Law student JD Candidates 2026 David Jung (3L), Gilad Stitz (3L), Jessie Canard (3L), Paul Chorney (3L), Serena Bevilacqua (3L), Travis Dech (3L), and Vanessa Smith (3L) spent the day engaging with Asper business students to share information about how to access free legal services offered by the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic. The *pop-up* initiative, now in its second year, saw even higher turnout than last year, with a steady flow of students stopping by to learn about the Clinic’s free business-law services, many for the very first time.

Boxes of Timbits helped spark conversations, and as law student Travis Dech noted the importance of making legal information accessible for new entrepreneurs, he added with a smile, “You can put a price on Timbits, but you can’t put a price on free legal advice.”

Law students also provided information about how to register for a free Webinar that the L. Kerry Vickat Business Law Clinic was delivering the same week as part of the Stu Clark Webinar series entitled Startup Law 2.0: Law for Entrepreneurs.

Throughout the day, business students stopped by to learn how the Clinic can help entrepreneurs and business owners of all experience levels navigate common legal questions related to business structures, contracts, intellectual property (IP), and other business-law matters.

A significant theme throughout the afternoon was IP, an area in which many students are eager to understand but rarely have accessible opportunities to explore. Students asked questions about protecting business names, copyright, navigating trademark applications, ownership issues in group projects, and what happens when an idea is pitched publicly as well as how to protect ideas.

Serena Bevilacqua noted that many attendees were surprised that IP protection is relevant even at the early stages of entrepreneurship, long before a business is fully formed.

One Asper student remarked, “I didn’t even know there was a business law clinic available to help me for free with my business idea.” Others echoed this reaction, noting they had assumed legal guidance was too expensive or inaccessible for students or early-stage founders.

The law student Clinicians were quick to inform student entrepreneurs that their access to free legal assistance through the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic does not have to be limited to the duration of their studies, as many who visited were surprised to learn that the pro bono services are available to all Manitoban businesspeople, even well after graduation.

Summing up the day, law student and Asper grad, Gilad Stitz, noted that getting out of the classroom was well worth it, as “It is always a pleasure getting to speak one-on-one with Manitoba’s future business leaders.”

The *Pop-up* Clinic collaboration reflects the successful partnership between the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic and the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship who share the goal to strengthen support for entrepreneurs and student-led innovation at the University of Manitoba. By connecting and bringing law students with business students together, the event encouraged interdepartmental collaboration and interdisciplinary learning while giving future entrepreneurs the opportunity to better understand the legal considerations that can impact their ideas and ventures, and how to access affordable legal services.

The L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic is currently operated by 11 third-year law students and 3 second-year research assistants, that are all dedicated to providing free legal services to small businesses, start-ups, entrepreneurs, innovators, non-profits, charities, and arts, cultural, and community organizations across Manitoba who do not have a lawyer and cannot afford legal assistance.

Entrepreneurs, business organizations, start-ups, and individuals seeking legal assistance anywhere in Manitoba can fill out an online intake form to access free legal support.

We asked Dr. Qi about what this award means to him, and to learn more about his research journey:

Can you briefly describe your dissertation research in plain language for readers who may not be experts in your field?
My dissertation explores how climate change affects financial markets and how we can use advanced data techniques, like machine learning, to better understand and predict corporate bond returns. I also study how banks and investors respond to climate risks and how companies’ disclosure of these risks affects financial decisions.

What inspired you to focus on this particular research topic?
I was inspired by the increasing urgency of climate change and its economic impact, as well as the rapid development of AI in recent years. I wanted to understand how climate risks translate into financial risks, how better information and transparency can help markets make smarter decisions, and whether—and how—advanced machine learning tools can improve the predictability of asset returns.

What was the most challenging aspect of your research?
One of the biggest challenges was working with complex international financial data and integrating climate risk measures in a meaningful way. Ensuring that the models accurately captured both financial and climate-related factors required careful work and extensive validation. Another challenge was learning to use the advanced and often complex machine learning models effectively.

