Mount Royal’s Ptarmigan Charitable Foundation Bursary provides new paths

First Nations, Métis and Inuit students are increasingly looking towards post-secondary to find opportunities for academic and career mobility.

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Mount Royal’s new Ptarmigan Charitable Foundation Bursaries will provide students with wings to fly.

The Ptarmigan Charitable Foundation Indigenous University Bridging Program (IUBP) Bursary goes to a deserving Indigenous full-time student entering the IUBP, while the Ptarmigan Charitable Foundation Indigenous Pathfinder Bursary is awarded once they are enrolled in the first year of any degree or diploma program.

Tori McMillan with the Iniskim Centre is the administrator of the IUBP and says, “What is unique about this award is that it has been created to support a student in the Indigenous University Bridging Program (IUBP) throughout their entire time at Mount Royal ― from upgrading through to the completion of a degree program.”

The initial funding of $7,500 for the student’s transition year is renewable once in a diploma or bachelor program for a total of up to six years or $45,000.

Richard Bird and his family run the Ptarmigan Charitable Foundation, which was created more than 20 years ago. As a family of “northern Birds,” they chose “Ptarmigan” to represent their philanthropic work.

“Our theme has been to take our good fortune and try to use it to level the playing field a bit by helping out others who haven't had the same kinds of advantages,” Bird says.

With an esteemed career in Calgary, Bird held various roles with Enbridge Inc. including executive vice-president and chief financial officer before his retirement in 2015. He was also director and chair with the Alberta Investment Management Corporation. Named Canada's CFO of the Year for 2010, Bird achieved a PhD from the University of Toronto and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

He was also a member of the MRU Foundation Board of Directors from 2000 to 2003.

The Ptarmigan Charitable Foundation prioritizes Indigenous education and women and children. Their scope extends to international social services, concentrating on children's orphanages, children's hospitals and schools and health and wellness initiatives.

“We live in a wonderful country and a wonderful province,” Bird says, but within Canada there are inequities his family’s foundation is working to address.

“Many of our own Canadian First Nations members are in difficult straits,” Bird says. “Our focus there is mainly on children and young people, and providing sports, physical fitness and educational opportunities.”

Indigenous students at Mount Royal are performing at a high level, something McMillan attributes to their strength and flexibility.

“The adaptiveness and resiliency of Indigenous Peoples is evidenced by the fact that Indigenous students at MRU are completing their programs at a higher rate than their non-Indigenous colleagues,” McMillan says, pointing to data presented in MRU’s 2018/2019 Annual Report. This is a dramatic shift for a population that had virtually no interaction with universities and colleges before 1960, he says.

“Education was once utilized as a mechanism for assimilation; today it is seen as a sector that provides opportunities for academic and cultural affirmation,” McMillan says.

The Ptarmigan Charitable Foundation prioritizes Indigenous education and women and children. Their scope extends to international social services, concentrating on children's orphanages, children's hospitals and schools and health and wellness initiatives.

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With the development of the Ptarmigan Charitable Foundation Bursaries, Bird and his family would like to see young Indigenous people access opportunities that may have been out of their reach. The idea is to provide “as wide a range of possibilities as possible so there are choices as opposed to just a single narrow path to follow.”

Jessica Jennings is a member of the Cold Lake First Nation and the first recipient of the Ptarmigan Charitable Foundation IUBP Bursary. As an aspiring health-care practitioner, this award represents a substantial commitment from the Bird family that will provide financial stability for the duration of her studies. She says that it was an honour to be chosen, and the funds have allowed her to concentrate more on her studies and less on financial burdens.

A full-time single mother to two young boys, Jennings has experienced financial uncertainty, but she is committed to starting her career path because of her kids.

“I want to be someone they can inspire to be like in focusing on education as well as living a healthy balanced life,” she says. The award has provided her with additional confidence to pursue acceptance into Mount Royal’s nursing or midwifery programs, as she says she feels as though there is someone out there who believes in her. Once she has completed her studies, Jennings is hoping “to collaborate with Alberta Health Services and Indigenous communities in advocating for safe, family-centred patient care, with a focus on education, mental health and holistic healing.

“It has been a passion of mine to work alongside Indigenous communities, while giving others confidence in making connections that will further their health and wellness,” she says.

First Nations, Métis and Inuit students are increasingly looking towards post-secondary to find opportunities for academic and career mobility, McMillan says.

“Elders often refer to higher education as ‘the new buffalo’ — the means by which Indigenous peoples will thrive and prosper within the knowledge economy.

“Thanks to the Ptarmigan Charitable Foundation Bursary, Mount Royal has become a home for Jessica to pursue her goals with a greater sense of confidence.”

Applications for the Ptarmigan Charitable Foundation Indigenous University Bridging Program (IUBP) Bursary should be made directly through the Insikim Centre. The deadline for applications to the Ptarmigan Charitable Foundation Indigenous Pathfinder Bursary is March 1.

Dec. 14, 2020 — Michelle Bodnar

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