Education

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017 9 With the recent appointment of a new president and vice-chancellor in Doug Lauvstad, UCN may be embarking on a new leadership direction, but all roads will still lead back to the university's core principles — quality education and training for northern Manitoba residents, in tune with the social and economic needs of the region. "The North is more than a colder version of (southern Canada); it has its own culture," says Dr. Dan Smith, UCN's vice-president of academic and research. "UCN has an important connection to the Aboriginal population and has the potential to do more good than many other institutions, mostly because of the population we serve, where we are and the fact that there hadn't before been a degree-granting institution in the North." Admission is open to applicants from everywhere, with many attracted by UCN's unique understanding of Aboriginal culture and how it can be incorporated to benefit important career paths, such as education, social work and health care. The school offers 35-45 programs in a given year through their main campuses in Thompson and The Pas and a network of 12 regional centres located throughout the province. UCN offers certificate, diploma and degree programs in three faculties — the faculty of education; faculty of arts, business and science; and the faculty of health, as well as a College of Trades and Technology. "Many students are excited about the fact that we are an institution that takes very seriously its mandate in terms of providing education for northern and Aboriginal Manitobans," says Smith. "In Manitoba, students have lots of options, so we strive to prepare them for work that matters in their own communities." Smith says for UCN the geography and demographics of northern Manitoba are key factors in how and where programs are delivered. Many of the northern region's approximately 75,000 residents live in small, often remote, communities spread over an area "about the size of France," so it is important to accommodate students by providing programming reasonably close to home. "Our students are naturally concerned about their own career prospects, but many are also interested in how they can help their communities, how they can give back," says Smith. "We help them develop practical skills and knowledge in such areas as teacher education, health professions including nursing, business and a variety of technical professions that are connected to what northern communities need and industry requires to support its northern labour force, now and into the future." UCN's regional centres all offer first-year liberal arts programs, a common requirement for students planning to pursue further study in certain fields, such as social work. "We incorporate Aboriginal perspectives into our curriculum, something often called 'Indigenization,'" says Smith. "In the North, over 70 per cent of the population is Aboriginal, so we can't properly support the regional labour force needs, if our programs are not speaking to 70 per cent of the prospective student body." Smith says UCN's student body mirrors the proportion of Aboriginal people in the general population of their catchment area. The Indigenized curriculum approach — that has made the school's teacher education program a model for other schools — also benefits communities by helping them better retain their young people who, otherwise, might opt to leave their communities for opportunities elsewhere. "All institutions are trying to better understand how they can better meet the call to action in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We feel that we may be a little bit further ahead, simply because of the nature of our institution and where we are located," says Smith. Collaboration is a recurrent theme in the programs of UCN, including several new offerings. The school is working with Assiniboine Community College to deliver a heavy equipment apprenticeship program. Strong success with its bachelor of nursing program in partnership with the University of Manitoba has inspired further joint offerings between the schools, including a master's of social work degree program, as well as programs that will lead to bachelor's degrees in business administration or environmental studies. "Whatever the communities need," says Smith. "We do our best to deliver." For more information about University College of the North, visit ucn.ca ❚ UCN EMPOWERS STUDENTS, COMMUNITIES Students pursue post-secondary education for a variety of positive reasons, including expanding their minds, enhancing career prospects and making a difference in the world around them. University College of the North (UCN) continues to offer opportunities to achieve all three by delivering degree programs specifically tailored to meet the current and anticipated needs of employers in northern Manitoba. UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF THE NORTH UCN offers dozens of programs through their main campuses in Thompson and The Pas and a network of 12 regional centres located throughout the province. UCN photos

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