Did you encounter any unexpected discoveries or surprises along the way?
Yes. For example, I found that in the U.S., borrowing costs for high-risk firms decrease when companies voluntarily disclose more climate risk information and following SEC climate risk disclosure guidance, whereas non-climate-specific ESG requirements in other countries have little impact. This underscores the importance of targeted climate risk disclosure for financial decision-making and risk management. In addition, the predictive performance of machine learning models declined significantly after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting a structural shift in the informativeness of traditional bond characteristics.

Why is your research important, and how could it impact your field or society at large?
My research helps us better understand the financial risks posed by climate change and provides valuable insights for investors, banks, and policymakers. By enhancing risk assessment and transparency, it can contribute to more resilient financial systems and support decision-making that accounts for both economic and environmental factors. Additionally, my work on machine learning sheds light on how advanced models can improve return predictability, with important implications for investment strategies.

“I am truly honoured to receive the Distinguished Dissertation Award in Social Sciences from the University of Manitoba. I am grateful to the university for its support during my PhD and especially to Dr. Lei Lu for his invaluable guidance. My research explores how climate change affects financial markets and how machine learning can improve our understanding of financial risk. In my current role at Western University, I continue to study climate risk disclosures and corporate finance to provide actionable insights for policymakers, investors, and financial institutions worldwide.”stated Dr. Qi, when announced as one of this year’s UMDD awards.

Dr. Qi’s advisor, Dr. Lei Lu from the Department of Accounting and Finance at the Asper School of Business said “I am truly delighted to see Dr. Zhen Qi receive the Distinguished Dissertation Award in Social Sciences. Zhen’s curiosity, dedication, and integrity have always impressed me, alongside his outstanding research. His work on climate finance not only advances academic scholarship but also provides valuable insights for policymakers, investors, and society as a whole. “

“This is an outstanding example of research that is at the forefront of finance with the additional layer of climate science which broadens the impact of this work.” said the Dr. Kelley Main, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. “Congratulations to Dr. Qi on this well-earned recognition for his important and timely research.”

Wenxi Pu (Associate Dean, Assistant Professor, The Associates Fellow in Innovation) has spent about eight years working to do just that in a piece now published in the FT50-ranked Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal.

Pu and co-authors’ work, “Shifts in national entrepreneurial culture: The promise of linguistic cultural artifacts and machine learning analysis,” looks at national entrepreneurial culture, asking how cultural attitudes have shifted over time.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is how this study offers new ways to capture culture about entrepreneurship at the national level,” says Pu.

With a dataset of close to 700,000 articles published about entrepreneurship and related topics in over 100 regional and national US newspapers (two decades’ worth, spanning 1996 to 2016), Pu argues that a linguistic analysis of a nation’s media production, supported by machine learning algorithms and AI, can reveal and capture cultural attitudes about entrepreneurship.

In other words, researchers can infer how we think and feel about a topic over time by analyzing huge amounts of written data.

When it comes to entrepreneurship in the United States between the mid nineties and 2010s, the general trend is that positivity bias toward entrepreneurship has increased.

“We found the emotional tone trending up and the analytical thinking trending down in the news articles about entrepreneurship that we analyzed, suggesting that we are culturally more emotional while less analytical about entrepreneurship over time,” Pu explains.

Pu’s study found that positivity bias toward entrepreneurship increased the most in accounts of entrepreneurial aspirations and journeys—the starts of startups and the entrepreneurial path.

The also team found a correlation between this rise in positivity about entrepreneurship with the quality of entrepreneurial ventures taking place at the same time. As positive attitudes about entrepreneurship increase, more ventures got started, but they also had lower growth potential.

“Further analysis suggested that this positivity bias might have encouraged entrepreneurs to create new ventures but might have limited the growth potential for those start-ups, so we need to strike a balance,” Pu says.

For Pu, this study has been generative, showcasing innovative ways to imagine culture and opening up a slew of questions to pursue.

“As a method paper, this study contributes more than just these findings about shifts in national entrepreneurial culture. It also allowed us to test a method using machine learning and AI to make this process of qualitative analysis far more efficient,” he says.

As a researcher and the Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning at the Asper School of Business, Pu encourages his colleagues and students to tap into the ways that AI allows us to do what we haven’t been able to do before and the ways that AI allows more time for truly creative, innovative pursuits.

The future is exciting to him, and he looks forward to seeing how AI transforms businesses and our daily lives.

