Manitoba's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 54
MANITOBA’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2026)
54
Respect is key at University College of the North
A
s a manager of interuniversities services
at University College
of the North (UCN),
Lavina Fecteau
ensures that students based in
northern Manitoba have a better
student experience than she did.
“I had to leave my family and
move to Brandon,” she says. “As
a single parent, I had limited
family support there. I was taking
evening classes and needed to
build a support network.” Leaving
her close-knit family was difficult.
Her parents finally relented on her
leaving home for post-secondary
education when she promised to
come back to the community after
graduation.
Don’t be scared to
share your voice, even
if it shakes, even if you
are standing alone. Use
your voice and know
you have a rightful
place where you are.
— Lavina Fecteau
Manager of Office of
Inter-Universities Services
University College of the North
has two main campuses, in The
Pas and Thompson, and several
satellite stations in Manitoba’s
northern communities which
offer trades and skills certificates,
college diploma programs and
bachelor-level degrees. Despite
the small size of the organization,
its coverage area is broad, and
its student body is very diverse.
Lavina Fecteau, manager, inter-universities services, at University College of the North.
Almost three-quarters of UCN’s
students are Indigenous and
more than half of all students are
sponsored by bands or by Service
Canada.
There is also variability in levels
of education. “Someone could be
an A-student in their community
and then come to a bigger school
and now they’re a C-student,”
says Kim Laycock, vice-president,
finance and administration.
“Understanding where people are
coming from and being attuned
to those nuances is something we
can offer.”
Support comes in various forms
to address student needs. “We do
a lot of preparatory programming
directly in the community, so
students don’t need to move away
from their families and support
systems,” says Laycock.
The prep programs fall
under the umbrella of holistic
services UCN offers. In The
Pas and Thompson, services
include on-site daycare facilities,
housing close to UCN’s two main
campuses, academic and student
counselling, student associations,
and access to Indigenous Elders.
These Knowledge Keepers give
workshops and counselling in
addition to leading Indigenous
ceremonies — including monthly
sweat lodges, National Indigenous
Peoples Day and the National Day
for Truth and Reconciliation.
Transparent communication
and a mechanism for constructive
feedback are the pillars that keep
the internal teams and external
partners working together
smoothly. “Listening to and being
informed up instead of telling
down is important to keeping the
culture at UCN positive,” says
Laycock. “We strive to understand
the different perspectives. We have
three different councils at UCN
including an academically focused
Learning Council, our Governing
Council which focuses on
overall governance and strategic
direction, and the Council of
Elders which is fairly unique to
UCN. Our goal is always to learn
and move forward in a good way.”
Moving forward means drawing
on Indigenous cultural practices
to enrich students and staff.
“Something I find comfortable
