As of August 29, 2022, the decision whether to wear a face mask is now a personal responsibility at Aurora College; masks will continue to be made available at all facility entrances for those who choose to wear them. Out of courtesy for others within the Aurora College community, we ask that you continue to follow recommended best practices, including regular hand washing, employing healthy respiratory practices and staying home if you feel ill.
We would like to remind students that some programs and practicum placements may have additional COVID-19 or health-related requirements, which may include mandatory masking, vaccinations and other measures.
We will continue to review and amend our processes as required to support the health and safety of our students, employees and communities and share any changes or new information through Aurora College email and website.
Aurora College is looking for individuals interested in helping shape the future of post-secondary education in the Northwest Territories, including the transformation of Aurora College into a polytechnic university.
Experience in the following areas is desired:
Membership on Board of Directors
Leadership experience in larger organizations
Financial planning
Facilities management
Post-secondary education
Reconciliation
An understanding of small or remote communities
Northern economic development
Northern social development
Public policy
The Aurora College Board of Governors will include 10 public members appointed through this nomination process, five of which must be Indigenous residents of the Northwest Territories.
The Board sets the vision and mission for the institution and ensures Aurora College remains effective, efficient and sustainable. Members of the Board receive honorarium of $400 a day and serve for up to a three-year term.
To nominate a Board Member, please fill out the Board of Governors Nomination Form (also below) and send it to hmeacock@auroracollege.nt.ca when complete.
Le Conseil des gouverneurs établit la vision et la mission du collège et veille à son efficacité et sa viabilité. Ses membres reçoivent une rétribution de 400 $ par jour travaillé et remplissent un mandat de trois ans.
Si vous souhaitez contribuer à façonner l’avenir de l’éducation postsecondaire aux Territoires du Nord-Ouest, dont la transformation du collège en université polytechnique, et que vous avez de l’expérience dans l’un des domaines suivants, nous vous invitons à présenter votre candidature :
Membre d’un conseil des gouverneurs
Expérience de leadership dans une plus grande organisation
Planification financière
Gestion des installations
Éducation postsecondaire
Réconciliation autochtone
Compréhension des collectivités petites ou éloignées
Développement économique du Nord
Développement social du Nord
Politique publique
Le Conseil des gouverneurs du Collège Aurora est composé de dix membres du public, dont cinq doivent être des résidents autochtones des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, qui sont désignés à l’aide du présent processus de sélection.
Le Conseil des gouverneurs établit les ambitions et la mission du collège et veille à son efficacité et sa viabilité.Ses membres reçoivent une rétribution de 400 $ par jour travaillé et remplissent un mandat de trois ans.
La date limite pour présenter une candidature est le 25 octobre 2022.
Si vous souhaitez proposer la candidature d’une personne, remplissez le formulaire de candidature et envoyez-le à l’adresse hmeacock@auroracollege.nt.ca.
Gahcho Kué Mine scholarships support top graduates from Early Learning And Child Care program
Gahcho Kué Mine and Aurora College are pleased to announce a new scholarship to be awarded to the top 12 Northwest Territories (NWT)-resident graduates of the college’s part-time distance Early Learning and Child Care Program.
The $2,000 scholarships will be awarded annually until 2030. The scholarships support part-time online certificate and diploma graduates who live in the NWT who, because of their part-time status, are ineligible for government funding. Most participants are already working in childcare facilities or in the classroom as assistants in local schools. Gahcho Kué will provide $24,000 annually to support the scholarships, totaling $216,000 over the life of the program.
Recipients of the inaugural award are:
Farahnaz Abdollarhifar
Yellowknife
Nicole Antoine
Fort Simpson
Darine Berro
Fort Smith
Sheri Coxford
Inuvik
Amelia Garcia
Yellowknife
Aida Inman
Yellowknife
Alex Jones
Fort Smith
Natasha Kasook
Tuktoyaktuk
Marlo Kiasuk
Inuvik
Nicole Klause
Hay River
Kandaporn Proulx
Yellowknife
Diana Reed
Yellowknife
The scholarships are part of a larger set of community-based programs that fall under Gahcho Kué Mine’s Building Forever plans. Launched in 2020, Building Forever aims to provide lasting benefits to host communities and includes commitments to protect the natural world, accelerate equal opportunity, partner for thriving communities, and lead ethical practices across industry.