Reading Pu’s work, it is hard not to imagine new applications for both the AI-supported methodology and for the questions the study raises about entrepreneurship itself. It’s certainly generative; more than that, it is creative.

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The Asper School of Business aims to expand global knowledge and engage in intellectual exploration to advance teaching, learning, and research. Our researchers’ scholarly work is regularly published in internationally renowned publications.

Be part of this flourishing research culture and learn more about research programs in management (MSc and PhD) at the Stu Clark Graduate School here.

Last year, the Office of Equity Transformation (OET) introduced the Listening, Learning, Leading series to help us move beyond polarization and build foundations for increased understanding and dialogue. OET is now introducing the Public Classroom Initiative, an extension of that series, designed to foster informed dialogue and deepen understanding of contemporary issues within the UM community. 

Recognizing the wealth of expertise across the university and the growing interest in key topics, the Public Classroom Initiative will provide accessible learning opportunities on a range of critical and timely topics. Held around lunchtime in the Fireside Lounge (first floor, UMSU University Centre), participants will gain insights from UM experts in a concise, 20-minute presentation followed by a 10-minute question and answer period.

Upcoming sessions:

Media Literacy and Critical Thinking

Presenter: Cecil Rosner (Media Literacy Program Instructor, Extended Education)

Thursday, December 12 at 12:30 p.m.

Antisemitism: Histories and Contemporary Manifestations

Presenter: Belle Jerniewski (Jewish Heritage Centre)

Friday, January 10 at 12 p.m.

Islamophobia: Histories and Contemporary Manifestations

Presenter Youcef Soufi (UM Institute for Humanities)

Monday, January 13 at 12 p.m.

Subsequent sessions will include:

• Corporate Responsibility and Supply Chain Justice (presenter: Minelle Silva, I.H. Asper School of Business)
• International Human Rights Law (presenter: Nathan Derejko, Faculty of Law)
• Environmental Racism and Land (presenters: Dan HenHawk, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management and Bruce Erickson, Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources)
• The Zimbabwean Experience with Death, Mourning, and Funeral Practices in the Diaspora (presenter: Joy Chadya, Faculty of Arts)

Emily Kalo, a Fellow in Equity, Anti-Oppression, and Social Justice, is working on the project. She says, “It’s a privilege to work alongside Dr. Tina Chen and the OET team on this important initiative to drive positive change through education. Many of us have likely faced difficult interactions with individuals holding narrowly focused views. The Public Classroom sessions aim to provide us with the knowledge and empathy needed to navigate such situations while enriching our own understanding of current issues.”

While the Public Classroom sessions will be in-person only, OET is also working on an audio project which will give listeners the opportunity to dive deeper into these contemporary issues alongside each guest speaker. These recordings will be launched in the Winter Term.

Tina Chen, Vice-Provost (Equity), says, “By placing learning in public spaces and in short presentations, I hope the Public Classroom Initiative will remove barriers for learning with each other as members of the UM community. I am looking forward to seeing staff, students, and faculty from a range of units, lived identities, and positions attending. I believe that learning together, embracing complexity and broadening our understanding across challenging topics is the foundation for dialogue that can take us beyond polarization.”

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Angie Bruce [MBA/09] as the new Vice-President (Indigenous) of the University of Manitoba.

Ms. Bruce assumes her position on February 1, 2024. We welcome her to the UM community and look forward to supporting her as she continues to advance the priorities of the Office of the Vice-President (Indigenous).

An impactful and collaborative leader, Ms. Bruce brings experience and success working with First Nations, Inuit and Métis people and Nations, communities, local, regional and federal governments and organizations, and across the non-Indigenous public, private and non-profit sectors. Ms. Bruce joins UM after serving as the Assistant Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada’s Nòkwewashk – the first Government of Canada departmental team to be gifted its name by Indigenous Elders. In her capacity, Ms. Bruce grew the Indigenous Natural Resource Program to $100 million and supported the first natural resources international missions that highlighted Indigenous-led partnerships and business around the world. Ms. Bruce also led the development of an Indigenous Research Ethics policy for the department, changing the way scientists engage and partner with Indigenous Nations across Canada.

