Last year, Memorial’s Office of Aboriginal Affairs completed a study which resulted in the report, Celebrating Aboriginal Culture and Cultivating Inclusion at Memorial University.
The report was commissioned in response to a recommendation in the Teaching and Learning Framework that identified a need to support vulnerable learners at Memorial.
Current and past students
The reporting process included analysis of the results of an online survey of current and past students who self-identified as Aboriginal, individual consultations and interviews with current and former Aboriginal students, as well as faculty and staff across campuses, an extensive literature review and an environmental scan.
The research was conducted and the findings were compiled by Dr. Melanie Greene, who at the time was project manager in the Office of Aboriginal Affairs, under the direction of Dr. Evan Simpson, then interim special advisor to the president on Aboriginal affairs.
Interviews and consultations
Celebrating Aboriginal Culture and Cultivating Inclusion at Memorial University shines a light on the experiences of Aboriginal students and provides an overview of what was heard through the interviews and consultations.
This overview is enhanced by the findings of a Report on the Knowledge of Aboriginal People and Topics by First-Year Students at Memorial, an awareness report on Memorial which was received this fall and is being released simultaneously with the internal report.
‘Improve and move forward’
“Important work has been done to date, but it is equally important to recognize that we have a lot of work ahead of us,” said Dr. Noreen Golfman, provost and vice-president (academic). “This report gives us insight into what Aboriginal students are experiencing at Memorial, enabling us to focus on areas where we can improve and move forward. This will require collaboration and efforts from the entire university community.”
The university community is encouraged to review Celebrating Aboriginal Culture and Cultivating Inclusion at Memorial University and Report on the Knowledge of Aboriginal People and Topics by First-Year Students at Memorial, available on the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) website.
“It is important that as a university community, we continue to have open dialogue about the role of education in reconciliation.”
Updates on the process to address the recommendations of Celebrating Aboriginal Culture and Cultivating Inclusion at Memorial University will be shared as they become available.
“It is important that as a university community, we continue to have open dialogue about the role of education in reconciliation,” said Catharyn Andersen, special advisor to the president on Aboriginal affairs.
“This report will help us continue to improve on the supports we offer Aboriginal students and to facilitate greater inclusion of Aboriginal Peoples, culture, perspectives and history across Memorial’s campuses.”
