Students studying Indigenous land stewardship at the Native Education College (NEC) in Vancouver can now transfer their certificate into the Horticulture Urban Ecosystems bachelor’s degree at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
The new partnership agreement will allow students to count the Indigenous Land Stewardship certificate from the Vancouver-based NEC towards the KPU degree.
“The need for new leaders to build a better, greener world has never been more urgent. Students at NEC who want to expand their knowledge base and skillset in land stewardship now have a fantastic opportunity with this partnership,” says David Tracey, instructor and coordinator at NEC.
“We felt the strong synergies between the Indigenous Land Stewardship program at NEC and the Horticulture Urban Ecosystems program at KPU were worth connecting,” says Dr. Steve Cardwell, KPU’s vice president, students. “We’re proud to partner with the NEC to assist their students in obtaining degrees that will help them maintain ecosystem health and build resilience for their communities.”
“Students from the Indigenous land stewardship program will benefit greatly from the facilities and resources of KPU’s Department of Horticulture,” says Dr. Kathy Dunster, an instructor in the Horticulture Urban Ecosystems program.
“From greenhouses to a rooftop research garden and the Logan Creek floodplain forest and salmon stream post-colonial ecosystem repair project, we have many opportunities on our Langley campus for hands-on experiential education,” she says.
Dunster says the agreement supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, including eliminating poverty and hunger, equal access to education and clean water, protecting all life on land and finding decent work.
“A key sustainable development goal is creating partnerships to achieve all the goals,” she says. “This partnership between NEC and KPU will strengthen our commitment to Indigenous people and their rights to social and environmental justice, which includes the scientific and Indigenous knowledge to achieve food sovereignty, and land and water protection.”
To learn more about the academic programs visit:
https://calendar.kpu.ca/programs-az/science-horticulture/urban-ecosystems/