Lheidli T’enneh elder Darlene McIntosh has been named UNBC’s eighth chancellor.
UNBC announced the appointment on Friday, and McIntosh will be sworn in at a ceremony on Oct. 21.
“I am honoured to serve as UNBC’s Chancellor and to be the first Chancellor in UNBC’s history from the Lheidli T’enneh Nation. The immense responsibility UNBC has to the region it serves is important,” McIntosh said in a statement released on Friday. “As UNBC’s Chancellor, I am proud to support the goals and objectives in having this remarkable higher learning institution in northern British Colombia and I look forward to the tremendous opportunities for continued growth and diversity in our community and beyond.”
McIntosh served on UNBC’s Lheidli T’enneh Translation Initiative committee. The committee worked on the translation required for the new entrance sign to the Prince George campus, which reads “Nizdeh Nekeyoh Hohudil’eh Baiyoh” in the Lheidli T’enneh dialect of the Dakelh language. The phrase means UNBC a “house of learning.”
McIntosh has also been a regular presence at events hosted at UNBC, providing a welcoming on behalf of the Lheidli T’enneh. She was there when UNBC permanently raised the Lheidli T’enneh flag at the Prince George campus and signed the first memorandum of understanding with Lheidli T’enneh Nation in 2016.
“Elder McIntosh has been a member of the UNBC community for years. When she offers an opening prayer or a territory welcome at a UNBC event, one instantly feels a sense of calm, appreciation and respect for the lands that our Prince George campus sits,” UNBC president Geoff Payne said. She’s also been pivotal in strengthening the relationship UNBC is honoured to have with the Lheidli T’enneh Nation. I am grateful to all those involved in the decision-making process, especially the UNBC Alumni Council, and to Dr. Rheanna Robinson for submitting the initial nomination of such a tremendous individual.”
McIntosh serves as a cultural advisor at the Aboriginal Resource Centre at the College of New Caledonia.
“It’s an honour to have such an influential knowledge holder as elder McIntosh take on such an important role at UNBC,” UNBC board chairperson Catherine Wishart said in a statement issued on Friday. “Our entire community will have the opportunity to listen to, learn from, and be guided by Darlene's wisdom as we take meaningful steps along the path of Truth and Reconciliation. On behalf of the board, I offer my thanks to her for accepting our invitation and am excited to work with her even more closely in the future.”
