Moving Aboriginal higher education forward
William Lindsay, 778.782.8924; wlindsay@sfu.ca
Dan Guinan, 604.873.3772 ext. 335; dguinan@necvancouver.org
Carol Thorbes, PAMR, 778.782.3035; cthorbes@sfu.ca
Simon Fraser University (SFU) and the Native Education College (NEC) will deepen an almost decade long collaboration on delivering higher education by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Wed. Jan. 19.
SFU VP-Academic Jon Driver and NEC President Dan Guinan will sign the agreement during a ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. at NEC, located in an Aboriginal longhouse at 285 East 5th Ave. in east Vancouver.
NEC, based in east Vancouver, is B.C.’s largest private Aboriginal college. A certificate and diploma granting school whose learners are mostly from urban Vancouver, NEC first partnered with SFU in 2002 through the two institutions’ criminology programs.
Graduates of NEC’s Aboriginal Justice Studies certificate program can gain entry credits towards a degree in SFU’s criminology program.
In keeping with the emphasis on community outreach in SFU’s comprehensive university-wide education plan for Aboriginal Peoples, this new MOU paves the way for NEC and SFU to jointly deliver higher education to rural B.C.
“It is important for rural Aboriginal communities that adults are offered opportunities for a college or university education without the family disruption of moving to the big city,” notes Guinan. “This MOU will hopefully lead to partnership initiatives that will enable Aboriginal people in rural settings to attain degrees without having to leave home.”
William Lindsay, director of SFU’s Office for Aboriginal Peoples, will oversee SFU’s involvement in developing initiatives and degree granting programs with NEC under the new MOU.
“I see this MOU as increasing SFU’s profile in Aboriginal communities throughout B.C., including Vancouver’s downtown eastside,” says Lindsay. “NEC already delivers, annually, a large adult basic education program that enables several dozen urban Vancouver-based students to attain their Grade 12 diploma.”
The MOU signing ceremony will feature photo opportunities, such as an elder’s prayer, Aboriginal songs, dances and longhouse entry protocols.
Bob Baker from the Squamish Nation, an NEC cultural advisor, will be one of the speakers. Baker has travelled extensively in Asia and Europe as a spokesperson for Aboriginal culture and was involved in the Aboriginal opening ceremonies at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
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Backgrounder on potential MOU-related initiatives:
As examples of the kind of initiatives that could evolve under the MOU, Lindsay cites:
- Collaboration on delivering SFU Continuing Studies’ Aboriginal Bridge Program, which helps Aboriginal Peoples gain entry to SFU degree programs;
- Using NEC’s educational expertise in Aboriginal communities, such as Vancouver’s downtown eastside, to enrich SFU’s program offerings;
- Helping NEC apply SFU’s research expertise to enriching its program offerings;
- Evaluating and improving, as need be, the system for transferring credits from NEC to SFU;
- Expansion of SFU-based community engagement initiatives, such as math/science tutoring program for primary school kids;
- Collaboration on Aboriginal language credit and non-credit offerings.
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Lillian Prince
Signing of the MOU with NEC and SFU is a great initiative and the beginning of a great relationship. This agreement will really open doors for Aboriginal students into higher learning. The Aboriginal students in the Aboriginal Adult Basic Education Program at NEC really appreciate the tutoring services provided by SFU student volunteers. The NEC students and others from the Aboriginal community greatly benefit from the tutoring provided by SFU. Mussi cho, Lillian Prince