40 years for FNUniv
- Jeanelle Mandes | November 04, 2016
The First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) held a four-day celebration to mark its 40-year anniversary. Celebrations kicked off with a feast and a round dance held at the institution. The theme was ‘Pimatisiwin’ which translates to ‘Our teachings, Our Future’ which goes back to the idea of the teaching foundations of FNUniv.
From the four-day event, many exciting announcements were made by the university such as declaring the education institute to be known as the National Gathering Place for Reconciliation.
“The university will be closing off the space in the front lawn to include a waterfront. It will honour the residential school survivors and have each of their names showcased on pillars. It will recognize the veterans as well. The First Nations University has announced a $50-million dollar fundraising initiative,” said Cherish Jean-Baptiste, president of the FNUniv Alumni Association, Class of 2006 with a Bachelor in Business Administration.
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Jean-Baptiste helped to organize the FNUniv Alumni networking event, which featured a panel of alumni members who graduated from the institution.
“We had Sid Fiddler, who has his Master’s in Social Work, as well as Milton Tootoosis…Vera Tourangeau who is an educator…and we had Diane Adams who is a researcher,” she says of the accomplished graduates. “Listening to their experiences on how university life was for them and how it is now was definitely an inspirational piece to our networking event. But also looking at their ideas of what reconciliation is today.”
The FNUniv Alumni Association calculated over 5000 alumni members worldwide and they are working to stay connected so they can continue to support each other for the next 40-years. The events involved the community, in which Jean-Baptiste says, majority of the alumni members still call the university home.
“The community is involved because they are the ones who contribute to our success. Had it not been for our kokums and mothers assisting the students to get to school and taking care of our children while we go to school--a lot of us would not have achieved our educational goals,” she adds.
FNUniv Student Association Interim President, Heather O’Watch, says the students were excited to be a part of the 40th Anniversary celebrations.
“As student body representatives, we were excited to be engaged in the many events that the 40th anniversary brought on our campus including the round dance, feast and family day events. It was a wonderful 4-day celebration that allowed us as current students, alumni, staff, community members and future students to get together and celebrate 40-years of Indigenous education on our campus,” said O’Watch.
Guest speakers varied from the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) Chief Bobby Cameron, to Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Honourable Carolyn Bennett and the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Chief Perry Bellegarde--all spoke to congratulate the university on achieving its 40-year anniversary.
“We can think of no better person to end the four-day celebration than the national Chief Bellegarde. He is an inspirational leader and comes from Treaty 4 territory, he came from here, and worked with his own tribal council with his own band and provincially with FSIN, we wanted to honour him by starting a scholarship in his name to inspire our next generation of students to go out there and do what he did and make a difference,” says FNUniv President, Mark Dockstator as he announced the Perry Bellegarde Leadership Scholarship.