Gabriel Dumont Institute - History

History

The Gabriel Dumont Institute takes its name from Gabriel Dumont, a renowned political and military leader of the Saskatchewan Métis in the nineteenth century. The Institute came about as a follow-up to a Métis Cultural Conference that initiated planning for what was then called the "Metis Education Institute." In 1980, the Gabriel Dumont Institute was formed and SUNTEP began its operations. This was also the year that the institute hosted the first Annual Cultural Conference. In 1983, the institute began federal sponsored preparatory, credit skills training, and university programs. In 1991, the Dumont Technical Institute (DTI) was established as a federated institute of SIAST (Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology). In 1992, the institute expanded to be included in all provincial community colleges and SIAST's for technical and Adult Basic Education (ABE). In 1993, the institute signed an Affiliation Agreement with the University of Saskatchewan, thus creating the Gabriel Dumont College (GDC). In 1995, a two year Métis Teacher Associate Certificate Program was developed by the institute and the University of Saskatchewan. In 1996, GDC began to offer Arts and Science classes. Between 2001 and 2003 the institute began branching out, first by DTI buying of a central administration building in Saskatoon, then by moving into more centres in Saskatoon and Regina. In 2003 they also launched [http://www.metismuseum.ca The Virtual Museum of Metis History and Culture. In 2006, Gabriel Dumont Institute Training & Employment (GDIT&E) was established to assist Saskatchewan's Métis looking to improve their educational and employment outcomes. GDIT&E has service delivery sites established in 11 communities across the province.