Lyndon Clark, General Manager of Gahcho Kué Mine, said: “We want to congratulate the graduates for completing the program and recognize that each of them plays a critical role in supporting parents and children in their communities. By providing this graduation bursary, we are helping to enhance livelihoods and build an early childhood development network that is essential to thriving communities.”
Glenda Vardy Dell, President of Aurora College, noted: “We are grateful to Gahcho Kué Mine for their recognition of the critical role played by Early Childhood professionals in the development of healthy outcomes for children and families. Providing this financial support is an example of the way partnerships can be created to enhance the quality of life for northern residents and communities.”
Obtaining certificates and diplomas in Early Learning and Child Care will enhance and expand career opportunities for the graduates, including upgraded or additional professional responsibilities, improved pay and opportunities for new or better positions.
The contribution from Gahcho Kué dovetails with the new federal government’s multi-year commitment to invest in early learning and childcare. According to the government of Canada website, “Investing in early learning and childcare offers a jobs-and-growth hat-trick: it provides jobs for workers, the majority of whom are women; it enables parents, particularly mothers, to reach their full economic potential; and it creates a generation of engaged and well-prepared young learners.”
The website also states that “Early learning is at least as important to lifelong development as elementary, secondary and post-secondary education – it improves graduation rates, promotes lifelong well-being, boosts lifetime earnings, and increases social equity….Early learning and childcare programs designed by and with Indigenous families and communities give Indigenous children the best start in life. It is a critical part of reconciliation.”
Gahcho Kué Mine is a joint venture between De Beers Group and Mountain Province Diamonds. The mine is located 280 km northeast of Yellowknife, capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories. Gahcho Kué has a life of mine through 2030.
CONTACT
Terry Kruger
Sr. Communications Officer
De Beers Group Managed Operations – Canada
T +1 867 679 6431
Mob +1 403 835 5875
E-mail: terry.kruger@debeersgroup.com
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About De Beers Group
De Beers Group is a member of the Anglo American plc group. Established in 1888, De Beers Group is the world’s leading diamond company with expertise in the exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers Group employs more than 20,000 people across the diamond pipeline and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. As part of the company’s operating philosophy, the people of De Beers Group are committed to ‘’ by making a lasting contribution to the communities in which they live and work, and transforming natural resources into shared national wealth. For further information about De Beers Group, visit www.debeersgroup.com.
About Mountain Province Diamonds
Mountain Province Diamonds is a 49% participant with De Beers Canada in the Gahcho Kué diamond mine located in Canada’s Northwest Territories. The Gahcho Kué Joint Venture property consists of several kimberlites that are actively being mined, developed, and explored for future development. The Company also controls 106,202 hectares of highly prospective mineral claims and leases that surround the Gahcho Kué Joint Venture property that include an indicated mineral resource for the Kelvin kimberlite and inferred mineral resources for the Faraday kimberlites.
Aurora College to investigate possible Indigenous Business Centre of Excellence
Yellowknife, NT – The Future Skills Centre is providing Aurora College with $285,000 to undertake a feasibility study to look at establishing an Indigenous Centre of Excellence (ICBE).
The study will look at other Canadian and Indigenous business centre models and will include a scan of current Indigenous businesses, the needs, opportunities and gaps in the NWT’s 33 communities.
Aurora College plans to engage with Indigenous governments, Indigenous corporate entities, northern industry organizations and other key stakeholders in a variety of ways.
An Indigenous Centre for Business Excellence could help Indigenous entrepreneurs with business start-up or expansion, partnerships and planning; help ensure Indigenous entrepreneurs have access to business support and advice; and provide support and advice about small business development and joint venture developments. It might also assist with developing core skills for Indigenous businesses to succeed, such as governance, risk management, financial management and best practices.
The Government of Canada’s Future Skills Centre is supporting this initiative as part of its skills innovation in northern Canada, and is an example of the types of private and public co-investment partnerships that will support the transformation of Aurora College into a polytechnic university, as well as support the new polytechnic’s long-term growth and development.
Quotes:
“Supporting the growth and sustainability of northern, Indigenous entrepreneurs and businesses will be a priority of the new polytechnic university. A vibrant, healthy northern economy and labour market will provide employment and leadership opportunities for the polytechnic’s graduates, as well as the potential for related research and innovation.”