Prior to her role at Natural Resources Canada, Ms. Bruce was Deputy Minister in Manitoba’s Indigenous and Northern Relations and Municipal Relations departments. During that time, she led the highest number of Treaty Land Entitlement land transfers in Manitoba’s history. She has also held senior positions with the Legacy of Hope Foundation and the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, organizations that worked to support the funding of healing programs in communities for Residential School Survivors and intergenerational Survivors.

Ms. Bruce brings significant experience in Indigenous research as a leader on projects for the Government of Canada, Government of Manitoba, City of Winnipeg, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and the Manitoba Métis Federation, with a focus on Indigenous-led processes and program delivery.

Ms. Bruce is a proud Red River Métis woman tied to her home community of St. Laurent, Manitoba. Ms. Bruce grew up in the Métis culture and credits the strong maternal figures in her family for instilling a connection to the land, community, culture and spirit.

Ms. Bruce is a UM alum and holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Asper School of Business. She is currently a PhD Candidate at Nipissing University.

I would also like to recognize Dr. Catherine Cook for her visionary leadership. As the first-ever Vice-President (Indigenous), Dr. Cook was a collaborative, patient, yet assertive, leader and a strong mentor for Indigenous women working to change colonial structures. During her term, she oversaw the Indigenous Senior Leadership projects, six initiatives created to advance Indigenous engagement, success and governance at UM and to build a culturally safe environment for Indigenous students, staff, faculty and guests. Her work to address post-secondary organizational and structural gaps and barriers to First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, will impact both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people for generations.

Please join me in thanking Dr. Cook and in congratulating Ms. Bruce on this new role where she will continue the legacy of exemplary leadership for the Vice-President (Indigenous) portfolio.

Michael Benarroch, PhD
President and Vice-Chancellor

Featuring presentations researchers in the early and middle stages of their professional research journey that will highlight important topics representing a wide range of disciplines and Faculties. Hosted by the Vice-President (Research and International) Office, each event will include presentations from five or more emerging experts as well as opportunities for networking and cross-departmental collaboration.

“This event is an exciting opportunity for networking among researchers working to establish new projects and programs at UM,” said Dr. Annemieke Farenhorst, Associate Vice-President (Research).  “Groundbreaking research is taking place every day in our community, and I hope that all researchers will join us to foster new collaborations between our labs and Faculties. I look forward to meeting you there!”

Register by January 24 to join the inaugural Emerging Researcher Spotlight Series:

Thursday February 1, 2024 from 2pm-4pm

Muli-Purpose Room, UMSU University Centre, Fort Garry Campus

Featuring presentations from:

• Lindsay Larios, Faculty of Social Work
• Tara Horrill, College of Nursing, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
• Akinwumi Ogunrani, Faculty of Law
• Curt McCartney, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences
• Chi Liao, Asper School of Business
• Mercedes Garcia Holguera, Faculty of Architecture
• Kjell Anderson, Faculty of Law
• Asher Mendelson, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

Future Emerging Researcher Spotlight Events will take place throughout winter and spring 2024:

Session 2, February 27, 2024, 2:00 – 4:00pm, Apotex Centre, room 050, Bannatyne Campus

Session 3, March 28, 2024, 9:00 – 11:00am, Marshall McLuhan Hall, UMSU University Centre, Fort Garry Campus

Session 4, April 23, 2024, 9:00 – 11:00am, Apotex Centre, room 050, Bannatyne Campus

Session 5, May 13, 2024, 9:00 – 11:00am, Muli-Purpose Room, UMSU University Centre, Fort Garry Campus

Session 6, June 17, 2024, 9:00 – 11:00am, Apotex Centre, room 050, Bannatyne Campus

Word cloud of presentation topics at the inaugural Emerging Researcher Spotlight Series, February 1, 2024.

“AI is embedded in so much of our daily life now. It is not just a tool; it is actively shaping and mediating social processes, shaping how we view the world and how we view ourselves,” he says.

In discussing the impact of AI on business, Pu points to a shift from automation to data-driven machine learning. AI was initially introduced in the workplace to perform simple, repetitive and rule-based work, but today AI can complete more complex tasks, recognizing patterns in data and even generating content.

