On August 10th, 2026, the NCIS hosted their inaugural meeting with the National Indigenous Scholars Advisory Circle, a diverse group of scholars from different nations, disciplines, and communities across Canada. Scholars were flown into Saskatoon from across the country to attend the one-day gathering here at the First Nations University Saskatoon Campus located on the Asimakaniseekan Askiy Urban Reserve.
The purpose of this gathering was primarily focused on discussing and dreaming. In the discussion phase, it’s important to note that the concerns shared by the Advisory Circle strongly connect to findings from three previous engagement sessions and current research: There are strong feelings of isolation, imposter syndrome, and experiences of racial microaggressions. Service burden, rooting culture into academic practices, and tokenistic hiring experiences tied into issues relating to collective agreements were strongly shared by the group. While we are in the early stages of this developments process, there is substantial excitement in how effective this pilot program could be for Indigenous scholars from across the country.
In the dreaming phase, we explored what an Indigenous-led faculty development and mentorship pilot program could look like. Scholars were provided an opportunity to share their ideas and concerns, and we emerged with an early vision of the national pilot program.
The next step is to organize the ideas shared in the discussion and dreaming phases of the meeting into the national pilot program. We are reviewing the suggestions put forth from the Advisory Circle and are now in the co-constructing phase. Stay tuned, as there will be more to come as we formalize the plans for the national pilot program.
Sincerely,
The NCIS Team
