June 6, 2016 - 9:00am
Gift makes possible the establishment of the prestigious Fulbright Canada Jarislowsky Visiting Research Chair in Aboriginal Studies at VIU
Vancouver Island University (VIU) will be home to the first Fulbright Canada Jarislowsky Visiting Research Chair in Aboriginal Studies thanks to a generous gift of $125,000 USD from the Jarislowsky Foundation, matching the commitment from the Fulbright Canada Foundation.
VIU, the Jarislowsky Foundation and Fulbright Canada are partnering to support this prestigious position which will focus on engaging VIU’s Aboriginal students in the research process and strengthening relationships between the University, First Nations, Metis, Inuit and the broader community.
“We would like to thank both the Jarislowsky Foundation and Fulbright Canada for their generous support which has made it possible to establish this important Research Chair in Aboriginal Studies,” said VIU President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Ralph Nilson. “We would also like to recognize these organizations for their vision in creating this Chair at a time when reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous peoples is one of the critical challenges of our time. Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission indicated that education will play a key role in creating pathways to reconciliation; through research focused on Aboriginal Studies, this new Chair will support that important work.”
The Jarislowsky Foundation, based in Montreal, was founded by Canadian businessman and philanthropist Stephen Jarislowsky in 1991. Since then, it has supported the establishment of 30 chairs in Canada in a number of fields, including education, medicine and art.
“We immediately recognized the genuine commitment VIU has shown to improving access and opportunities for Aboriginal students, which is why we knew it was the right place to establish this particular Chair position,” said Jarislowsky. “This is the first time that the Jarislowsky Foundation has partnered with VIU and Fulbright Canada and it is a partnership we are very proud to be involved in.”
Fulbright Canada was established 25 years ago with the goal to “grow intellectual capacity, increase productivity and assist in the shaping of future leaders.” It is a core partner to the worldwide Fulbright Program, which 53 Nobel Prize winners and 80 Pulitzer Prize winners have come through.
The Jarislowsky Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in Aboriginal Studies position is funded for five years.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Dane Gibson, Communications Officer, Vancouver Island University
P: 250.740.6288 | E: Communications@viu.ca T: @viunews
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