Aboriginal Post-Secondary Education in British Columbia: Nicola Valley Institute of Technology - “An Eagle's Gathering Place”

The Indigenous teachings of my parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and the Elders of my community have inspired my passion for education and to pursue a career at an Indigenous post-secondary institution that is based on Indigenous values and Indigenous Knowledge (IK). This discussion examines the governance structure, educational policies, programs, and student services offered by the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT), which has become a leader in Aboriginal public post-secondary education in Canada. Framed within an Eagle’s Perch metaphor, and an Indigenous Knowledge system, the NVIT story is told about how it achieves self-determination through its Indigenization processes, and how its leadership takes an anti-hegemonic stance to confront forms of hegemonic control. Based on my experiences I developed a Transformational Framework for Aboriginal Post-Secondary Education that includes seven principles of Indigenization, self-determination, anti-hegemony, good governance, educational values, program relevancy, and extended family.