Hiring Indigenous faculty and respecting Indigenous knowledges

A traditional honour song set the tone for a panel discussion on April 8, 2019 titled, Hiring Indigenous Faculty and Respecting Indigenous Knowledges. Hosted by the Joint Committee on Indigenous Faculty, a joint effort by the university administration and the Ryerson Faculty Association, the panel featured three Indigenous scholars: David Newhouse, director and professor, Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies, Trent University, Sheila Cote-Meek, associate vice-president, Academic & Indigenous Programs, Laurentian University, and Stephen Augustine, associate vice-president, Indigenous Affairs & Unama'ki College, Cape Breton University, and was moderated by Lynn Lavallée, strategic lead, Indigenous resurgence in the Faculty of Community Services.

“Hiring and retaining Indigenous faculty is a critical step in our journey towards reconciliation – Indigenizing our campus, our culture and our curriculum begins by growing our community and learning how we can deconstruct our colonial approach to academia,” said Michael Benarroch, provost and vice-president, academic. “There is still a lot of work to do on campus and within our community, but this meeting is a positive step towards creating a campus environment that will allow our Indigenous faculty, students and staff to achieve their potential.”

The panellists all emphasized that context and environment were critical to attracting, hiring and retaining Indigenous faculty. Later, Newhouse explained the importance of the university’s mission to align with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), and that Indigenization cannot happen without this consideration in place.

The panellists also suggested considering faculty with a traditional Indigenous knowledge background, or a dual-tradition scholar (conventional and traditional), and that the collective agreement should support all – regardless of academic background. Attracting and retaining Indigenous faculty has been a challenge, and an important issue to be addressed is research support for Indigenous faculty.

Cote-Meek cautioned that skepticism is a barrier when embarking on systemic change, but she explained, “…to grow an army of allies, you must start with the willing first.” Augustine encouraged cross-cultural education training for key university groups (such as the Board of Governors and Senate) and to focus on relationship building with surrounding Indigenous communities.

“Ryerson and the City of Toronto can be a welcoming place for Indigenous faculty,” said Lavallée. “Supporting and valuing Indigenous knowledges in the hiring of Indigenous faculty and continuing this support in the classroom and through the tenure and promotion process, is vital to growing a community of Indigenous scholars on campus.” 

The Joint Committee on Indigenous Faculty is considering the career trajectory of Indigenous faculty members with an Indigenous lens, and will develop a process to recruit and appoint Indigenous faculty members to tenure track positions. The committee is also looking at ways of recognizing, supporting and encouraging Indigenous knowledges – one of six priorities listed in Ryerson’s Truth and Reconciliation (TRC)  (PDF file) community consultation report, released January 2018.

Watch the full event via RyeCast.