– Dr. Glenda VardyDell, President, Aurora College
“We need to ensure that everyone has the skills and opportunities to contribute and thrive in the future economy. Indigenous entrepreneurs and professionals play a key role in our workforce, and this initiative lays important groundwork for further skills innovation and opportunity.”
– Pedro Barata, Executive Director, Future Skills Centre.
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Aurora College delivers academic upgrading, trades and industrial training, certificate, diploma and degree programs to more than 3,000 full and part-time students at three campuses, 21 Community Learning Centres and other community sites in the Northwest Territories. Community-centred post-secondary programs reflect Northern culture and the needs of the Northern labour market. Aurora College’s research division, Aurora Research Institute, conducts, supports, and licenses research in the NWT. Research centres are located in in Inuvik, Yellowknife and Fort Smith.
Aurora College celebrates NWT Personal Support Worker (PSW) Day June 28; Preceptor of the Year recipient announced
YELLOWKNIFE, NT – To celebrate Personal Support Worker Day in the Northwest Territories, Aurora College has named the recipient of the Preceptor of the Year Award.
The Preceptor of the Year Award is presented to a preceptor who goes above and beyond expectations in promoting student learning and achievement, serves as an outstanding role model for Personal Support Workers, promotes the preceptor role among colleagues in practice, and demonstrates excellence in teaching and learning. Graduating students were invited to submit a nomination letter for a preceptor they felt meets these qualifications. The recipient for 2022 is Elizabeta Alaga, who works at AVENS, A Community for Seniors, in Yellowknife.
Alaga has been an incredible mentor for her current student, Indiana Harris, who has nominated her for this award. Harris describes Alaga as someone that takes her time with residents, and always ensures they are safe and comfortable. She offers guidance and support to students, and won’t accept anything short of excellence. She demonstrates the very best in client-centred care. Alaga’s sharing of knowledge and experience with Aurora College students is essential and appreciated. The award was presented to Alaga on June 13 at AVENS, where she was celebrated by colleagues and faculty from the PSW program.
Aurora College is grateful for the support and mentoring provided by Elizabeta Alaga and all of the Personal Support Worker preceptors, practicum supervisors and the facilities that support the learning and growth of students. Without them, graduates would not have the depth and breadth of knowledge and experience they do when they enter the workforce.
Quote:
“Every year we celebrate Personal Support Workers Day, acknowledging that it takes strong, capable and compassionate people to enhance the lives of others . PSWs are there every day to care for those most vulnerable.”
– Jodi Brennan, Chair, School of Health and Human Services, Aurora College
Photo included: Aurora College Personal Support Worker Instructor, Shannon Mychael (left) with PSW Preceptor of the Year Elizabeta Alaga, Resident Care Aide, AVENS – A Community for Seniors, Yellowknife
Hotıì ts’eeda-Aurora College announce 2022 Edets’seèhdzà Studentship recipient
YELLOWKNIFE, NT – The 2022 Edets’seèhdzà Studentship is being awarded to second-year Aurora College Early Learning and Child Care student Sarah McGregor. The Edets’seèhdzà Studentship is a $20,000 stipend that supports an Aurora College student to be involved in research during their studies.
The Edets’seèhdzà Studentship award is funded by Hotıì ts’eeda, and provided through a partnership between Hotıì ts’eeda and Aurora College/Aurora Research Institute. Hotıì ts’eeda is funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) and is a research support unit hosted by the Tłı̨chǫ Government. Edets’seèhdzà (eh-DEY-tsay-zah) means “stepping forward to challenge yourself” in the Tłı̨chǫ language. McGregor will be the fifth student supported through the Edets’seèhdzà Studentship since its launch in 2019, and the first recipient enroled in a program outside of the School of Health and Human Services. Past research areas for recipients have included traditional teachings, Northern-focused care and Indigenous health research.
Sarah has contributed to the Early Learning and Childcare Program through her community outreach with Bush Kids. She also coordinated a six-week program with the Yellowknife Playgroup Association along with another student. She has shown passion for this field of study.
McGregor will have the opportunity to be mentored by several researchers from different organizations while working on multiple research projects, including the Northern Oral Language and Writing through Play (NOW Play) partnership and the Children and Youth Seeking Tłı̨chǫ Cultural Identity in a Time of Change project. She will also work with Hotıì ts’eeda to learn about implementation of research results and evidence on Early Learning and Childhood at a policy level.
