This $300 bursary is available to assist a second-year, physically-disabled student at Yukon University with their education costs.  Students studying in a health-related program will also be considered.

Born in Victoria, BC in 1912, Mrs. Donald moved to Whitehorse in 1976 following brain surgery that left her without the use of her right arm, limited use of her right leg, and a severe speech impediment. She was well known for her production of hooked wall hangings, which she would craft with her non-dominant hand. 

The family of Aron Senkpiel has made this $1,000 award available in his memory.

Aron Senkpiel, a dean of Yukon College from 1982 to 1992, was passionate about the North and initiated the Northern Studies program. During his time, and largely due to his efforts, the territorial government awarded Yukon College with a one million dollar endowment fund to support northern and Yukon research. He also oversaw the development of the Renewable Resources Management program, the Bachelor of Social Work program, and Women's Studies. He also worked to introduce the Masters of Education and Masters of Public Administration in collaboration with Simon Fraser University and the University of Alaska Southeast respectively. Aron's vision of a 'higher education in the North, for the North, and by the North' is now a reality. 

This $500 award was established in 2016 by the friends of Audrey McLaughlin in honour of her 80th birthday.

Born in Ontario, Audrey McLaughlin was executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association and a social worker in Toronto prior to moving to Whitehorse in 1979. In Yukon, Audrey opened a consulting business, working on projects such as child welfare legislation and research on land claims and aboriginal self-government.

In 1987, Audrey was recruited to run for the New Democratic Party nomination which she won, going on to win the federal by·election later that year. The first New Democratic Party MP ever elected in Yukon, Audrey distinguished herself in the House. She was chosen Party Leader two years later - the first woman to lead a national political party in Canada. Audrey remained party leader until 1995 and represented Yukon as Member of Parliament until 1997.

Audrey holds a Masters of Social Work from the University of Toronto and honourary doctorates from the Universities of Toronto, Guelph and Northern British Columbia.

An Officer of the Order of Canada, Audrey continues to be an active community volunteer and a strong advocate for democracy, peace and public service at home and in developing nations throughout the world.

The Yukon University Student Union wishes to make a $250 bursary available to a Yukon First Nation student in the trades, with demonstrated financial need.

Dylan Alexis was a twenty-four year old carpentry student, from Kwanlin Dün First Nation, Crow Clan. He was also father to a three and a half month old son when he suddenly passed away. He was determined to work as a carpenter and learn as much as he could about the trade. He was incredibly excited about starting his new career and he was a meticulous craftsperson. This bursary was established in his memory.

A YukonU faculty member would like to provide two $500 awards to International Students to increase the number of award opportunities available for this group of students.

The 8th International Congress on Circumpolar Health is honoured to make this $400 award available in memory of Dr. George Walker.

The International Congress on Circumpolar Health gatherings are held every three years in a different location in the circumpolar region. The Congress is the largest scientific meeting on circumpolar health worldwide . The 8th International Congress on Circumpolar Health was held from May 20-25, 1990 in Whitehorse, Yukon with 1,000 delegates in attendance. This Congress focused on the concerns of health-care delivery in a high-cost region.

This $500 award recognizes the courage of students in academic upgrading classes who often overcome many obstacles to return to the classroom.

This award was established by the former Developmental Studies Division of Yukon College in 1995 at the time of Hazel Fekete’s retirement in order to recognize her commitment from 1964 as an instructor, and later as dean, to the students in academic upgrading classes. 

In recognition of the valuable contributions students make to their community when volunteering their time, Rolf and Margaret Hougen would like to provide a $500 award to a Yukon University student enrolled in the second year of the Business Administration Diploma program.

Rolf and Margaret Hougen have been pillars of the North for their entire adult lives. In a book documenting their history, they provided advice to their own grandchildren and would like to share this advice with applicants for the scholarship:

Education is important and will give you an excellent foundation for all of your endeavours in the years ahead.  Build yourself into a person of integrity and trustworthiness, and ensure you have a reputation for honesty.  Seek advice from those around you but in the end make up your own mind.  When starting out in your career, be prepared to live simply until you can reduce your debts and are successful enough to afford some luxuries.

Rolf was the founder of many Yukon community organizations, including: the Young People’s Association, the first Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous event, and the Yukon Foundation. Nationally, Rolf chaired the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and co-founded the satellite delivery network Cancom, the first company in the world to provide a unique system to deliver radio and television to remote and underserved regions of Canada. Rolf is also a recipient of the Order of Canada. To this day, both Rolf and Margaret remain committed contributors to the arts community in the Yukon and to the preservation of the territory’s unique heritage.

