This year, during National Indigenous History Month, µē³µĪŽĀė is deepening that commitment by spotlighting its 2025ā2030 Indigenous Action Planāa call to reflect on where we are and where we want to go.
Rooted in the teachings of the ·ÉƬ²µ·ÉĆ ³¾, the traditional Anishinaabeg dwelling, the plan is built around four interconnected āhoops.ā Like the curved poles of a ·ÉƬ²µ·ÉĆ ³¾, each hoop strengthens a key area of transformation: the institution, academic programs, physical space and community. This article, the first in a four-part series, introduces the new plan and its first hoop: Institutional changeāpolicy, procedures and systems.
Why the Indigenous Action Plan matters to the µē³µĪŽĀė community
When Tareyn Johnson arrived in 2017 as µē³µĪŽĀėās first director of Indigenous Affairs, she stepped into a new role with no blueprint. Drawing on her experience in Indigenization, her office drafted a bold and ambitious road map, the first version of the Indigenous Action Plan, offering direction to those ready to act.
That plan laid the groundwork. āSome people followed it to the letter,ā Johnson explains. āOthers used it as inspiration to create their own goals.ā As more faculties and services engaged with the plan, it became clear that a second edition was needed. The second plan builds on institutional momentum and shifts the approach: itās grounded in collaboration with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous community.
Before drafting the new version, Johnson and her team launched a campus-wide consultation. They listened, took detailed notes, and brought the ideas back to the University community for review and refinement. āThe new hoop points come straight from the people doing the work,ā she says. āItās not a list handed down from Indigenous Affairs. Itās a reflection of what the institution is ready for.ā
She believes µē³µĪŽĀė is ready for more changeānot just in principle, but in practice. āThis plan helps people envision their path forward,ā she says.
āThis plan helps people envision their path forward.ā
Tareyn Johnson
ā Director of Indigenous Affairs
Key shifts and results from the first Indigenous Action Plan
The 2025ā2030 plan builds on lessons from the first version. Some hoop points were completed and removed; others were refined or replaced to better reflect the institutionās structure and priorities. New directions emerged from what faculties and services had already triedāand what they were ready to take further.
Several changes are already tangible. Hoop 2āfocused on physical spaceāmoved quickly thanks to strong collaboration with Facilities. āThey added Indigenous consultation requirements to all their project proposals,ā says Johnson. āThis led to public art, campus street renaming and a stronger Indigenous presence,ā she says. āThis kind of visible, artistic presence is what I call passive engagement. People donāt have to registerāthey simply engage with Indigenous worldviews through their environment.ā
Another major outcome is the creation of the Institute of Indigenous Research and Studies as a standalone field. Previously part of a broader program, it now affirms Indigenous-led research and curriculum at µē³µĪŽĀė.
The new plan offers direction while allowing each unit to adapt to its context. āItās not just our office directing people,ā Johnson says. āItās the institution recognizing its own capacity for change.ā
Hoop 1: Institutional change at µē³µĪŽĀė
The first hoop in the 2025-2030 Indigenous Action Plan focuses on the institution itselfāits systems, policies and internal culture. This is where many staff and administrators connect most directly to the plan. The emphasis is specifically on retention, onboarding and how the University structures its support systems.
For example, µē³µĪŽĀė Human Resources is integrating Indigenous content into onboarding for new faculty and staff. āWe meet with HR to develop mandatory onboarding that introduces Indigenous cultures, histories and ways of workingānot just as content, but as perspective,ā Johnson says.
Hoop 1 encourages people to see how professional development, wellness, and support services are connected. Johnson references the holistic Anishinaabemowin concept of mno bmaadiziwin, a good life, lived in balance. āIt means all these parts of your life and work are woven together. Thatās what weāre trying to reflect in how the institution functions.ā
Hoop 1 also includes increasing Indigenous representation in governance, improving financial systems, and strengthening recruitment expertise. An Indigenous finance strategy is in development, with the goal of eventually being adopted across campus.
āThis hoop asks the institution to look inward,ā says Johnson. āTo revise how it works, how it supports people and how it welcomes Indigenous perspectives into its day-to-day operations.ā
How staff and professors can engage with the Indigenous Action Plan
The Indigenous Action Plan is for everyoneāacademics, services, governance and administrationānot just leadership.
It guides those who want to engage with Indigenization and decolonization but arenāt sure how. āIt shows what our priorities are, where weāre coming from and how we see our needs,ā says Johnson. āThat helps people connect the dots.ā
As National Indigenous History Month unfolds, Hoop 1 reminds us that institutional change doesnāt happen all at once. It happens policy by policy, decision by decision, conversation by conversation. The Action Plan offers a way forward, inviting everyone to take part.
