U of L management honorees named

The University of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Management paid tribute to the faculty’s 2017 honorees at the 30th Annual Scholarship Dinner at the Coast Hotel April 13.

Scholars, educators and leaders of change, Leroy Little Bear and Amethyst First Rider were chosen as this year’s honorees.

To date, the dinner, along with corporate and personal donations, raised more than $40,000 and will establish the Leroy Little Bear and Amethyst First Rider scholarship fund. Proceeds from the fund will be awarded to First Nations, Metis and Inuit students.

Little Bear was instrumental in the development of the Native American Studies program at the U of L and other southern Alberta postsecondary institutions, and was also the founding director of the Harvard University Native American Program.

He has contributed to numerous reports addressing Aboriginal rights, justice, land claims and constitutional issues. His work led to a United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

First Rider has been a leader in the performing arts community for more than 20 years, producing and directing plays depicting Aboriginal stories and culture. Her experience in the arts has included dance productions, consulting for the University of California Berkeley’s planetarium, as well as narration and production in the National Film Board’s documentary titled “Kainayssini Imanistaisiwa, The People Go On.”

Those who wish to make a donation to the Leroy Little Bear Scholarship Fund can contact: University Advancement, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB. T1K 3M4, 1-866-552-2582.

Photo submitted by the University of Lethbridge From left, Amethyst First Rider, Leroy Little Bear, Blackfoot artist Lori Brave Rock and Bob Boudreau, dean of the Faculty of Management.