Long before many Canadians were having national conversations about reconciliation, Professor David Newhouse was cultivating the fertile ground in which these changes could take root.
As a talented and inspiring educator in Indigenous Studies, Professor Newhouse has supported many landmark achievements at Trent University including creating a first-of-its-kind Indigenous Studies Ph.D. program, founding the First Peoples House of Learning, and helping to craft the University mandate that ensures every undergraduate completes at least one course with an Indigenous focus. His trusted leadership over the decades has helped ensure that Trent respects Indigenous perspectives in its policies, research ethics and academic[...]
Long before many Canadians were having national conversations about reconciliation, Professor David Newhouse was cultivating the fertile ground in which these changes could take root.
As a talented and inspiring educator in Indigenous Studies, Professor Newhouse has supported many landmark achievements at Trent University including creating a first-of-its-kind Indigenous Studies Ph.D. program, founding the First Peoples House of Learning, and helping to craft the University mandate that ensures every undergraduate completes at least one course with an Indigenous focus. His trusted leadership over the decades has helped ensure that Trent respects Indigenous perspectives in its policies, research ethics and academic programming.
“I hold fast to the belief that it is not enough to teach about Indigenous Peoples, but that Indigenous Knowledge can inform pedagogy and academe in all its facets, extending its rafters to include it,” Professor Newhouse says.
Nationally, Professor Newhouse has provided leadership through organizations such as Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Canadian Association of University Teachers.
As the long-serving department chair and now director of Trent’s Chanie Wenjack School of Indigenous Studies, he leads by example and has encouraged and empowered generations of Indigenous students in their academic and cultural pursuits.
He also inspires students to use their education to create lasting change by always asking, “Now that you know this, what will you do with the knowledge you’ve gained?”