President David Barnard and Michael Bennaroch, dean of the Asper School of Business, and Wanda Wuttunee, director of Asper’s Aboriginal Business Education Partners, were on hand to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the program. Also joining the presenters were U of M Elder in residence, Norman Meade, and Ovide Mercredi, a former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nation and former senior advisor to the president.

The Aboriginal Business Education Partners (ABEP) supports First Nations, Métis and Inuit students throughout their educational journey in pursuit of a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree at the U of M’s Asper School of Business. Offering both a community for Indigenous students and academic and financial support from application straight through to graduation, the program was started 20 years ago when the then-dean of the school noted that only “a handful of Aboriginal people had earned their [BComm] degrees,” says Wuttunee.

When Wuttunee, who is also a professor in the Native studies department (in addition to her PhD, she has a BComm, an LLB and an MBA), started work at the U of M in 1994, there was interest by the Asper School of Business in attracting, retaining and facilitating more Aboriginal students at the business programs. With her background, Wuttanee was a perfect fit — in Native studies, she teaches courses in Aboriginal economy, community economic development, participatory research methodologies and governance social responsibility and leadership. She became associate director and, eventually, director of the program.

Asper School of Business dean, Micheal Bennaroch, remarked on Wuttunnee’s dedication to the program, adding that she does this in addition to another job “because of her passion to help Indigenous students in business.” He also thanked ABEP staff for their dedication to making it an outstanding program and said that Asper was committed to making Aboriginal students feel welcome, working together with ABEP. The program’s most important contribution, he said, “was in making students feel welcome, kind of like a home, a place you want to return to. And the proof is in the pudding. ABEP has an incredible success rate.”

Wuttunnee, “ABEP could not have survived without the welcoming and supportive environment at the University of Manitoba.”

 

Since the partners program began, said Wuttunnee, “it could not have survived without the welcoming and supportive environment at the University of Manitoba…. ABEP is part of Asper, and Asper is part of ABEP.”

President Barnard noted in his remarks that the program “is a valuable resource to our students, to the university and to our province,” calling the Indigenous population the key to the future of the province.

“Young Indigenous professionals are going to be critical to our province reaching its full potential, and ABEP develops innovators, challengers and defenders who do just that,” he said. He also cited the many Indigenous alumni who had gone on to work in various capacities, including key positions at major corporations, non-profit organizations, or starting their own businesses, all making contributions to their own communities or elsewhere across the province, nation or the globe.

“None of us achieve our dreams without people around us who believe in us and invest in our futures,” he said.

As Elder Norman Meade told the gathered crowd in his blessing for the event, the celebration was an opportunity to “give thanks for what has been given, the opportunities that have been given, the crumbs dropped to lead us in a pathway to success, the leadership and trailblazing that has gone before.

“That’s what life is about, when someone helps you and giving thanks for that help … symbolically, those who dropped a few crumbs for you [to find your way].”

Read more about the program and some of its alumni.

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