Rupertsland Institute makes generous donation to the Métis Scholar Awards Endowment

MacEwan University recently received a significant donation from the Rupertsland Institute. The gift of $250,000 will become part of the Métis Scholar Awards Endowment, which now totals $2.75 million.

Each year, the endowment disburses approximately $130,000 in bursaries to as many as 30 Métis students.

This most recent gift builds on a longstanding partnership between MacEwan University and the Rupertsland Institute that began in 2008 when the Métis Nation of Alberta established the endowment to assist Métis students studying at the institution. In 2010, the Métis Nation of Alberta formed Rupertsland Institute, an education, research and employment training institute, which has continued to manage and grow the Métis Scholar Awards Endowment.

“The partnership between the Rupertsland Institute and MacEwan University has led to this longstanding investment in Métis students and the future of the Métis Nation.”
—Lorne Gladu

“The partnership between the Rupertsland Institute and MacEwan University has led to this longstanding investment in Métis students and the future of the Métis Nation,” says Lorne Gladu, chief executive officer of the Rupertsland Institute, and a 2007 recipient of MacEwan’s Distinguished Alumni Award (Management Studies/University Transfer, ‘96). “As an affiliate of the Métis Nation of Alberta, the Rupertsland Institute is proud to allocate this additional contribution to the Métis Education Foundation and to support the endowment fund at MacEwan University.”

The donation helps MacEwan toward its goal of supporting Métis scholars. “We are so grateful for our partnership with the Rupertsland Institute,” says Dr. Annette Trimbee, president and vice-chancellor of MacEwan University. “We are committed to helping our Indigenous students thrive, and this donation shows that we are trusted to deliver on that commitment.”

In 2015, a space in the John L. Haar Library at City Centre Campus was named the Rupertsland Reading Room in recognition of the generous donations from Rupertsland, and the ongoing partnership with the institute.

Students interested in the Métis Scholar Awards can review criteria and apply through an online portal on the Rupertsland Institute website.

NT5