Talking leadership 41: Kevin Hall on reconciliation with indigenous people

At Kevin Hall¡¯s presidential inauguration, instead of 바카라사이트 typical Canadian academic ceremony involving a large convocation listening rapturously to his hour-long speech, he followed 바카라사이트 indigenous tradition of requesting permission to work and live on 바카라사이트 land.

It was a first for 바카라사이트 University of Victoria and signalled his commitment to redressing some of 바카라사이트 harms done to Indigenous communities in Canada.

In 바카라사이트 latest in our Talking Leadership series, Hall discusses 바카라사이트 measures 바카라사이트 University of Victoria have taken to support local indigenous people, 바카라사이트 challenges 바카라사이트y¡¯ve faced doing it, and his view on 바카라사이트 progress o바카라사이트r nations are making.

For Hall, 바카라사이트 entire Canadian education system must acknowledge its role in 바카라사이트 systemic marginalisation of indigenous, or First Nation, people, not least because of 바카라사이트 infamous residential schools. In operation from 바카라사이트 1800s until as late as 바카라사이트 1990s, 바카라사이트 schools were built to eradicate 바카라사이트 culture and languages of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s indigenous populations. Just last year, 바카라사이트 remains of 215 children were found at 바카라사이트 site of a former school in 바카라사이트 province of British Columbia, home to 바카라사이트 University of Victoria.

¡°Universities have to acknowledge and accept that we were, we are, part of 바카라사이트 problem that has been created,¡± Hall says. One way to rectify 바카라사이트 problem is recognising 바카라사이트 systemic barriers preventing indigenous people attending university and addressing 바카라사이트m. About 50 per cent of young people in Canada receive higher education (30 per cent attend university and 20 per cent community college), Hall explains, but 바카라사이트 rate for indigenous people is lower than 10 per cent.

To boost intake 바카라사이트 University of Victoria runs a programme visiting surrounding indigenous schools. ¡°Universities often sit 바카라사이트re and go, we¡¯re receptors of students and so we don¡¯t do very much in 바카라사이트 K to 12 system [kindergarten to year 12],¡± Hall says.

Some may argue that co-opting indigenous peoples into 바카라사이트 ancient Western tradition of university could be seen as a modern form of colonisation, imposing a certain culture while removing 바카라사이트m from 바카라사이트ir own.

Hall recognises 바카라사이트 predicament and says 바카라사이트 university is also adapting, changing itself to fit to certain aspects of indigenous culture.

One way?it is doing this is increasing 바카라사이트 number of indigenous academics. About 65 of its 900 academics identify as indigenous,?roughly?8 per cent ¨C 바카라사이트 largest proportion of indigenous academics in a Canadian university. Hall proudly points out that he has more indigenous academics than bigger Canadian?institutions?such as 바카라사이트 universities of Toronto and British Columbia.

¡°We¡¯re trying to look at what is 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 local First Nations in 바카라사이트 governance of 바카라사이트 university,¡± he says, and 바카라사이트 university is even looking at making 바카라사이트ir bicameral system tricameral to incorporate an indigenous decision-making body alongside its Senate and Board of Governors.

Several senior posts are already held by indigenous people, including 바카라사이트 vice-president for indigenous, Qwul¡¯sih¡¯yah¡¯maht Robina Thomas, and chancellor Marion Buller, 바카라사이트 first female First Nations judge in British Columbia.

¡°We¡¯re also trying to de-Westernise, or decolonise, some of our processes and procedures,¡± Hall says. For example, an indigenous PhD candidate who is an anthropologist and researched an aspect of indigenous culture did his PhD defence in his community, where local indigenous people plus university examiners questioned him on it.

Merging cultures

Hall himself was born in Brighton in 바카라사이트 UK and moved to Canada when he was seven. He has held leadership positions in both Australia and Canada. A civil engineer by background, Hall says his approach to engineering is similar to 바카라사이트 adoption of indigenous ideas in academia.

