(June 25, 2025) – With a shared vision to be leaders in Indigenous education and community building, Laurentian University and Kenjgewin Teg have joined together through a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that establishes a framework to advance academic programming, research, and community development. The agreement is rooted in mutual respect, trust, and a shared commitment to support students and communities through collaboration.
This MOU reflects a continuation and strengthening of the existing relationship between the two institutions. It provides a foundation upon which new joint initiatives will be built, including the co-development of courses and academic programs, research and innovation, and creating and mounting events to grow and share knowledge, such as seminars, conferences, and workshops. A fundamental underpinning for the relationship will be activities created by and for Indigenous communities.
“Laurentian University is proud to formalize our collaboration with Kenjgewin Teg,” said Dr. Lynn Wells, President and Vice-Chancellor of Laurentian University. “Our institutions share a common vision of empowering learners and advancing meaningful research that benefits communities. This agreement reinforces our shared commitment to supporting Indigenous education, building capacity, and working together in a spirit of reciprocity and reconciliation.”
The signing of the MOU supports Laurentian University’s strategic priority of building up the communities it serves, particularly in Northern, Francophone, and Indigenous contexts. It also aligns with Kenjgewin Teg’s ongoing efforts to strengthen Indigenous post-secondary education in Ontario.
“As two northern Ontario post-secondary institutions responding to and serving our communities, our shared commitment to a renewed collaboration seeks to provide new opportunities implementing meaningful Truth and Reconciliation action; and, in building this shared vision, we will be inclusively thinking about the principles of Allyship, and the rightful inclusion of Anishinabek-led and governed worldviews in post-secondary places of learning” said President Dr. Beverley Roy, Kenjgewin Teg.
Representatives from both institutions expressed their shared commitment that this partnership will lead to outcomes that enhance opportunities for students, faculty, and community members.
Partner Backgrounds
Laurentian University is a comprehensive post-secondary educational institution located in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, on the traditional lands of the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek. For 65 years, Laurentian has been a vital partner in the success of thousands of individual students, faculty, and staff, and the local and regional communities for which it was established. Laurentian has always been at its best when it has understood how interconnected it is with the communities that it serves and harnessed the resilience, creativity and diverse knowledge of its members to create and deliver excellent education and innovative research for the benefit of these communities. Through its current Strategic Plan, Laurentian is focused on building trusting relationships for the local and global success of the Northern, Francophone, and Indigenous communities that it serves.
Kenjgewin Teg is an Anishinabek-led and governed place of learning and is recognized in Ontario to create its own certificates, diplomas and degrees as accredited by the Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council (IAESC). In its 30+ years of operations, recognition of the history and ongoing relationship between Canada and Indigenous Nations, its impact on lifelong learning education outcomes, Anishinabek ways of life, and the significance of the Ojibwe language, Anishinabemowin, collectively represent Kenjgewin Teg’s way forward and commitment to all learners. The continuation of Kenjgewin Teg’s partnerships with Ontario’s colleges and universities remains an important commitment supporting Indigenous inclusion and representation in post-secondary learning.