Director's Reflection

Words by Bernard Perley

As we look forward to the new academic year I can’t help but reflect on the craziness of the last two years. In the face of the challenges we all had to endure, I was inspired by how we came together as a community and supported one another with patience and care. That sense of community came through at the CIS student graduation celebration, the first in-person celebration since I took on the director role two years ago. I was delighted to participate in the graduation ceremonies and meet our students, their friends, and their families. The celebrations were a welcome return to community gatherings and the exchange of experiences during a difficult year. Coming together and seeing smiles and hearing laughter was a measure of healing that we all needed.

This past year also saw CIS grow with new staff and faculty. We wished success for our staff members who moved on to new adventures and we welcomed new staff to our growing CIS community. Despite the pandemic, and all the craziness it created, CIS added outstanding faculty to both FNIS and FNEL majors/minors. We welcomed Professor Alice Te Punga Somerville to the FNIS faculty as a joint appointment with English. On the FNEL side, we coordinated with Asian Studies for two joint appointments and welcomed Dr. Pasang Sherpa and Dr. Aynur Kadir to CIS. Our critical engagement on Indigeneity has greater breadth and depth with these incredible scholars.

As we look forward to the new academic year, we can expect more exciting conversations as we conduct faculty searches for FNEL and FNIS. While we continue to build our capacity to provide critical engagement in Indigenous Studies we also look forward to the external review in the upcoming year.

This past year was significant as we recognized the 25th anniversary of FNEL and the 20th anniversary of FNIS. Unfortunately, the changing health protocols prevented us from organizing larger and more public celebrations but the conversations in the more modest celebration were great reminders of what FNEL, FNIS, and CIS have accomplished. Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and start working on the next 25 years of Indigenous community empowerment.