When Windsor Law professor Donna Eansor was awarded funding for her Teaching Leadership Chair position, she wanted to share it with the University of Windsor campus community to enhance an educational realm of great importance.

Under the auspices of a Teaching Leadership Chair (TLC) award, beginning in 2018 Eansor invited campus community members to submit applications for a small but meaningful grant in support of campus initiatives which enhance academic Indigenization and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in the realm of post-secondary education.

The 2018 initiatives include proposals supporting Indigenous knowledge sharing, respectful communication and mutual learning. Teaching Leadership Chairs are often used to support teaching excellence and improve the quality of the learning experience for students and faculty through seminars and conferences. 2019 will see Eansor issue another campus-wide call for proposals for additional Indigeneity-centred initiatives.

Eansor has dedicated over 30 years to teaching and has received numerous awards for her teaching methods, including a 3M National Teaching Fellowship. She knew well the potential positive impact these limited, but focused, funding grants could have within our campus community and for Indigenous peoples. She viewed the funding as opportunity to drive leadership on campus for grass-roots initiatives and collaboration.

“As teachers, we lead students and they in turn learn to lead others,” said Eansor. “We begin to see beyond what we can do as individuals to what we can do for students, and for society. By sharing the TLC funds with others who are passionate about contributing to reconciliation and Indigenization, we can educate and inspire others in their respective learning journeys.”

Eansor’s shared funding provide grants of up to $2,000 to assist scholars and campus community groups in raising and enhancing awareness and engagement amongst the academy and campus community on the important Indigenization and reconciliation process, especially those who are Indigenous and choose to participate.

In the framework of the TLC award, eligible applicants include individuals holding a full-time appointment at the University of Windsor for the term of the grant (including tenured and tenure-track faculty, librarians, learning specialists, limited-term faculty and AAS appointments respectively). Faculty members are welcome to incorporate staff, students, and community partners into their projects, with special attention to Indigenous participation.

The 2019 funding grants will be awarded to successful proposals in the early-Spring of 2019 that focus on the development of practical materials and activities associated with one or more courses or curriculum areas across campus, with the professional development of instructors, and/or with the knowledge and understanding of the student body. The positive intention is to encourage the staging of learning activities, respectful knowledge sharing and learning opportunities, and the production of materials all of which are to enhance the broader and deeper understanding of Indigeneity within our University of Windsor community.