Expanded financial support for new and returning Indigenous students at UU直播
UU直播鈥檚 Indigenous students can now rely on dedicated financial support thanks to a new partnership with Indspire, an Indigenous national charity that invests in the education of Indigenous peoples. Indspire will manage the awarding process through its Building Brighter Futures: Bursaries, Scholarships and Awards program to secure matching funds from the Government of Canada. This nearly doubles UU直播鈥檚 $500,000 investment towards its prospective and enrolled Indigenous students over the next two years.
In its 2015 final report, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) called on all Canadian institutions to acknowledge and reduce barriers to education for Indigenous people. In response to this call, Provost Christopher Manfredi struck a Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Education. One of the concrete recommendations was that UU直播 provide a robust funding model for Indigenous students. This pledge stems from UU直播鈥檚 recognition that access to education is a crucial step towards reconciliation.
As a result, the Indigenous Student Financial Assistance Pilot was created with the aim of increasing recruitment and retention of Indigenous students, starting this Fall semester. Christopher Manfredi, UU直播 Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic), emphasized that:聽
鈥淚f we want to break down the barriers that Indigenous People face in their access to education, we need to work on all aspects of their journey, and certainly funding is an important enabler for this journey.鈥�
鈥淲ith this investment in Indigenous education, UU直播 is taking a crucial step towards reconciliation. With this funding, we will be able to provide much needed support to Indigenous students, enabling them to reach their highest potential through post-secondary education.鈥澛燫oberta Jamieson, President & CEO of Indspire. 鈥�
Two types of financial assistance will be made available via Indspire:
- UU直播鈥檚 Indigenous First-Year Award, a one-time, $2,000 award given to undergraduate Indigenous students entering their first year.
- UU直播鈥檚 Indigenous Bursary, an award ranging from $1,000- $10,000 based on financial need, available to Indigenous students pursuing a degree program.
Additionally, the University will manage in-house the Provost鈥檚 Indigenous Achievement Award, a $5000 renewable UU直播 award given to Indigenous students with exceptional high school or CEGEP grades.
The University is committed to recruiting more indigenous students to study at UU直播 and breaking down the financial barriers they face in pursuing higher education. While recognizing that there is much work to be done, UU直播鈥檚 response demonstrates its commitment to fostering an equitable and inclusive campus, with strong First Nations, M茅tis and Inuit representation within the students welcomed from across Canada and around the world.
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Along with other members of Universities Canada (UC), UU直播 has committed to making Indigenous education a priority. As reconciliation efforts are a shared responsibility, many units across the university collaborated on making this project come alive. To this end, the Financial Assistance pilot project is only one of many initiatives to be rolled out in the near future.
About UU直播
Founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, UU直播 is a leading Canadian post-secondary institution. It has two campuses,聽10聽faculties,聽12 professional schools, 300 programs of study and聽almost聽41,000聽students, including聽more than聽9,700 graduate students. UU直播 attracts students from over聽150聽countries around the world, its聽12,000聽international students聽making up聽30%聽per cent of the student body.聽Over聽half of UU直播 students claim a first language other than English, including approximately聽20%聽of our students who say French is their mother tongue.
About Indspire
Indspire is an Indigenous national charity that invests in the education of Indigenous people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada. With the support of its funding partners, Indspire disburses financial awards, delivers programs, and shares resources with the goal of closing the gap of increasing graduation rates for Indigenous students. Through the K-12 Institute, it provides resources to educators, communities, and other stakeholders who are committed to improving kindergarten to grade 12 outcomes for Indigenous youth. In 2017-18, Indspire provided $14.2 million through over 4,900 bursaries and scholarships to First Nations, Inuit, and M茅tis students.