Pu contends that like business, education will continue to be transformed by AI, prompting educators to evolve as well, developing new teaching and testing techniques to keep up. Rather than prohibit students from using AI resources like the now infamous ChatGPT, Pu brings the technology into the classroom, teaching students how to use it instead of instructing them to avoid it.

“We should actively train students to learn how to use AI effectively and responsibly, which is why I incorporate ChatGPT in my BComm and MBA courses,” says Pu. “At the same time, we need to focus on enriching students’ understanding of course materials, on developing their critical thinking skills in class and on cultivating their communication and interpersonal skills.”

In addition to teaching students how ChatGPT works and how to work with it by creating more effective prompts, Pu teaches students how to imagine themselves in relation to AI and to consider its downsides.

“A generative AI like ChatGPT can create new content, but it doesn’t have any sense of what the content means. AI also has the potential to shape our values and create echo chambers of perspectives or polarization,” he says.

For Pu, it is important that students and users of AI remain “in the driver’s seat,” and think of themselves as responsible for the work that the technology generates.

“I also teach them to give the machine time to ‘think’ if it doesn’t produce the right material on the first try. They can ask the machine ‘are you sure about that?’ to generate alternative responses” he says.

His teaching practice encourages students to collaborate with the technology and think critically about the content it produces and, in turn, reminds them to ask the same questions of themselves.

Pu’s investment in teaching students to work with AI demonstrates his acknowledgement that AI technology isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. His research is similarly invested in understanding how organizations use AI and the possible implications of this use.

In a working paper, Pu and colleagues investigate the use of AI and machine learning algorithms in hiring practices, specifically the use of automated video interviewing (AVI) tools. In AVI, jobseekers record video responses to text-based interview questions. Machine learning algorithms then analyze these responses, assessing their answers as well as their tone of voice, verbal styles, facial expressions and more.

The algorithm evaluates qualities that the hiring organization can specify, including the future job performance, personality and organizational fit of interviewees.

Pu and co-authors ask whether individuals who experience mental health challenges face barriers when using this software, and their preliminary findings suggest that individuals with depression, anxiety and ADHD scored lower in the interview rankings.

While the researchers are still preparing their findings for review and publication, their work suggests a need to revisit the invisible stigma of mental health challenges and to further investigate the use of AI in hiring processes.

AI, besides transforming the hiring processes, is becoming part of business more broadly.

Says Pu, “While many companies are still in the adoption stage of AI, advancements in the technology make it easier for even more companies to use and implement it. Effective integration of AI requires companies to rewire their organizational structures, to unify data organization and to create more collaboration between units.”

Pu’s work as an educator and researcher demonstrates that the changing relationship between individuals and AI technology is worthy of careful attention.

This is why he commits to teaching future business leaders more than just how to use AI. He also teaches students how to imagine themselves in relation to AI, how to see its positive and negative potential and how to recognize it as something that can reflect—and shape—how we see the world and ourselves.

University of Manitoba Gold Medal in Management

Reid Glatz – BComm (Hons) – Finance

At Spring 2023 convocation, Reid Glatz received the Gold Medal for graduating with the highest undergraduate academic standing at the Asper School of Business.

Glatz arrived at UM from Alberta on a full athletic scholarship to swim for the Bisons, becoming the Men’s Swimming Representative on the University of Manitoba Athletic Council (UMAC) in his second year. As a varsity athlete, Glatz represented the Bisons at the U Sports Championships and the Canada West Championships, and in 2019 he set a team record in the 200-metre butterfly.

Majoring in finance at Asper, Glatz stayed engaged in the faculty and his field by participating in several student-action groups. During his Bachelor of Commerce degree, he served as Events Ticketing Manager in the Finance Portfolio of the Commerce Students’ Association (CSA), Executive Logistic Coordinator for the Asper School of Business Accounting Association (ASBAA), and Director of Finance for the University of Manitoba Finance Organization (UMFO).

He also represented Asper at an international case competition, traveling to Bangkok, Thailand to compete in the Thammasat Undergraduate Business Challenge (TUBC).

Since graduating, Glatz has started a career in investment banking in his hometown of Calgary. Following his outstanding five years at Asper, he is focused on his future.

“I am excited to pursue a career in finance and hope to have a positive impact on the world around me,” he says.

