University College of the North announced Dec. 15 that it is launching a department of Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation.
The new department, which will officially be in place as of Jan. 3, will be led by Dr. Ramona Neckoway, a Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation member who has served UCN as an assistant professor and chair of the Aboriginal Northern Studies program and has a background in Indigenous language research.
“As an Indigenous scholar from Northern Manitoba, I embark on this new role with great humility, and I look forward to creating diverse and multifaceted opportunities,” Neckoway said in a press release.
The goal of the department will be to lead UCN’s reconciliation efforts, create opportunities to increase Indigenous language training and revitalization, and pursue Indigenous language and culture research to help UCN be a leader in post-secondary education reconciliation efforts.
“The new department will help to guide UCN's curriculum with respect to inclusion of Indigenous content, worldviews, and Indigegogy,” said Dr. Dan Smith, UCN’s academic and research vice-president. “Dr. Neckoway has an exciting and ambitious agenda that will see UCN's approach to reconciliation informed by Indigenous knowledge, research, culture, language, and community engagement.”
