Why Ontario universities are hiring Indigenous elders – TVO.org

Wilfrid Laurier University will soon appoint a full-time elder at its Brantford campus. But what do elders bring to post-secondary education?

Students at Wilfrid Laurier University may soon have a new kind of professor at their Brantford campus: an Indigenous elder.

While there are already elders teaching there, plus a permanent elder at Laurier’s Kitchener-Waterloo location, the new full-time elder position will be the first of its kind at Brantford.

“The elder takes a lead in bringing in the cultural perspective,” said Tim Leduc, an assistant professor of social work who’s been working with other departments to bring the full-time elder to Brantford for the 2017-18 school year. The elder, who’s likely to be appointed sometime during the fall semester, will serve the entire campus, not just one faculty.

Read More: http://tvo.org/article/current-affairs/shared-values/why-ontario-universities-are-hiring-indigenous-elders