Elder Bryan Loucks (Wassayshikung) of the Marten Dodem, Hiawatha First Nation, Bkejwanong Territories, speaks during a March 10, 2023 workshop on Indigenization of business education.
Odette School of Business faculty and staff gathered March 10, 2023 to attend a workshop on Indigenization of Business Education, as part of efforts to Indigenize the curriculum and improve Indigenous students’ experience.
The event included opening and closing prayers by Myrna Kicknosway, elder-in-residence in the Faculty of Law, panel discussions on Indigenizing the curriculum and the student experience at Odette, and a session about the University of Windsor’s Indigenous neighbours.
“We wanted to organize an event that could be a first in what I hope will be a series of events to advance our collective knowledge of Indigeneity and how we can decolonize our teaching and students’ experience,” said management and human resources professor Rachel Aleks, an event co-organizer and chair of the Odette EDII Committee.
It was also an opportunity to award the business school’s first endowed Indigenous undergraduate scholarship, the Tony Howard Indigenous Peoples Student Award in Entrepreneurship, which was established in October 2021.
Scholarship recipient Paige Wyatt said she was grateful to win the award: “I am honoured to be the very first person to receive it.”
Russell Evans, event co-organizer and accounting professor, said the transformation of Odette into a space that is welcoming for Indigenous staff, faculty, and students is something that needs to continue.
“I feel that the first steps of this journey have been taken and that we can become a space that is welcoming for all,” he said. “I was impressed with the level of support we saw from our faculty, staff, and students, which to me, is a clear indication that we are ready for some substantial positive changes.”
The list of event speakers included:
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Myrna Kicknosway, Elder-in-Residence, Faculty of Law
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Beverly Jacobs, Senior Advisor to the President on Indigenous Relations and Outreach, Office of the President
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Ashley Glassburn, Assistant Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies
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Amberley John, Indigenous Consultations Coordinator, Office of the President
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Jaimie Kechego, Learning Specialist, Indigenization, Centre for Teaching and Learning
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Russell Nahdee, Learning Specialist, Office of Open Learning
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Kat Pasquach, BComm 2015, event co-organizer, and Aboriginal Outreach and Retention Coordinator, Aboriginal Education Centre
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Bryan Loucks, Elder, Wassayshikung, Marten Dodem, Hiawatha FN, Bkejwanong Territories
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Elayne Isaacs, Indigenous Relations Coordinator, Office of the Sr. Advisor to the President on Indigenous Relations and Outreach
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Daniol Coles, MBA 2019 and Director of Indigenous Trust Services, Concentra Trust – Equitable Bank
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Marcie Demmans, Communications Coordinator, Leddy Library