AUCC president attends first graduation of Master’s students in Nunavut

Ottawa June 24, 2009 — A group of 21 Inuit women will graduate with a master’s of education from the University of Prince Edward Island July 1, in Iqaluit.

An innovative partnership between UPEI, Arctic College, the Nunavut department of education and St. Francis Xavier University has allowed these students to study without leaving the Arctic. Most of these women are mature students who are already working as educators in some capacity in their communities.

“I am delighted to be participating in this historic convocation in Iqaluit,” says Paul Davidson, President and CEO of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. “These women’s accomplishments are remarkable.”

This specially tailored program brought UPEI professors to the North to lead classes and adapted the curriculum to the culture and needs of Nunavut residents. It was offered as a combination of on-line and face-to-face courses in Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet. The Leadership in Learning MEd is the first graduate degree program to be offered in the territory.

“AUCC is a strong advocate for developing programs that can foster greater academic achievement among Aboriginal communities. These new master’s graduates are an example of what is possible.”

“UPEI should also be recognized and commended for its initiative and sensitivity in developing a program that suits the needs of Inuit communities. A number of other Canadian universities have programs that allow Northern and First Nations students to study at the university level in their own communities, but this is the first program at the graduate level,” Davidson says.

“We will continue to work with Inuit, First Nations and Métis communities to increase opportunities for their students to get a university education.”

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For more information please contact:

Leslie Cole
Assistant Director of Communications
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

Anne McCallum
Communications Co-ordinator
University of Prince Edward Island
Tel.: 902 566 0760
E-mail: aemccallum@upei.ca