University of Manitoba Silver Medal in Management

Brenna Neufeld – BComm (Hons) – Accounting

Asper’s Silver Medal recipient Brenna Neufeld began her university career part-time in the summer of 2018, becoming a full-time student that fall and joining the Asper School of Business in the Fall 2019 term.

Neufeld majored in accounting in her Bachelor of Commerce degree and looks forward to continuing her education. She is currently enrolled in the CPA program while articling at Krahn Friesen Neufeld Chartered Professional Accountants.

Like many of her peers in the Class of 2023, her undergraduate experience was impacted by the pandemic and university closures. An exchange trip to Croatia was unfortunately cancelled in the wake of these safety measures.

Neufeld is nonetheless grateful for the people she met during her degree and the friends she made. She is also taking opportunities now to travel, heading to Europe with a close friend this month and planning to explore Peru in the fall. 

University of Manitoba Bronze Medal in Management

Kayla Bryson – BComm (Hons) – Accounting

Kayla Bryson is the Asper School of Business Bronze Medal recipient.

An accounting major, Bryson spent the last two years of her Bachelor of Commerce degree working as a teaching assistant and lab instructor, where she was glad to meet other students and contribute to their learning experiences at Asper.

“Helping other students learn was such a rewarding experience that showed me a new perspective of education,” she says.

Bryson looks forward to continuing her education. This September, she will begin a Master of Science in Management, focusing on data analytics, at the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario.

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Congratulations to the 2023 Asper School of Business Medal Winners!

At the Asper School of Business, First Nations, Métis and Inuit students, alumni and colleagues are leaders in pursuing economic reconciliation for Indigenous Peoples, as entrepreneurs, educators, accountants, analysts and more.

Asper celebrates the contributions these outstanding graduates have made to the collective health of their communities, while also recognizing their individual journeys toward securing sustainable futures and growing as lifelong learners.

Today, we are proud, grateful and honoured to share their stories.

Carter Wilson [BComm(Hons)/18] – Building bridges and financial capacity with Indigenous communities

Like many young professionals, Carter Wilson knows that making connections is useful. As a manager of ease, Indigenous Services at MNP, however, Wilson understands that to build bridges between communities, creating trust is vital.

Wilson, a CPA and Asper Bachelor of Commerce and Indigenous Business Education Partners (IBEP) alum, advanced from a summer student to his current position at MNP. He and his team work with Indigenous communities, businesses, and organizations to promote financial capacity building.

Read more about Wilson’s work with MNP and his goal to recruit more Indigenous CPAs.

Cassie Phaneuf [BComm(Hons)/22] – Experiential learning key to career success for actuarial BComm grad

By pursuing the Bachelor of Commerce option of an actuarial mathematics major, Phaneuf benefited from the breadth and depth of her business education, cultivating her own unique point of view and setting herself up on a successful career path.

A career, as Phaneuf discovered, can be a place where what you learn can become what you give back. As an analyst with a broad business background and a keen understanding of the value in unique personal perspectives, her continued career success seems a reliable prediction.

Read more about how Phaneuf benefitted from hands-on learning, tailored career support and community-building through IBEP.

Kathleen BlueSky [MBA/15] – Indigenous women empowering each other through traditional birth support

Kathleen BlueSky’s [MBA/15] role as co-founder and board chair of Wiijii’idiwag Ikwewag began during her time in the Asper MBA program, in a confluence of hard truths and tenderness.

Wiijii’idiwag Ikwewag (which means Women Helping Each Other) provides birthing support that promotes traditional Indigenous childbirth and parenting teachings. As co-founder, BlueSky is making a difference not by creating new traditions but by empowering and reclaiming those that have always been with her.

Read more about BlueSky’s entrepreneurial journey, how she created a successful venture without government funding and how she became a leader in the Asper MBA program.

Jim Thunder [MBA/17] – Reconciliation through education

As Director of Economic Development in Norway House Cree Nation, an adjunct professor specializing in Indigenous economic leadership in the department of Indigenous studies at UM, and the founder and board chair of Reconciliation Thunder, Jim Thunder’s life and work are dedicated to decolonization and education.

Education, he says, creates more opportunities for individuals, much like the MBA has for him, but more importantly, it allows First Nations to support self-governance and employ community members for large economic projects in development.

