2025 Annual Meeting: A resilient, engaged and forward-looking College

Collège Nordique held its annual meeting on December 4, 2025, a key moment to look back on a year marked by exceptional growth, major advancements and structural challenges that will shape the future of French-language postsecondary education in the North.

With a record number of registrations in 2024–2025, the College demonstrated more than ever the importance and relevance of offering programs and services adapted to Northern realities. This growth reflects a rising appetite among learners for high-quality postsecondary education in French within a minority context, and highlights why it remains essential to invest in this strategic sector for the Northwest Territories.

The year was also an opportunity to celebrate the first anniversary of the College’s official accreditation—an historic milestone that solidified its role as the only accredited French-language postsecondary institution north of the 60th parallel in the world.

Over the past year, the College also had the honour of receiving the Employer of the Year Award from the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce—a recognition that highlights sustained efforts to improve internal practices, strengthen organizational culture and support professional development among staff.

On the academic and strategic fronts, the College continued to expand its applied research activities through its contribution to the Centre for Research and Innovation in Francophone Education (CRIFÉ), a major initiative that opens new perspectives in collaboration, knowledge production and pedagogical innovation across the three territories.

The arrival of new members on the Board of Directors—Jeanne Besner, PhD, and Valérie Garçon as administrators—also strengthened the College’s governance. Their expertise in human resources, health, education and public administration contributes to reinforcing both the College’s community anchoring and its strategic vision.

These significant achievements, however, took place within a profoundly shifting financial context. The federal cuts announced in September 2025—representing roughly two-thirds of the funding previously allocated to the College during this record year—will have a major impact on the 2025–2026 financial year. Their effects, detailed in the annual report, underscore the importance of protecting long-term access to French-language postsecondary education in a minority context.

Despite these challenges, the annual meeting highlighted a resilient, mobilized College deeply committed to serving Northern communities. The departments presented strong achievements and promising outlooks, confirming that the College’s mission remains essential to the development of the North.

“It is with optimism that I invite you to discover the annual report that follows. May it help you grasp, as it does for me, all the potential it holds for our collective future.”
— Aleksandar Kovacevic, Chair of the Board of Directors

Highlights of the 2024–2025 Year: An Overview by Department

The departments then presented their progress to the three groups, both in person and online, along with their strategic projects and concrete impacts for Northern communities. Below is an overview of the main accomplishments.

TEACHING AND TRAINING

Presented by Rosie Benning, accompanied by Lucas Beaudre

The Teaching and Training department experienced a year rich in structural projects, territorial collaborations and initiatives supporting the vitality of Northern languages and cultures. The 2024–2025 year was marked by key milestones:

• The pan-territorial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) symposium, organized in partnership with the Association franco-yukonnaise (AFY) and the Association des francophones du Nunavut (AFN), strengthened interterritorial ties and brought forward Northern perspectives on EDI.
• The College’s active participation in UArctic initiatives paved the way for the creation of an international thematic network focused on minority and Indigenous languages, bringing together local and global expertise.
• The College contributed to the launch of CRIFÉ, initiating early applied research work, including a comparative study on the experiences of newcomers across the three territories.
• A partnership with the Explore program led to the announcement of a French immersion program in Yellowknife beginning in summer 2026—a first for the Northwest Territories.
• Several early childhood initiatives—including new courses, workshops and pedagogical resources—strengthened training for educators and specialized environments.
• Creation of the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) / Cours de langue pour les immigrants au Canada (CLIC) program, delivered through a three-year partnership with AFN.
• A Workplace English course designed to respond to concrete local needs.
• The Language Assessment Centre experienced strong growth, particularly due to increased demand for the Test d’évaluation de français (TEF) and CELPIP.
• The Tłı̨chǫ immersion camps held in Behchokǫ̀, Whatì, Gamètì and Wekweètì fostered intergenerational learning, tangible linguistic revitalization and a strong sense of cultural well-being.
• Two new staff members joined the department: Ernesto Pardo, Manager of Programs and Training, and Leanne Robinson, CLIC instructor and head of the Language Assessment Centre.
• The department also continued to strengthen its language and culture course offerings, including training specifically adapted to workplace realities.

STUDENT EXPERIENCE AND QUALITY ASSURANCE

Presented by Mounir Barry, accompanied by Yakshini Bootoo

The 2024–2025 year was pivotal for consolidating program quality, recognition and overall student experience. Key highlights include:

• Two programs received official accreditation:
  Business Administration Practices and Public Relations—further strengthening the French-language educational continuum in the North.
• A periodic evaluation protocol for accredited programs and courses was developed under the NWT Post-Secondary Education Act, establishing a rigorous quality assurance framework.
• Adoption of the MyCreds/MesCertifs platform modernized the issuance of diplomas and certifications while improving access and document authentication for learners.
• The College launched a new EDI course, accompanied by a digital EDI resource library accessible to all learners.
• A complete redesign of the Moodle platform significantly improved navigation, interactivity and learning experience.
• The student service team optimized its operations through the addition of a web-based conversational agent, a centralized ticketing system, new service-level response standards to improve efficiency and consistency.

• The year also saw the transition to a new Canadian-made registration system, designed to support program growth and enhance user experience.

OPERATIONS AND STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

Presented by Érika Cairo-Luce, accompanied by Edouard Debeugny

The Operations department played a central role in organizational strengthening and in supporting the conditions for institutional success. Major achievements include:

• Implementation of a Gallup-certified CliftonStrengths® coaching program to support staff development.
• Comprehensive improvements to the recruitment process, onboarding of new staff members and the creation of a welcome kit that facilitates integration.
• Significant upgrades to infrastructure and technology, including new classrooms, improved accessibility between buildings and enhanced security systems.
• Development of new funding partnerships, supported by an internal audit of administrative and financial processes.
• Expansion of the Rendez-vous Nordiques – Health & Social Services project, providing linguistic support, cultural mentoring and specialized learning resources tailored to the needs of frontline personnel in the Northwest Territories.

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Presented by Natacha St Vignes, accompanied by Marilou Pilote

The Marketing and Communications department continued to modernize the College’s image and strengthen its visibility across Northern communities. Key achievements include:

• Full deployment of the new visual identity, its variations and stronger brand coherence across all communication formats.
• Structuring of a dedicated communications team, offering increased capacity for content creation and strategic campaigns.
• The strategic work of an Admissions and Partnerships Coordinator, improving follow-ups with learners experiencing challenges during registration and supporting the development of institutional agreements.
• Increased physical visibility through new permanent signage and professional kiosks used at community events.
• Broad promotional campaigns, including airport advertising, enhanced communication quality on social media, outreach to businesses and organizations, and presence at major community forums across the NWT.
• Organization of the College’s first open house, establishing a new standard for engagement with local companies and organizations.
• Development of institutional video formats reflecting the College’s mission and Northern identity.
• Strong improvements in web performance: higher engagement, a significant increase in conversions and further development of the blog platform.
• Improved user experience across program pages, online course pages and partner sections.

• Introduction of a digital information kiosk at reception, simplifying access to information, appointment scheduling and building navigation.

Conclusion

The 2025 annual meeting highlighted a College that is engaged, strong and innovative despite an unprecedented financial context. The structural actions taken in 2024–2025—combined with the sustained commitment of teams and partners—position the College to approach upcoming challenges with clarity and determination.

The 2025–2026 year will be demanding, but it also opens the door to new collaborations and innovative solutions to preserve access to high-quality French-language postsecondary education in the North.

Published on December 11th 2025