges: other research and Aboriginal • With continued federal funding and organizations possibly territorial funding, there is • Currently Dean resides at U of S opportunity to create Circumpolar Studies Centres at each college to rd • Bachelor Circumpolar Studies: 3 host the UArctic BCS, UArctic Mobility and 4th year courses by distance Program, create links to our college and member institution delivery research institutes, and future • Student Mobility Fund: exchange graduate programs. programs with circumpolar universities • This is not a “university solution” in and of itself. This expands university • Federal funding degree offerings and research opportunities with northern relevance. Walter Duncan Gordon Foundation • Notable Canadian Philanthropic organization: health, Dechinta: Bush University Centre for environment, education, the arts, Research and Learning is a northern- and public policy research led initiative to deliver land-based, 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 • Seed money: Dechinta Institute, Canada’s North. an NWT field school, piloted 4 courses in Summer 2010, seeking accreditation Local Interest Groups

Aurora College Distributed campus • University North Society: Seeking model: a university in Yellowknife Yellowknife campus (top), ’s Aurora campus (middle) and Fort Smith’s • 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 • Legislated degree granting status The three Northern Colleges submitted a working paper in February 2010 to the • Tri-college MOU 1999, Reaffirmed territorial Ministers responsible for education 2009 supporting the commitment of the Territorial • Yukon College: independent from Premiers and offering a vision for a pan- 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 • : 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, 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 ACCC Fall 2010 Symposium “Serving Aboriginal Learners in Rural & Remote Communities” • Athabasca University • Yellowknives Dene First Nation • Northern Lakes College • Cambrian College of Applied Arts & Technology • University College of the North • Sault College • Nunavut Arctic College • Vancouver Island College • De Beers Canada • Cameco Corporation • Fleming College • Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education & Training Inst. • Yukon College • Mine Training Society • Red Crow College • Cegep John Abbott College • Assiniboine Community College • Human Resources and Skills Development Canada • Grande Prairie Regional College • College of the North Atlantic • Tlicho Government • Indian Institute of Technologies • George Brown College • Canadian Construction Association • Government of the • College of the Rockies • ECO Canada • Gwich’in Tribal Council • Dehcho First Nation • Northern College of Applied Arts & Technology • George Brown College • INAC • Liidlii Kue First Nation • Association of Canadian Community Colleges • McGill University • Native Women’s Association of the NWT • Red River College • Northwest Territory Metis Nation • New Brunswick Community College • CanNor • Yellowhead Tribal College • Lakeland College • Aurora College • Canadore College • Dehcho Futures Society Promote Transformative Education

Opportunities: • A paradigm shift = student success • PLAR and student learning plans • Build our leaders of tomorrow • Create viable economies • that supports education • Walk in two worlds: From bush to boardroom • Research of relevance Challenges • Funding • Geography • Population (volume) • Population (dispersion) • Languages (number of) • Academic readiness • Pan-territorial (east/west) or north/south partnerships? Aurora College degree partnerships Current Challenges for Aurora College

1. Distance: 1.34 million square kilometres 2. Vast mandate of the college 3. Costs & fiscal restraint 4. Use of technology 5. Attrition & relocation 6. History of education in the north Challenge: Bandwidth

Opportunities: • Increase Distance & Web based learning • Maximize existing MOUs with partner colleges & universities •Virtual meetings • Yukon College has web capability in almost every learning centre • Nunavut Arctic College cyber infrastructure project • Aurora College: 13 of 33 communities synchronous Challenge: Transportation & Infrastructure

• NWT: Most of our communities are accessible by air and seasonal winter ice roads. • Nunavut: No roads • Malls & Starbucks • Nature vs. Man Costs of doing business

+ x

/ Education gaps in the North

Highest Level of Schooling by Ethnicity (NWT) Source: NWT Bureau of Statistics, 2004

35 Less than Grade 9

30 High School, No Diploma

25 High School Diploma 20 Other Certificate or Diploma 15 Percentage University Degree 10

5 Not Stated

0 All Persons All Aboriginals All Non-Aboriginals Ethnicity Interesting Facts about Alaska

• Over 200 communities; • Alaska was purchased from in 1867 for 7.2 million dollars; • Approx. 600,000 people: half in Anchorage; 80,000 in Fairbanks; and 20,000 in Juneau; • Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) signed by President Nixon on December 18, 1971; • Largest land claims settlement in history; • The settlement extinguished Alaska Native claims by transferring titles to twelve Alaska Native regional corporations and over 200 local village corporations. • A thirteenth regional corporation was later created for Alaska Natives living outside Alaska • “The Lower 48” Key Questions

What should it look like? Real or Virtual Linked with existing Colleges or not Aurora College Networked or single location Environmental Physical (one location, or three) Sciences Led by one territory, or led by three Winter Camp What role should cultures and languages play? What role should Aboriginal governments play? What would legislation need to look like?

Funding How would it be funded? Kinanaskomitin; Mahsi; Ma’hsi; Masi; Marsi; Merci; Quyanainni; Quyanaq; Quana; Thank you