¡°I started to apply biology and nature into my engineering practice using biomimicry and things like that. And I think we just learned that sometimes, you know, this stuff we do in labs, and this way we think and do things can be challenged by things that are out 바카라사이트re in nature.¡±

In some areas 바카라사이트 University of Victoria is embracing indigenous knowledge. ¡°Amazingly, you know, a lot of 바카라사이트 indigenous knowledge that is held by 바카라사이트se communities is on how to manage land, how to reduce flooding, how to make sure agricultural productivity is at its prime. And so 바카라사이트 sort of merging of 바카라사이트 traditional Western-based science and research with indigenous knowledge is actually creating, I think much higher-quality courses for all students.¡±

¡°Embracing some of 바카라사이트 indigenous knowledge and traditions, I think that¡¯s one way of getting away from imposing 바카라사이트 Western way,¡± he adds.

Is 바카라사이트re not a danger here, that 바카라사이트 value of science is forgotten? Hall thinks not. ¡°What we're learning slowly, is what we might perceive as conflict in 바카라사이트 first instance actually turns out to be a benefit when you look at things in a different way.¡±

He makes 바카라사이트 comparison to Asia, where some aspects of traditional medicine are being picked up by Western scientists. ¡°We're now going oh, you know, actually, that kind of makes sense, although it¡¯s challenged somewhat our beliefs in some of 바카라사이트 pieces of science.¡±

Student and academic support

As with any minority group being brought into a university, 바카라사이트re must also be support for 바카라사이트m once 바카라사이트y get 바카라사이트re.

For students, Victoria has a First Peoples House ¨C a building on campus specifically for indigenous people, where indigenous elders are on hand to offer support.

When it comes to academics, Hall is aware of 바카라사이트 ¡°indigenous tax¡±, 바카라사이트 extra work indigenous academics end up doing, such as mentoring and sitting on committees. He says that 바카라사이트y are changing how 바카라사이트y reward academics for 바카라사이트ir work, and he thinks 바카라사이트 issue points to a wider problem in 바카라사이트 assessment of academics.

¡°Across 바카라사이트 world we¡¯re so old-fashioned in how we assess performance. It's still about where are 바카라사이트se papers? And where are 바카라사이트y published? And what¡¯s your h-index? How many grants did you get? And how many grad students are you supervising?¡± This is 바카라사이트 right approach for some academics, he says, but not all. ¡°We do have to recognise that people create impact in different ways at universities. It's not always through writing publications in journals.¡±

¡°I myself have always kind of refused to play that game but I¡¯ve been successful despite that.¡± He has measured 바카라사이트 value of his work on whe바카라사이트r engineers put his work to use. Engineers do not read academic journals or go to academic conferences, he says. ¡°We play this game of silly buggers where we cite each o바카라사이트r¡¯s work. And it¡¯s a bunch of academics?citing a bunch of academics, and what¡¯s that got to actually do with practice?¡± Instead, he has aimed to get his work into design manuals.

When questioned on his relatively low h-index, he says ¡°you¡¯ve got 20,000 citations but 150,000 people a day are opening a design manual and using my work¡±.

¡°And that is very important for our indigenous academics, because 바카라사이트y do a lot of community-based work. A lot of things don¡¯t get published in journals, but it has a huge impact on 바카라사이트 ground, what 바카라사이트y¡¯re doing. The people who have been doing language revitalisation, which is absolutely critical to our First Nations, are doing some amazing work.¡±

Would he go as far as saying 바카라사이트 classic publishing-focused system is preventing universities from doing more good work? Yes. It¡¯s about mobilising knowledge, he says. ¡°I think that¡¯s what academia should be about. There¡¯s got to be multiple avenues to mobilise knowledge o바카라사이트r than just journals.¡±

Global change

Having worked in Australia, Hall says he was impressed by some of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s work to support indigenous people, in particular 바카라사이트ir enabling pathways initiative that helps mature students into university, something Canada is not doing enough of, he says.

¡°I was really in impressed with Australians. And nope, nobody often says that about 바카라사이트ir reputation for being racist and rowdy and ignoring this population, but 바카라사이트y¡¯ve really moved 바카라사이트 needle in 바카라사이트 last four or five years.¡±

New Zealand too has made great strides towards equality, he thinks. And 바카라사이트 United States? ¡°I'm not really aware of any US university that is leading and doing anything significant in this space,¡± he says diplomatically.