Yukon University would like to provide two $500 awards to International Students.

Yukon University is a publicly funded university, providing a wide range of programs to local and international students.  The University has earned a reputation for quality instruction and small class sizes, providing students with an outstanding educational experience.  Yukon University's programming meets the needs of students and communities in the Yukon, and beyond.

The Bennet Family Foundation would like to make a $400 bursary available to a student with demonstrated financial need in the Berton’s name.

Pierre Berton was the chancellor at Yukon College from 1989 to 1993. He was born in Whitehorse, Yukon in 1920. Pierre was the son of a gold-seeker and worked in the Klondike mining camps during his university years. He went on to become an editor and columnist at newspapers and magazines, a television personality and an author. Pierre is now among Canada's most well-known authors with 50 published books, many of which are considered Canadian classics. He is a Companion of the Order of Canada and was inducted into Canada's Hall of Fame in 1998. Pierre passed away in 2004 in Toronto, Ontario after publishing his last book entitled, Prisoners of the North, which was a collection of biographical sketches on five of Canada's northern explorers.

JT Ritter wishes to make an annual bursary of $1,000 available in recognition of the difficulties of returning to school following an absence from educational pursuits.

Sarah Locke wishes to make a $1,000 scholarship available to a full-time student in Yukon University’s Renewable Resources Management, Northern Science (Environmental and Conservation Sciences or General stream) or Earth Sciences diploma programs, as well as the B.Sc. in Northern Environmental and Conservation Sciences degree program.

While Juri Peepre’s love for nature was nurtured in Ontario, as soon as he had earned his BA, he headed west in search of wilder places. His dream job that first summer — mapping little known rivers in northern British Columbia as part of Parks Canada’s Wild Rivers Survey — confirmed his love for wild waters as well.

He spent many summers exploring rivers in the Northwest Territories but it was after moving to the Yukon in 1987 that he found the landscape that inspired him above all — the Peel watershed. His innovative campaign efforts to show others the wonders of this remote region culminated with the Three Rivers Project — a multi-week journey with artists, writers, photographers and First Nations people down the Wind, Snake and Bonnet Plume rivers. The end result was a book and a travelling art exhibition.

Juri recognized and worked on conservation opportunities around the Yukon. He would be honoured to know that he is helping young Yukoners learn more about the magnificent region in which they live, and ways that they can help protect and manage it for the future.

The family and friends of Kristy Burgess wish to make a $1,000 award available to students in Yukon University’s Bachelor of Social Work program.

Kristy Burgess wanted to make a difference, and she spent her life doing just that. A career in social work was a natural extension of who she was in her daily life: a gentle, yet strong, support to family, friends and, without hesitation, strangers.

Kristy moved with her family to the Yukon from British Columbia when she was a young child and spent her elementary school years in Teslin. Upon graduating high school in Whitehorse, she travelled throughout South America and Asia. Witnessing the lives of the underprivileged in these countries inspired her to pursue a career in social work.

Kristy was a good listener, caring and a natural social worker. Her practicum in Dawson City inspired her to work in other communities around the Yukon. After she graduated in 2013, she opted for positions in Watson Lake and Carmacks, and later as a youth probation officer in Whitehorse.  In addition to her day job, Kristy was passionate about yoga. In 2019 she went to India to become a yoga instructor. She dreamed of teaching yoga and before her passing she had begun teaching yoga to high school students and teachers.

She was tiny in stature but large in heart: more curious than judgmental, with a desire to fight for what is right. Kristy believed in the power of restorative justice and was preparing to do her Master’s degree in Social Work shortly before she passed away.

Kristy lived by her values and wanted to make the world a better place. Family and friends, forever impacted by her wisdom and compassion, often ask themselves, “WWKS - What would Kristy say?” Their hearts tell them that she would encourage us all to do what feels right and care for each other.

Kristy’s family and friends have established an endowment in her memory to support students seeking a career in Social Work.

The Lake Laberge Lions Club would like to provide two $500 awards to students in financial need who are enrolled full-time in a pre-apprentice program.

The family of Lorene Robertson has created a $2,000 award for a Yukon University student who is enrolled in University Access Pathways courses. 

