Bridging North and South

Located in Whitehorse, Yukon University has 13 campuses throughout the territory of Yukon, serving about 1300 students and 741 employees including 97 faculty. University Affairs recently sat down with its president and vice-chancellor, Lesley Brown, to discuss how the only university in Canada’s north helps meets the unique needs of northern communities.  

University Affairs: In October 2024 Yukon University became the 97th member of Universities Canada. What does this step represent for Yukon University? 

Lesley Brown: It means a lot. One of the most practical things is that it formalizes our transition from being a college. We were college in the territory for 30 years, and were legislated to become a university in 2020, and so this is the final step in that transition. It also is very exciting for us because we are the only university in the North at this moment in time, and to be a member of Universities Canada means that we can begin to share our unique northern character with other universities in Canada. We are doing things a little bit differently in Yukon, and we’re very excited to be bringing that to the national stage, as we have a rich perspective to contribute to conversations with the public and the federal government. So we look forward to informing those dialogues with some northern perspectives. Another great thing is that being a member of Universities Canada opens up opportunities for Northern learners as well. 

UA: How does Yukon University embody that mission to serve the unique needs of northern communities? 

Dr. Brown: Yukon University is a reality because it was a dream of First Nations chiefs over 50 years ago. In 1973 a group of First Nations chiefs traveled to Ottawa to meet Pierre Trudeau, and in those meetings they shared some of their expectations, one of which was to have a university in the territory. The reason that they wanted to have a university is because they didn’t want their children to have to leave the territory to go to university. So becoming a university is a realization of that dream of those First Nations chiefs that was shared over 50 years ago. And now, in everything that we do as a university, we work and we operate with that dream and that vision in mind to ensure that we are upholding the aspirations and commitments and needs of First Nations learners. 

UA: What are some of the distinct challenges and opportunities at Yukon university and how do you hope to address them now as a member of Universities Canada? 

Dr. Brown:  We’re the first university north of 60, and in the Yukon, we exist in collaborative governance. There are 14 First Nations, and 11 of those are self-governing. And so at Yukon University, we really prioritize that, and we take great pride in in our opportunity to advance self-determination of Yukon First Nations governance governments as well as its citizens. From that perspective, we believe that we have rich lessons to offer to the national stage that can help with the collective journey of reconciliation. 

We serve the breadth of the territory with a commitment to create opportunities for people to learn in place, in the communities that are their homes. So we have 13 campuses sprinkled throughout the territory of Yukon. We’re experimenting with different models. The first one of course is remote learning, where learners join online or join in place classes that are happening in Whitehorse at our central campus, but we’re also exploring different opportunities and different approaches, where we would have faculty traveling around to the communities and we’re also looking at models where we’re placing faculty into those campuses. We are very proud about those learning campuses, because our priority there is to provide offerings that will respond to the needs of the learners in those areas. And that can be degrees, and it can also be skilled trades. I’m really excited to share that one of the things that we do is we bring skilled trades training to communities. So we have a very large 18-wheeler skilled trades mobile trailer that drives to communities and has the equipment necessary to teach welding, to teach electrical, to teach carpentry, and we do that in place. 

UA: What would you say to prospective international students about why they should consider Yukon university? 

Dr. Brown: We have quite a culturally diverse community, particularly on the main campus in the largest city in the territory in Whitehorse, and we do have a strong population of international students that right now represents 15 per cent of our student demographic, which is lower than our demographic of 27 per cent of Indigenous students. For students who are interested to come to Yukon University from international markets, I would say that there is a place for them in Whitehorse and in the Yukon.  

UA: The university sector throughout the country is undergoing a lot of challenges, including declining enrolment. In terms of growing your student population, what kind of strategies are you considering? 

Dr. Brown:  We are very fortunate in that we’re living in the fastest growing region of Canada. 27 per cent of our student population is indigenous, and about 25 per cent of the territories’ population is indigenous. The fastest growing demographic in Canada is Indigenous learners. So we are very hopeful for a growth target for Yukon University. We have been doing a lot of work in this area over the past year, and we have committed to growing our enrollment by 20 per cent by 2030, and some of the strategies that we are using to ensure that reality is that we’re diversifying our program offerings by adding new degrees, making Yukon University a more attractive option for those considering postsecondary education. We are building a new suite of degrees. We currently have two, and our aspiration is to add in another five over the next five years, and those are in nursing education, social work, northern environmental science, as well as liberal arts. And what we hope is that students from the Yukon will come to Yukon University, but also students from outside of the Yukon. First and foremost, our hope is that students who graduate from Yukon University, whether it’s with a degree or diploma, or an apprenticeship or skilled trades ticket, we want to make sure that they have an opportunity to contribute not just to the local economy and advancing the local economy, but also to ensure that our graduates are helping to contribute and sustain First Nations governments.