NORTH BAY—Two people from Manitoulin Island have been recognized by Nipissing University with prestigious awards. Dr. Jonathan Pitt was named the 2023 recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (CASBU) while Nicole Abotossaway was recognized for extraordinary academic excellence.
Ms. Abotossaway, a member of Aundeck Omni Kaning (AOK) First Nation is the 2023 recipient of the Governor General’s Award for her exceptional achievement with the highest academic standing from the Faculty of Education and Professional Studies at the Schulich School of Education. She is also the recipient of the President’s Gold Medal for the Master of Education Degree, which is awarded to students graduating with the highest academic average in all courses in each degree program. She is also a part-time professor teaching in the Indigenous Classroom Assistant Diploma Program at Nipissing University.
“My ancestors walk with me,” Ms. Abotossaway told The Expositor. “I share these academic gold medal awards with my late parents, my first teachers. I had some memorable faculty members during my M.Ed. journey. I’m honoured to win both gold medals. It is special to win the governor general’s gold medal as Mary Simon now holds that role. She’s Inuk, making her the first Indigenous person to hold the office.”
Ms. Abotossaway said, “I’m still waiting to hear if my home First Nation community (AOK) will support me to pursue my doctoral degree. I have been accepted but will require their support to continue my studies. I also plan to continue to teach part-time in the Indigenous Classroom Assistant Diploma Program (ICADP) at Nipissing University.”
“Being a Nipissing Alumnus to me means honouring the traditional territory of the Nbisiing Nishnaabe of Nipissing First Nation, where my dad was born as Nipissing University resides on Nipissing First Nation’s homeland.”
Dr. Jonathan Pitt is the recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award was established to recognize contract academic faculty members with an outstanding record of teaching and the importance of exceptional teaching and who play a significant role in the education of Nipissing University students. Dr. Pitt has Haudenosaunee and Anishinabek roots from First Nations in Quebec. He resides on the traditional territories of Nbisiing (North Bay) and AOK. He feels honoured to be receiving recognition for the award.
Dr. Pitt told Anishinabek News, “It’s a representation of all of our knowledge. I think of my ancestors that have come before me, that gets passed down to us through our blood memory. That gets shared with them in my heart.”
“I couldn’t have done it without the students that I have had. Most of my students predominately have been Indigenous students in Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Teacher Education,” said Dr. Pitt. “We have a number of really good First Nation and Indigenous faculty to give you that sense of community. I think that as institutions start to decolonize and move through those processes of Indigenization, that’s the term used in contemporary literature, as institutions work to make their places better for Indigenous students and Indigenous faculty and staff, you have to have that critical mass of Indigenous faculty.”’
An educator for over 20 years, Dr. Pitt teaches in the Schulich School of Education in the mainstream B.Ed, Indigenous Teacher Education Program (ITEP), and Teacher of Indigenous Languages as a Second Language Program (TILSL), the Faculty of Arts and Science in Indigenous Studies, and the K-12 environment.
Dr. Pitt was part of the planning team for the TILSL program. He has worked as an Indigenization Advisor to the Nipissing University Faculty Association (NUFA), and with the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) in December 2014 as a curriculum consultant for Drew Hayden Taylor’s play entitled ‘Spirit Horse’ and again in 2016 providing input on how Indigenous teachers can be supported in their role.