Lorene grew up in the suburbs of Vancouver but always dreamed of living near the wilderness in the North. She moved to Whitehorse at age 33 in 1988 where she was able to pursue her twin passions of paddling Yukon rivers and riding her horse in dressage competitions or with her partner Hugh Monaghan in the hills above Lake Laberge.  Lorene was a creative and engaging English teacher for over 25 years teaching primarily in our Adult Basic Education program.  She was an excellent writer, editor and mentor and particularly loved teaching and writing poetry. She also developed curriculum for the Northern Institute of Social Justice. 

She received two awards – one in 1995 for her innovative teaching and one in 2014 for her many contributions to the institution.  She was particularly proud of establishing our Writing Centre where students could receive individual mentoring to improve their writing.   She passed away in August 2014 due to a tragic fall from her much-loved horse.

This writing award in Lorene’s name hopes to continue her legacy of inspiring others to find their voice and tell their stories especially about their experience of living in the North.

Established in 1983, the bi-annual North American Caribou Workshop brings together researchers, managers and stakeholders to discuss caribou conservation and management, and provides an opportunity for people to learn what’s happening with caribou in many different regions. The organizing committee of the 15th workshop, held in Whitehorse in 2014, established this award for an aspiring Yukon caribou researcher.

Paul and Helen Flaherty offer six bursaries in support of students enrolled in the University Access Pathways program and courses, planning to pursue post-secondary education at Yukon University.

Paul and Helen hoped that these bursaries would help students access private tutoring, internet connectivity, a laptop computer and training, textbooks, supports to aid in recovery from a traumatic experience, and unexpected circumstances that threaten a student's ability to remain enrolled.

After graduating from the University of Western Ontario in London, Paul's career with Bell Canada carried him and his family across Ontario and Quebec and ultimately to Whitehorse as the President and CEO of Northwestel for 18 years.

Paul always encouraged the pursuit of education at all levels and the healthy competition found in sport. His interests culminated into his roles as the Chair of the Board of Governors at Yukon College for six years and the Canada Games Board of Governors for eleven years. Paul also had an extreme love for the north and discovered it thoroughly by foot, raft, canoe, snowmobile, air and dogsled.

Rotary Club of Whitehorse wishes to make a $500 award available to a full-time Yukon University student in the Bachelor of Social Work program.

Ruth McIntyre, a dean at Yukon College until 1986, has made a $500 award available to a student enrolled full time in Yukon University upgrading courses.

SLR Consulting has created a $1,000 bursary available to Yukon University students in the following programs: Bachelor of Science in Northern Environmental and Conservation Sciences, Earth Sciences and Renewable Resources Management.

 As a business operating across Canada and in the Yukon, SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd. recognizes that a qualified, educated workforce is integral to Canada's and the Yukon’s future. As an environmental consultancy, a bursary that aims to assist students in the Earth Sciences, Environmental and Conservation Sciences, and Renewable Resources Management programs fits with our business focus and areas of interest. The SLR bursary will help attract and retain students in the Yukon and support the integration of Indigenous persons into the local workforce.

Stephen and Debra Osborne wish to encourage and support Yukon students returning to education in studies focused on the natural northern environment, including climate change, or the areas of social work, nursing and health care assistant. To that end, they will make a $200 bursary available to a full-time student who can demonstrate financial need.

Stephen Osborne was a coordinator/instructor at the Haines Junction Campus for many years, and continues to teach both Wilderness and Standard First Aid classes for the University.

Dr. Terry Weninger has created a $500 award for an aspiring researcher.

Dr. Weninger was the president of Yukon College from 2006-2011, and president at the College of New Caledonia in Prince George from 1990-2004. He was also Deputy Minister of Education in Yukon and vice-president at Medicine Hat College.

To commemorate the life of long-time Yukon outfitter Pete Jensen, Yukon Outfitters Association wishes to make a $500 award available to a Yukon University student. Pete was in the Outfitting business for 45 years, delivering a high quality wilderness experience, along with his wife Sharon. "He was a legend," said Sharon and so many others.

The Yukon School of Visual Arts (SOVA) has established a $1,000 award for a full-time student in Yukon University's Visual Arts Program.

The Yukon University Board of Governors has created a $700 award to support an exemplary Yukon University student.

As representatives from both the University and community, the Yukon University Board of Governors role is to set and govern the University's vision, mission and strategic plan. The Board is empowered by the Yukon University Act. For more information on the Board, see yukonu.ca/about/bog