The new special advisor on aboriginal initiatives first came to the University as a student when, as she said in a recent interview, “there were very few First Nations students on this campus.” Her abiding memory of the time spent working toward her 1979 B.Ed. was that the U of S was an institution “that treated me fairly.”

She returned to the University as a part-time instructor in the Indian Teacher Education Program (ITEP) in 1984-85, and again from 1992-95 as director of the Aboriginal Student Centre. Now, with many years experience in corporate and aboriginal relations, as well as in work with partners in co-management relationships, Greyeyes is back at the institution she said is doing all the right things when it comes to attracting and retaining aboriginal students.

“The reason I wanted to work here is that I felt this University is committed to attracting aboriginal students to all its faculties. I wanted to be part of this story because it’s a great story. Part of what makes it a great story is that there is commitment at the top (of the organization). People had to have worked hard to get where we are in terms of aboriginal student numbers.”

Greyeyes took up her new position Nov. 1. The mandate of the special advisor is to identify initiatives and develop University-wide strategies that support the goal of aboriginal inclusion. While her initial goal is to help attract more aboriginal students to the U of S, her long-term vision is “to see all of them cross the stage” to accept degrees. The next step will be adding aboriginal people to the University’s instructional staff, and “that means people need to get their PhDs.”

The child of parents who believed strongly in the value of education, Greyeyes was the first in her family to receive a University degree, a path that was also chosen by her own children. After her B.Ed., she earned a post-graduate diploma in educational administration in 1985 and a M.Ed. in 2005.

Greyeyes said the first steps she is taking in her new job involve spending time visiting with each of the colleges and schools on campus to see what programs and initiatives are in place, and what plans are in the works for the future to increase aboriginal student involvement. “I want to try to find out what has worked. I want to know what the numbers are.”

- On Campus News