Elder Bryan Loucks (Wassayshikung)Elder Bryan Loucks (Wassayshikung) of the Marten Dodem, Hiawatha First Nation, Bkejwanong Territories, speaks during a March 10 workshop on Indigenization of business education.

Workshop intended to advance Indigenization of business education

A workshop on Indigenization of Business Education, held March 10 at the Odette School of Business, 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.”

Find a list of speakers on the event website.

—Sienna Ducharme

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