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Indigenous Education and Cultural Services to host special keynote events with Helper-in-Residence Maurice Switzer - February 1 through 5

Elders are important members of First Nation, Métis and Inuit communities, recognized for their knowledge, experience, wisdom, harmony and balance.

As part of the university’s popular , Indigenous Education and Cultural Services (IECS) will welcome Maurice Switzer, a citizen of the Mississaugas of Alderville First Nation, for virtual presentations and visits with the university community Monday, February 1 through Friday, February 5.

As a special event, Switzer, who prefers to be referred to as ‘Helper-in-Residence,’ will deliver keynote presentations on Tuesday, February 2 and Thursday, February 4. IECS invites all interested faculty, staff, students and community members to register for one of the keynote presentations.

Recordings of the presentations will be available for 30 days for those who are unable to attend. Please contact indigenous@ontariotechu.ca if you have any questions or to request a recording

Due to a high level of interest, all one-on-one and in-class virtual visit appointments have been booked.

About Maurice Switzer

Maurice Switzer, Bnesi, is a citizen of the Mississaugas of Alderville First Nation, where his grandfather Moses Muskrat Marsden was Chief in the early 1900s. At various times, he has served as:

  • Publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press
  • Managing Editor of the Oshawa Times
  • Communications Director for the Assembly of First Nations and Union of ºÚÁÏÍø Indians
  • Adjunct Professor of Indigenous Studies at Laurentian University
  • Member of the ºÚÁÏÍø Human Rights Commission

Maurice is currently on the board of the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre and the Nipissing University Indigenous Council on Education, and serves on advisory committees for the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education Association of ºÚÁÏÍø, the Indigenous Human Rights Project, and on the Indigenous Reconciliation Advisory Group of the ºÚÁÏÍø Human Rights Commission. His son and grandson are both Captains in the Canadian Armed Forces.