Spring Convocation - Students - University of Saskatchewan

President’s Service Award
Val Arnault-Pelletier
The numbers tell the story—in
2000, the Native Access Program to
Nursing (NAPN) at the University of
Saskatchewan supported 58 Aboriginal
students. This year, that number
doubled, to 117, more than any other
nursing education program in Canada.
People who have watched this growth
say it would not have happened
without Val Arnault-Pelletier.
Arnault-Pelletier, a Cree woman who
is a member of Beardy’s Okemasis
First Nation, has served for the past
10 years as lead student advisor in
the Native Access Program in the
College of Nursing (NAPN). Her work
managing the program and expanding
the vision of increased numbers of
Aboriginal people in health‐care
careers and balanced, healthy
Aboriginal communities has earned
Arnault-Pelletier the University’s
President’s Service Award.
A graduate of Loon Lake High
School and the Saskatoon Business
College, Arnault-Pelletier came
to the University in 1994. Among
her achievements in NAPN is the
development of valuable relationships
between the University and the
community, all of which benefit the
program as well as the students who
become part of the circle of support.
Recently, she has been engaged in
expanding NAPN to include students
from the College of Medicine, which
is dedicated to increasing the number
of Aboriginal physicians. As a result,
NAPN is now known as Native Access
Program to Nursing/Medicine or
NAPN/M.
Those who know Arnault‐Pelletier
describe her as tenacious and creative
in seeking out funding for the program
and its projects. Her work has
earned both Arnault-Pelletier and the
University a national and international
profile. She is sought after to consult
with organizations dedicated, as she is,
to recruiting and retaining Aboriginal
students and has been a conference
presenter at local and regional events.
While recruiting is one aspect of her
work, ensuring students continue
through their training and into careers
is also a focus for Arnault-Pelletier. She
and the NAPN staff provide a great
deal of support to students throughout
their education, including culturally
appropriate counselling, academic
advising, and financial, personal and
academic advocacy. This work also
encompasses a few international
students who are in need of a
community with which to identify.
Always a person who looks to the
future, Arnault-Pelletier is working
on funding proposals, updating the
NAPN/M website to maximize its
recruiting potential, and expanding
the program’s database with an
eye to providing better quality
student services. One of her recent
initiatives is a collaborative project
with Muskoday First Nation to start a
summer science camp at the U of S for
Aboriginal students.
The numbers do tell the story, but
they are only one of many stories that
demonstrate why Val Arnault-Pelletier
is such a deserving recipient of the
President’s Service Award.
University of Saskatchewan 30 Spring Convocation 2007