ISCEI is funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and is designed to increase resources for Indigenous students, faculty, and staff on campus, as well as to support the growth and development of the Indigenous Studies Program. ISCEI is housed in the Faculty of Arts and aims to serve as a nexus for Indigenous scholarship and community-building, and to generate new, cross-University synergies and community partnerships in areas where we can have the greatest impact.
ISCEI responds to Calls to Action from the McGill Provost's Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education, which in turn seeks to address Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
In 2015, Provost and Vice-Principal Christopher Manfredi convened a Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education, with the goal of identifying steps McGill must take to further the goal of reconciliation, and to prioritize Indigenous learning on campus. In 2017, the Task Force identified a series of Calls to Action that would support and build Indigenous initiatives at McGill and in the wider community.
The Indigenous Studies and Community Engagement Initiative (ISCEI) was created to aid in the development of some of the initiatives called for by the Task Force, especially in relation to the Faculty of Arts. These include language revitalization and documentation initiatives (Call to Action #34), the creation of a free-standing academic unit to house the Indigenous Studies Program (Call to Action #32), an Elder-in-Residence program (Call to Action #24), and Artist-in-Residence programs (Call to Action #25). We are committed to working with and supporting Indigenous students, Faculty, and staff at McGill University, as well as projects with Indigenous communities in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal) and beyond.
You can find more information about the TRC Calls to Action and ongoing progress updates on McGill's Indigenous Portal Website.