Hotıì ts’eeda and Aurora College congratulate Sarah McGregor and look forward to seeing her progress over the coming year.
Aurora College to celebrate 2022 graduates at June ceremonies
NWT – Aurora College will be holding a number of ceremonies during the month of June to commemorate the success of our 2022 graduates.
Convocation ceremonies will take place for each of Aurora College’s three campuses, and each will be live streamed on the College’s Facebook page. Photos of the events and graduates will also be posted on the Facebook page.
Family and friends are asked to check with their graduate(s) to confirm which ceremony they will be participating in.
Up to 113 post-secondary program graduates from 21 Northwest Territories communities and six provinces and territories are completing programs with Aurora College and will be recognized at the convocations. Degrees, diplomas and certificates will be awarded from the Schools of Arts & Science, Business & Leadership, Education, and Health & Human Services.
Dates and times of convocation ceremonies are as follows:
Yellowknife North Slave Campus – Friday, June 3: 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Thebacha Campus, Fort Smith – Friday, June 10: 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Aurora Campus, Inuvik – Friday, June 17: 3:00-4:30 p.m.
In Yellowknife, the 10:00 a.m. ceremony will celebrate graduates from the School of Business & Leadership and the School of Education. At the 1:00 p.m. ceremony, graduates from the School of Health and Human Services will be recognized.
Quote:
“We are extremely proud of the graduating class of 2022. These graduates achieved a great deal despite the many challenges placed in front of them. The tenacity our graduates have shown adapting to those challenges is inspiring. We thank all of the graduates for choosing Aurora College and we are honoured to have shared this journey with them.” – Dr Glenda Vardy Dell, President, Aurora College
Aurora College signs national charter committed to equity, diversity, inclusion
YELLOWKNIFE – Aurora College has become the first Northern post-secondary institution to endorse the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Canada (Dimensions) Charter, and joins more than 100 Canadian post-secondary institutions to support its goals.
The charter endorsement is part of the Dimensions pilot program, the goal of which is to foster increased research excellence, innovation and creativity within the post-secondary sector across all disciplines through greater equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).
In signing the charter, Aurora College is publicly stating its commitment to embedding EDI principles in its policies, practices and action plans. Aurora College is now recognized nationally and internationally as a post-secondary academic community dedicated to promoting EDI principles.
EDI principles will be inherent in the transformation to a polytechnic university and will foster a culture of openness and respect to allow the College community, including students and staff, to be the best they can be in their respective roles.
The Dimensions pilot program is an initiative supported by the three federal research granting agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
Signing the Dimensions Charter Endorsement is the most recent step in Aurora College’s work to increase EDI within the institution. In 2019 Aurora College received an NSERC grant to develop an internal EDI policy and process to address obstacles faced by, but not limited to, women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minority/racialized groups and members of LGBTQ2+ communities.
Since that time the College has developed and implemented a five-year strategic plan to advance EDI principles. This plan will enable the College to foster increased organizational, teaching, and research excellence, as well as innovation and creativity through greater equity, diversity and inclusion.
As part of the strategic plan, an EDI Steering Committee was formed in the spring of 2022. The committee, comprised of members from across the College, is actively working to champion and achieve the goals identified in the strategic plan, working to embed EDI principles into College policies and processes.
Quotes:
“Creating a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion is not a linear process, requiring students, faculty, staff and community members to consciously advocate for safe learning and working spaces.” – Dr Kathie Pender, Co-chair – Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Aurora College
“The establishment and active thought processes to create safe spaces is a tool that will create and preserve psychological safety for all Aurora College students and employees. This tool allows different voices to be heard, acknowledged and valued. Adopting this approach across the college reminds all of us that the expression of our honest impressions, thoughts and attitudes are acceptable without the fear of ridicule.
Social Work and Bachelor of Education program reviews complete
FORT SMITH, NT – Aurora College announced today that the program reviews of the College’s Social Work and Bachelor of Education programs are complete and are available to the public online.
The program reviews contained a number of recommendations, the most important of which were that Aurora College should offer Social Work and Bachelor of Education programming.
