Caring for the spirit: A celebration of Algonquin College’s Institute for Indigenous Entrepreneurship

“We are very excited to bring this one-of-a-kind Institute for Indigenous Entrepreneurship to Ottawa,” said Algonquin President Cheryl Jensen. “And the name of this event, Caring for the Spirit, speaks to our sacred fire and to what we hope to achieve, which is nurturing not only the minds of our learners, but also the unique spark that makes them who they are.”

The ceremony will also include a special prayer by Elder Barbara Hill Dumont, a performance by the Ottawa River Singers, and personal stories from some of Algonquin’s most successful Indigenous entrepreneurs.

“This is a chance for us to reach out to our College community, especially our Indigenous students, and really nurture the spirit of the new Institute,” said Ron Deganadus McLester, Algonquin’s new Executive Director and Special Advisor to the President on Aboriginal Initiatives. “We want to focus on the possibilities of the future while also remembering, and respecting, our past.”

The new $44.9 million Algonquin College Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Learning Centre and Institute for Indigenous Entrepreneurship, formally announced Oct. 12, was made possible in large part thanks to a $21.9 million grant from the Federal Government through the Strategic Investment Fund for Post-secondary Education Institutions and $2.9 million from the Province of Ontario.

The Institute for Indigenous Entrepreneurship will be the first of its kind on a college campus in Ontario and will be designed in consultation with Indigenous communities and be based on Indigenous business principles.

The project is scheduled for completion in 2018.

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For more information:

Ruth Dunley, Communications Officer
Public Relations and Communications, Algonquin College
Office: 613-727-4723 ext. 6452
Mobile: 613-406-0970
dunleyr@algonquincollege.com
About Algonquin College:
www.algonquincollege.com

The mission of Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is to transform hopes and dreams into lifelong success. Algonquin College, an Ontario public sector community college, does this by offering hands-on, digitally connected, experiential learning in more than 185 programs. Based in the Ottawa Valley, Algonquin College is the largest polytechnic institute in Eastern Ontario.