Annual scholarship dinner honours Dr. Leroy Little Bear and Amethyst First Rider

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

This year’s honourees at the Dhillon School of Business annual Scholarship Dinner on Thursday, April 13 are exemplars of leadership, strength and mentorship.

Dr. Leroy Little Bear (BASc (BA) ’72, DASc ’04) and Amethyst First Rider have enriched the lives of First Nations, Métis and Inuit and settler students alike through their commitment to educate and illuminate.

“Leroy and Amethyst are representative of our core values in the Dhillon School of Business and role models for our students and community. With this year being the 50th anniversary of the University of Lethbridge and the 150th anniversary of Canada, I am proud to be celebrating First Nations leadership,” says Dr. Bob Boudreau, dean of the Dhillon School of Business.

Proceeds from the dinner will be used to establish a scholarship fund in their names, which will provide annual scholarships to First Nations students in the Dhillon School of Business.

“Amethyst and I are pleased to be honoured at this year’s scholarship dinner and that First Nations students studyin

g management will get help with their education through scholarships,” says Little Bear. “We have both been involved in education in one way or another for many years so this scholarship is in keeping with our values.” 

Little Bear was instrumental in the development of the Native American Studies program at the U of L and other southern Alberta post-secondary institutions and was also the founding director of the Harvard University Native American Program. He has contributed to numerous reports addressing Aboriginal rights, justice, land claims and constitutional issues. His work led to a United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and he has received many honours, including an Urban Aboriginal Lifetime Achievement Award and being inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence.

First Rider has been a leader in the performing arts community for more than 20 years, producing and directing plays depicting Aboriginal stories and culture. Her experience in the arts has included dance productions, consulting for the University of California, Berkeley’s planetarium, as well as narration and production in the National Film Board’s documentary, Kainayssini Imanistaisiwa, The People Go On.

Media are invited to interview this year’s honourees on Thursday, April 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the Coast Lethbridge Hotel located at 526 Mayor Magrath Drive South. Please confirm your attendance with Steve Craig.

 

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Contact:

Steve Craig, Dhillon School of Business director of external relations

403-329-5181

steve.craig@uleth.ca

 

Caroline Zentner, public affairs advisor

403-394-3975 or 403-795-5403 (cell)

caroline.zentner@uleth.ca