Read more about Thunder’s MBA journey of learning and self-discovery and how he is making colonial history common knowledge with Reconciliation Thunder.

Deidre Dewar [BComm(Hons)/23] – Asper BComm grad celebrates convocation, a time to reflect and embrace possibility\

Deidre Dewar joined the Bachelor of Commerce program at the Asper School of Business as a mature student and a mother. This spring, she joined the Asper Class of 2023 at convocation.

Dewar reflects on her achievement, what it meant as a dream and how it is opening doors for her now.

“I wanted to pursue self-determination to secure a better quality of life for myself and my family—to be a role model for my kids and show them that persistence and dedication can help you achieve your goals.”

Read more about Dewar’s path to convocation and how she is embracing the many possibilities of what comes next.

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In each story, these alumni reflect on the impact of Indigenous Business Education Partners (IBEP) at the Asper School of Business. Since 1994, IBEP has offered a welcoming community as well as tutoring, mentoring, scholarships, networking and career services to First Nations, Métis and Inuit students pursuing their BComm or MBA degree at Asper.

IBEP prepares to celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2024, and the Asper community is fortunate to learn from, engage with and highlight the work they do every day to support Indigenous students and alumni.

This National Indigenous Peoples Day, we celebrate IBEP and the alumni making an impact and inspiring Indigenous leaders of tomorrow.

Education, he says, creates more opportunities for individuals, much like the MBA has for him, but more importantly, it allows First Nations to support self-governance and employ community members for large economic projects in development.

A fierce advocate of Asper’s MBA program, Thunder has shared his experience at information sessions in the hopes of connecting with prospective Indigenous candidates who don’t immediately see the degree as an option for themselves.

“There are smart, qualified people with huge amounts of potential, but they may not know about the program, they don’t know they’d qualify or they don’t realize they can be successful at it,” he says.

During his MBA, Thunder benefited from the experiential learning opportunities and networking at Asper, enjoying the teamwork of the MBA Games and reflecting on the connections he made. It was in research, however, that he really thrived.

He worked with Asper professor Dr. Bruno Dyck and fellow MBA grad Peter Pomart on a video series called “Overdue Diligence” that focused on explaining Indigenous history in the context of business. While working on an “Indigenizing the Corporate Model” report with UM economics professor, the late Dr. John Loxley, Thunder’s motivation for research went beyond the assignment.

“I found myself spending hours and hours in the library late at night, learning about the Indian Act and self-determination and residential schools. I kept doing the extra research even after the stipend was gone because I realized that I needed this research; I needed to know.”

This research became the foundation for a spoken word poem Thunder wrote titled “Dear Younger Me.”

“In the poem, I describe all the things I wish I would have known as a young person about what it means to be Indigenous in Canada and what reconciliation is.”

Receiving invitations to share the poem, Thunder recorded it in a video to increase its reach. From here, the idea for Reconciliation Thunder grew. Today, through Reconciliation Thunder, he regularly posts videos in which he shares information about Indigenous history and reconciliation efforts.

Jim Thunder in a Reconciliation Thunder video.

The goal of Reconciliation Thunder is to raise awareness of issues affecting Indigenous people.

“If you don’t know what the problem is, you can’t fix it,” he says.

On March 30, 2023, following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action 49, the Catholic Church officially repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery and terra nullius, concepts long used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous lands and resources.

Thunder explains, “the power of these concepts was that nobody knew what they were, yet they exist in courtrooms and policies. They have caused unimaginable damage to Indigenous peoples, and yet the average Canadian has never heard of them.”

For Thunder, the MBA was a game changer because it was where he could immerse himself in knowledge of these concepts, while coming to better know himself. “It was a way to look at the potential that I didn’t know I had. It teaches you what you’re capable of, but it also tells others how much potential you have.”

Now, Thunder is more attuned to the relationship between power and knowledge. One way to empower those most affected by colonial systems and justifications is to create opportunities for them to know: to learn their histories, to connect over their shared experiences, and to discover their potential.

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Interested in an Asper MBA? Register here for our upcoming Indigenous MBA info session for interested First Nations, Métis and Inuit applicants on January 23, 12 p.m. (CT).