In keeping with the reviews’ recommendations, the College is investigating both a two-year diploma and a four-year bachelor’s degree program in Social Work, as well as a four-year Bachelor of Education and a two-year post-graduate Bachelor of Education. Launch of the programs is pending funding approval and external quality assurance review.
It is anticipated that as soon as Fall 2023, Aurora College will begin engaging with students who will require upgrading to enter the Social Work and Bachelor of Education programs.
Prior to implementing the programs, national environmental scans of Social Work and Bachelor of Education programs will be completed to aid in developing full program proposals and plans to ensure the new offerings meet the needs of both Northern students and the Northern labour market.
To assist with that goal, the Social Work program will have multiple entry and exit points for students at different levels to choose the path that best suits them, with the diploma and degree options. In addition, Aurora College will work closely with high schools – student career advisors, guidance counsellors, teachers and students – to ensure students know what they need to do to meet entrance requirements.
The review process tasked evaluators with looking at the College’s Social Work and Bachelor of Education curricula with regards to its relevance and currency to today’s professional practices, employment opportunities in the NWT and connections to Northern peoples and Northern context. They were also asked to review the programs against national accreditation standards, and the leveling and sequencing of courses within the programs. As recommended by the external evaluators, Aurora College will seek accreditation for the Social Work programs through the National Indigenous Accreditation Board.
Evaluators also looked at the strengths of the programs, including the community-based experiences. Experiential learning and Indigenous content will continue to be purposefully woven into both programs. Aurora College’s planned Indigenous Knowledge Holders Council will have an active role in working with the team who will design the curriculum and subsequent programs.
The documents which make up the two program reviews can be accessed on the Aurora College website:
“There is a current, critical labour market need for qualified, Northern-educated and Indigenous social workers and teachers for both entry-level and supervisory-level positions in the NWT and across the North. The re-imagining of these two program areas will ensure that graduates are better prepared to meet the needs of Northern residents and the Northern labour market.”
– Dr Glenda Vardy Dell, President, Aurora College
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Aurora College delivers academic upgrading, trades and industrial training, certificate, diploma and degree programs to more than 3,000 full and part-time students at three campuses, 21 Community Learning Centres and other community sites in the Northwest Territories. Community-centred post-secondary programs reflect Northern culture and the needs of the Northern labour market. Aurora College’s research division, Aurora Research Institute, conducts, supports, and licenses research in the NWT. Research centres are located in Inuvik, Yellowknife and Fort Smith.
Aurora College receives $475,000 NSERC PromoScience funding for outreach
INUVIK, NT –Aurora College’s research division, the Aurora Research Institute (ARI), will be able to continue and expand its STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) outreach programming to students, teachers and communities across the Northwest Territories thanks to a new $475,000 grant.
The three-year funding was announced today by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) as part of its PromoScience program, which supports organizations that promote STEM programming for youth, including hands-on learning experiences.
The funding will support the growth and continuity of the ARI STEM Outreach Program, which offers programming to 19 of the NWT’s 33 communities. The total cost of the outreach is expected to be $1.7 million over three years, including the $475,000 from PromoScience. The ARI STEM Outreach Program reaches 7,000 Northern youth and 150 Northern educators through 250 science promotion events every year. This program promotes the utilization of engaging and interactive activities.
Outreach is led by Annika Trimble in the Beaufort Delta, Hilary Turko in the South Slave and Chris Black in the Tłı̨chǫ region. The ARI STEM Outreach Program endeavours to foster scientific curiosity and engagement in NWT youth to encourage Northern students to pursue science-related studies and future employment.
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Aurora Research Institute (ARI) is the research division of Aurora College. The mandate of ARI is to improve the quality of life for residents of the Northwest Territories by applying scientific, technological, and Indigenous knowledge to solve northern problems and advance social and economic goals. To achieve this mandate ARI conducts, supports, and licenses research throughout the NWT. ARI is headquartered in Inuvik, and has regional research centres in Inuvik, Fort Smith, and Yellowknife.
We respectfully acknowledge that Aurora College is situated on the traditional territories and homeland of the Dene, Inuvialuit, Métis and Cree peoples of the Northwest Territories. We are grateful to the many Indigenous peoples of the NWT for allowing us the opportunity to learn, work and live on their lands. We are also deeply grateful for the generous sharing of Indigenous Knowledge, wisdom and ways of knowing, being, doing and believing with our students and employees.
