U of R, Gabriel Dumont Institute expand agreement

The University of Regina has expanded its affiliation with the Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research.

The new agreement was announced Wednesday, as was a renewed agreement with the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program (SUNTEP). That program also is offered through the Gabriel Dumont Institute (GDI).

Under the terms of the U of R’s affiliation agreement with the institute, programs delivered through the GDI will be recognized as university calibre and will be accredited by the university senate.

“As well,” a media release continued, “it opens the door to the joint development of other programs and educational initiatives in order to address the post-secondary education needs of students of Métis ancestry in Saskatchewan.”

Currently, the academic programs covered by the agreement include a justice studies diploma and certificate in Prince Albert, a liberal arts certificate in La Ronge and Pinehouse, the Northern Saskatchewan Indigenous Teacher Education Program on the Lac La Ronge Indian Band reserve, and the community-based master’s of education program in Prince Albert.

“The University of Regina is committed to serving our Indigenous communities across Saskatchewan and ensuring we are meeting the needs of Indigenous students,” Dr. Thomas Chase, the provost and vice-president (academic) of the U of R, said in the release.

“This new affiliation agreement with the Gabriel Dumont Institute will make a broader spectrum of quality, post-secondary programming available to Métis students, with university classes often being offered right in the communities where they live.”

The U of R’s renewed agreement with SUNTEP offers a bachelor’s degree in education that will lead to a Saskatchewan Professional Teaching Certificate. The program is offered in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert, through the Gabriel Dumont Institute in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and the University of Saskatchewan.

“Gabriel Dumont Institute has partnered with the University of Regina for four decades,” Dr. Earl Cook, the minister of education for the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan and the chairman of the institute’s board of governors.

“To date over 270 Indigenous students have graduated from SUNTEP at the University of Regina campus, and another 70 students have completed their master of education degrees in Prince Albert. The new affiliation agreement is another critical step in continuing our mandate of expanding educational opportunities for Métis students.”