David Newhouse, an adjunct research professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration, is a recipient of the 2022 3M National Teaching Fellowship Award.
David Newhouse (Onondaga)
Professor and director, Chanie Wenjack School of Indigenous Studies, Trent University
Long before many Canadians were having conversations about reconciliation, Dr. David Newhouse was cultivating the ground in which these changes could take root.
As a talented and inspiring educator in Indigenous Studies, Professor Newhouse has supported many landmark achievements at Trent University, including by creating a first-of-its-kind Indigenous Studies Ph.D. program, founding the First Peoples House of Learning and helping to craft the university mandate that ensures every undergraduate completes at least one course with an Indigenous focus. “I hold fast to the belief that it is not enough to teach about Indigenous peoples, but that Indigenous knowledge can inform pedagogy and academe in all its facets, extending its rafters to include it,” Professor Newhouse says.
Nationally, Professor Newhouse has provided leadership through organizations such as Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Canadian Association of University Teachers. As the long-serving department chair and now director of Trent’s Chanie Wenjack School of Indigenous Studies, he leads by example and has encouraged and empowered generations of Indigenous students in their academic and cultural pursuits.
He also inspires students to use their education to create lasting change by always asking, “Now that you know this, what will you do with the knowledge you’ve gained?”
The 3M National Teaching Fellowship was created in 1986 by the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) to recognize exceptional teachers in post-secondary education. Every year, the fellowship celebrates 10 university and college educators who show leadership in enhancing post-secondary education and a sustained dedication to undergraduate education. Winners become lifetime members of the society, a national organization working to advance teaching and learning in higher education.