'This is the perfect time for you to be our leader': First Nations University of Canada welcomes new President.

Regina -

The First Nations University of Canada welcomed its new president, Jacqueline Ottmann, who’s originally from Fishing Lake First Nation.

She started her educational career as a teacher over 30 years ago and has finally worked her way back from Alberta to her homeland.

“I’m feeling gratitude, I’m feeling excitement and I’m very ready to step into this presidency,” she said after the ceremony.

Ottmann said one of the primary goals she will be focusing on is expanding the university’s curriculum in several topics with the sciences being a priority.

“So, there’s Indigenous perspectives, philosophies, practices related to sciences,” Ottmann said. “So that will be important for us to evolve and develop even further.”

During the induction ceremony, Chief of Cowessess First Nation Cadmus Delorme  spoke about the importance of the FNU as an institution and how its work is more important now than ever.

“The last four months have been pretty tough on Indigenous people in this country… this is the perfect time for you to be our leader of the First Nations University of Canada, because this institution is going to lead Canada. Every proud Canadian should be walking through these hallways to know that truth.”

Moving forward, Ottmann hopes to bring more attention to the university in order to spread its message and its knowledge.

“We’d also would like to draw attention to the First Nations University of Canada nationally and internationally,” she said. “There aren’t too many universities that have Indigenous knowledge as a foundation to the essence of the institution.”​