The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a US$1.25-million grant to 鶹AV, in support of a new Indigenous Studies and Community Engagement Initiative. The Initiative will be implemented over the next five years.
“The Indigenous Studies and Community Engagement Initiative will help establish 鶹AV as an Eastern Canadian hub for Indigenous Education,” says Prof. Christopher Manfredi, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic). “Thanks to the generosity and vision of the Mellon Foundation, this Initiative will generate new, cross-University synergies and community partnerships, and add strategic capacity in areas where we can have the greatest impact.”
The Initiative will be based in the Faculty of Arts. Drawing upon the Faculty’s broad and rich expertise across the Humanities and Social Sciences, the Initiative will expand the existing Indigenous Studies minor program to include major and honours programs. A later phase of the Initiative will include a graduate studies program.
“Canada’s universities play an important role in our collective relationships with Indigenous communities,” says Prof. Antonia Maioni, Dean of the Faculty of Arts. “Because of its interdisciplinary nature, and the breadth of its disciplines, the Faculty of Arts is particularly well positioned to help promote a future of reconciliation and partnership aimed at supporting the flourishing and success of Indigenous students, knowledge and communities.”