CityU Canada Indigenous Campus Advocate Jalissa Schmidt presents at the 2023 PDGIA Conference
The 2023 Private Degree Granting Institutions Association (PDGIA) conference was held on March 30, 2023. This 3rd PDGIA Annual Conference organized was an in-person event hosted by the Acsenda School of Management in Downtown Vancouver. Dr Thomas Gomes of Acsenda School of Management and Dr. Steve Roe of Alexander College served as program co-chairs. Dr. Greg Gerber of Vancouver’s New York Institute of Technology and Dr. Catherine Kang of Acsenda School of Management serve as operational co-chairs.
The purpose of the 2023 summit was to explore innovations and best-practices in teaching and learning in higher education with the theme “Shaping the Future: Key Themes in Higher Education”.
The aim of Jalissa’ presentation titled Building The Future Together: Decolonizing and indigenizing higher education, was to “discuss how to approach decolonizing and indigenizing higher education with an understanding that this is a wholistic process that is done in synchronicity with all levels of the institution.”. She reminded the audience about the importance of creating spaces in higher education that allow a respectful and meaningful indigenization. It is not only about the addition of Indigenous content to the curriculum, it also about representing multiple worldviews weaved into all institutional levels, in other words by “developing educational systems that welcome and invite Indigenous voices to guide and lead this blending of multiple worlds.”
Thank you, Jalissa, for opening the dialogue and providing the opportunity to explore tools for those willing to do this work in a higher education setting,