Dr. Sheila Carr-Stewart is Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Administration.  She teaches in the area of educational administration at the graduate and undergraduate level.  Her areas of interest include community relations, administrative roles, organizational theories, and First Nation educational leadership and governance.

Sheila’s primary research interest is in First Nation education, particularly in the area of education as a treaty right and First Nation educational governance.  The Kirkpatrick Travel Award will support Sheila to study the implementation of the MiKmaq Education Act in Nova Scotia, and the effects on Mi’Kmaq education, governance mechanisms, and the relationship between the MiKmaq and the federal and provincial governments.

Currently, Jennifer Nicol is in the process of compiling a Canadian data base of music therapy initiatives meant to benefit adolescents and at-risk youth.  This information will provide a foundation for the design and implementation of a music program conceptualized as a participatory research project, and intended to keep youth in school through successful experiences in music that decrease isolation and increase their experiences of belonging, interdependence, and responsibility. 

As a recipient of the Kirkpatrick Travel Award, Dr. Nicol will have the opportunity to visit Regina and meet with accredited music therapists involved in programs benefiting youth.  She will observe and participate in the delivery of programs as well as gather information on music activities, responsive adaptive strategies, program logistics and structure, and factors pertinent to the particular context of Saskatchewan.

The Kirkpatrick Travel Fund is administered jointly by the University of Saskatchewan College of Education, the University of Saskatchewan Alumni Association, and the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation.  The annual award celebrates the contribution the late Dean Emeritus Balfour Kirkpatrick made to education in Saskatchewan.

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Cecilia Reynolds

Dean, College of Education

University of Saskatchewan

966-7647