A Northern Perspective on Northern University Initiatives

Sarah Wright CardinalACUNS 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• School of Health & Human

Services• School of Trades,

Apprenticeship & Industrial Training

• Business Programs• Environmental Sciences

Programs• Developmental Programs

School of Education, 105,

14%

School of Health, 161, 22%

School of Trades, 59, 8%Business

Programs, 90, 12%

Environemntal Programs, 26, 4%

Developmental Studies, 295, 40%

2010 Fall Enrollments (Full and Part-time Students)

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 DevelopmentsWho are the stakeholders?

Residents of the three territories seeking northern opportunities for university level programming and/or research.

Proponents/Interested parties

University of the Arctic (UArctic)UArctic CanadaWalter Duncan Gordon FoundationDechinta InstituteUniversity North Society Federal Government Three Territorial governmentsYukon 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 DialogueExample: 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.

• Engagement with Arctic communities: Fostering conflict avoidance and communicating importance of building trust

Aurora Research Institute: A researcher tests the thickness of Arctic ice as part of a study being carried

out for the International Polar Year.

UArctic Canada• 30 universities, colleges and

other research and Aboriginal organizations

• Currently Dean resides at U of S • Bachelor Circumpolar Studies: 3rd

and 4th year courses by distance and member institution delivery

• Student Mobility Fund: exchange programs with circumpolar universities

• Federal funding

Position of the three Northern colleges:• With continued federal funding and

possibly territorial funding, there is opportunity to create Circumpolar Studies Centres at each college to host the UArctic BCS, UArctic Mobility Program, create links to our college research institutes, and future graduate programs.

• This is not a “university solution” in and of itself. This expands university degree offerings and research opportunities with northern relevance.

Walter Duncan Gordon Foundation• Notable Canadian Philanthropic

organization: health, environment, education, the arts, and public policy research

• Environmental Scan “Dialogue Towards a University in the North”

• Seed money: Dechinta Institute, an NWT field school, piloted 4 courses in Summer 2010, seeking accreditation

Dechinta: Bush University Centre for Research and Learning is a northern-led initiative to deliver land-based, university credited educational experiences led by northern leaders, experts, elders and professors to engage northern and southern youth in a transformative curricula based on the cutting-edge needs of Canada’s North.

Local Interest Groups• University North Society: Seeking

a university in Yellowknife

• Iqaluit has a local group seeking a university

• Forums and blogs on the need/desire for universities in Nunavut, NWT and Yukon

Aurora College Distributed campus model:Yellowknife campus (top), Inuvik’s Aurora campus (middle) and Fort Smith’s Thebacha campus (bottom).

The Challenge: Do not have strong physical presence in the captial city.

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• Tri-college MOU 1999, Reaffirmed

2009• Yukon College: independent from

government, Education Council established 2008

• 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

The three Northern Colleges submitted aworking paper in February 2010 to theterritorial Ministers responsible for educationsupporting the commitment of the TerritorialPremiers and offering a vision for a pan-territorial university anchored in the territorialcolleges with a front door in every northerncommunity.

Working Paper: Key PrinciplesThe 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 ObjectivesThe 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 PerspectivesIn 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• Northern Lakes College• University College of the North• Nunavut Arctic College• De Beers Canada• Fleming College• Yukon College• Red Crow College• Assiniboine Community College• Grande Prairie Regional College• Tlicho Government• George Brown College• Government of the Northwest Territories• ECO Canada• Dehcho First Nation• George Brown College• Liidlii Kue First Nation• McGill University• Red River College• New Brunswick Community College• Yellowhead Tribal College• Aurora College

• Yellowknives Dene First Nation• Cambrian College of Applied Arts & Technology• Sault College• Vancouver Island College• Cameco Corporation• Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education & Training Inst.• Mine Training Society• Cegep John Abbott College• Human Resources and Skills Development Canada• College of the North Atlantic• Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies• Canadian Construction Association• College of the Rockies• Gwich’in Tribal Council• Northern College of Applied Arts & Technology• INAC• Association of Canadian Community Colleges• Native Women’s Association of the NWT• Northwest Territory Metis Nation• CanNor• Lakeland 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• Culture 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 college3. Costs & fiscal restraint4. Use of technology5. Attrition & relocation6. History of education in the

north

Challenge: BandwidthOpportunities:• 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

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

Challenge: Transportation & Infrastructure

Costs of doing business

+ x

/

Education gaps in the North

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

All Persons All Aboriginals All Non-Aboriginals

Perc

enta

ge

Ethnicity

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

Less than Grade 9

High School, No Diploma

High School Diploma

Other Certificate or Diploma

University Degree

Not Stated

Interesting Facts about Alaska• Over 200 communities;• Alaska was purchased from Russia 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 United states 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 QuestionsWhat should it look like?Real or VirtualLinked with existing Colleges or not Networked or single locationPhysical (one location, or three)Led by one territory, or led by threeWhat role should cultures and languages play?What role should Aboriginal governments play?What would legislation need to look like?

FundingHow would it be funded?

Aurora CollegeEnvironmental Sciences Winter Camp

Kinanaskomitin; Mahsi; Ma’hsi; Masi; Marsi; Merci; Quyanainni; Quyanaq; Quana; Thank you