The National College of Indigenous Scholars (NCIS) is a new Indigenous-led initiative of First Nations University of Canada, established with the generous support of the Mastercard Foundation EleV Program.
NCIS offers support, research, and advocacy for Indigenous scholars. We advance three objectives: mentorship toward career advancement, research on the experiences of Indigenous faculty, and illuminating Indigenous scholarly excellence.
Emerging and mid-career faculty are invited to engage in the co-development of an Indigenous faculty development model designed to promote relationality — culturally grounded, decolonizing, and oriented toward Indigenous futurities.
We hope to inform systemic change in ways that uplift Indigenous scholars at all career stages, strengthening academic identity formation through a form of kinship mentorship that promotes trust, reciprocity, and shared learning.
Indigenous faculty development strengthens the professional identities of Indigenous scholars by affirming their knowledge systems and leadership traditions — empowering scholars to lead, innovate and thrive within academic spaces.
Mentorship promotes relationships built on trust, reciprocity and care. Co-developed approaches to Indigenous faculty development promote relevancy and responsiveness.
Funding from the Mastercard Foundation EleV Program enables NCIS to advance mentorship toward career advancement, research on the experiences of Indigenous faculty, and celebration of Indigenous scholarly excellence.