Dear King’s community,
I write to share the exciting news that, as of November 6, Emily Pictou-Roberts has assumed a brand-new role in our community as the Indigenous Support and Outreach Coordinator. Emily brings a fresh perspective to our campus as well as immense lived and professional experience providing support to the Indigenous community. The Indigenous Support and Outreach Coordinator serves as a liaison between Indigenous students, Mi’kmaw communities and the university to help support Indigenous students’ social and academic success at King’s.
Emily is a proud Mi’kmaw woman from the community of Millbrook, N.S. and a proud King’s alum, BA(Hons)’20. In her former role as Auntie in Residence, she split her time between King’s and Mount Saint Vincent University to provide cultural, emotional and spiritual support to Indigenous students, and worked to ensure the application of Mi’kmaw perspectives throughout the two university communities.
The inauguration of the Indigenous Student Support and Outreach Coordinator at King’s means that the Auntie in Residence role is drawing to a close, but the change is an exciting one: the King’s community will now have a full-time staff member who will provide the same cultural, emotional and spiritual support to Indigenous students that the Auntie in Residence did. Additionally, the Indigenous Student Support and Outreach Coordinator will lead community outreach and engagement and support student recruitment and retention. Emily will work in close collaboration with the Registrar’s Office to assist with building relationships with Indigenous communities to help provide continuity of support from high school through to students’ university degree completion.
Along with a focus on Indigenous student support and community outreach, Emily will also provide ongoing institutional advice to support the university’s work of decolonization and Reconciliation. We are actively seeking to ensure our university is a welcoming environment for all students and recognize that we must continue to enhance cultural safety for Indigenous students.
Emily’s office is in the Indigenous Students’ Centre on the first floor of Alexandra Hall. If you would like to read more about Emily and her new role you can read her profile on the King’s website.
I would like to thank my colleagues on the hiring committee whose insight and commitment to this process were vital in hiring Emily: Dean of Students Katie Merwin, Assistant Registrar, Student Recruitment Yolana Wassersug, Assistant Professor Tim Clarke and student representative Jessica Casey. I would also like to thank Human Resources Manager Pethrona Russell, who was of great assistance throughout the entire hiring process.
Emily can be reached at emily.roberts@ukings.ca. Please join me in giving Emily a warm welcome to her full-time role in the King’s community!
Jasmine
Jasmine Parent (she/her)
Equity Officer
President’s Office
