Walking together in a good way
As the University of Regina approaches its 50th anniversary in 2024, it is important to reflect on its journey to create a teaching and learning community that reflects the Indigenous history and heritage of our province and our nation.
The small and predominantly white U of Regina campus community of 1974 is now a diverse campus with more than 16,500 students—13.2% of whom self-identify as Indigenous—along with 3,000plus faculty and staff and an alumni family 77,615 strong.
Along the way, as our nation slowly peeled back the first few layers of colonialism and began the long journey towards Truth and Reconciliation,
the U of Regina began to face its own past and the impact of settlers and their ways on the lives of the First Peoples of this land—its original inhabitants.
This June, the University has begun a new chapter in its history, guided by its justreleased 2020-2025 Strategic Plan. Titled, kahkiyaw kiw hkom k ninawak—cree for All Our Relations— the Plan is built on a First Nations’ concept that honours the interconnectedness and interdependence of all living things, and stresses the impact of our actions on the world beneath our feet, the air we breath, the water we drink, and all of the people and creatures that surround us.
From the very ground our institution stands on in Treaty 4 and 6 lands to its endeavours in teaching, research, student success, and community service, the University of Regina acknowledges, honours, and respects its relationships with Indigenous peoples and their ways of knowing and ways of being.
In this spirit the University approaches not only National Indigenous Peoples’ Day this June 21, but also its ongoing commitment to the academic success and well-being of Indigenous and non-indigenous students, faculty, and staff as, together, they weave Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing into their governance, decision and policy making, teaching, research, and interactions with one another and surrounding communities.
“In these challenging times, a strategic plan that weaves within its pages a strong sense of mutuality and interdependence will help guide us in our quest to live in a world that values empowered citizens, generates high-impact research, and embraces Canada’s diversity,” says Dr. Thomas Chase, Interim President and Vice-chancellor of the University of Regina.
“We move forward together,” Chase adds, “with an unwavering commitment to discovering new knowledge through two-eyed seeing—the co-learning of Indigenous and western world views—instilling in our students a lifelong thirst for knowledge and understanding.”
The University’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion stands alongside its commitment to implement and respond to its “Statement of Commitment in Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission”.
The U of Regina community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni aspire to walk together in a good way and strengthen relationships which are based on mutual respect and accountability—within and beyond its campuses. Guided by kahkiyaw kiw hkom k ninawak, along with a holistic approach to well-being, enhanced student supports, care for our environment, and thirst for discovery, learning will be enhanced and relationships strengthened—honouring the past, present, and future to create a new shared vision for the next generations.
This National Indigenous Peoples Day, the University of Regina with its commitment to Indiginization, Reconciliation, and addressing systemic racism in all its forms is more aware than ever of the importance of walking together— with all our relations—in a good way.