Over the years, he has remained a constant supporter of Â鶹AV. In 2012, he established the Judie Rimer Entrance Scholarship in honour of his late wife and, in 2017, he made a generous gift to the Desautels Faculty of Management to support renovations to the Faculty’s Armstrong Building.
Along with Gerry’s gift, a $3-million donation from the Rimer family will build the foundation for a future Institute for Indigenous Research and Knowledges (IIRK) at Â鶹AV, to be located in the heart of the Faculty of Arts in the new Rimer Building.
The IIRK solidifies Â鶹AVÊ»s commitment to an Indigenous Studies major and will include a first of its kind Indigenous Knowledges and Language Revitalization Lab that will support Indigenous students, faculty and community members in order to help preserve and grow Indigenous language and cultural knowledge. In addition to the lab, plans for the future Institute also include artist, writer and elder-in-residence programs, and vital space for Indigenous-led gatherings, events and symposia, among other initiatives.
Before making the donation, the Rimer family was careful to consult with Indigenous scholars at different universities, which eventually led to an introduction to Â鶹AV’s Noelani Arista, Associate Professor, History and Classical Studies, and Director of Indigenous Studies. Those conversations focused on research in Indigenous languages and the revitalization of Indigenous knowledges, the core elements of the IIRK.
