adam + kev
F
rom the Northern Gateway pipe-
line to the Site C dam, doing
business in some of B.C.'s—and
Canada's—most lucrative sectors
means navigating the murky legal
framework governing aboriginal
territories, not to mention the more
opaque waters of cultural relations.
Yet while the intersection of business
and First Nations' interests is an undeni-
able, and seemingly unending, source
of controversy, it has largely failed to
become the subject of rigorous examina-
tion in Canada's business schools—a situ-
ation that has perplexed Mark Selman for
years.
"If you read the newspaper, you can
hardly avoid the fact that the most critical
business issues in the province include
how to effectively manage a business
with regards to First Nations interests,"
says the professor at
SFU's Beedie School
of Business and director of Canada's only
MBA program aimed at bridging that gap.
Now in its third year, Beedie's Execu-
tive
MBA in Aboriginal Business and
Leadership filters business fundamen-
tals through a First Nations lens, cater-
ing to aboriginal professionals and
those who work closely with indigenous
organizations.
While the fundamentals are the same
as a typical
EMBA—and, Selman assures,
the program is just as academically rig-
orous—course content is delivered in
innovative ways, such as holding class
retreats in a Squamish longhouse, using
textbooks written by indigenous authors
and incorporating traditional knowledge
in the discussion of business connections
and decision-making. Meanwhile, in-
depth exploration of the business impact
of Canada's Indian Act and Supreme
Court decisions, such as the recent land-
mark ruling on Tsilhqot'in land title, pro-
vide plenty of real-life context in which to
teach fundamental principles.
With the first cohort of 23 students
set to graduate this spring and another
intake of 31 wrapping up their first year,
the three-year program has attracted
students from as far away as Ontario and
Iqualuit, and from sectors as varied as
health care, government, social services
and law. A central tenet of the program
is its recognition of diversity among
First Nations in Canada, as well as the
professional qualifications of aboriginal
candidates who may not meet the edu-
cational requirements necessary for a
typical
MBA.
"We've become very experienced at
assessing people who have outstanding
career records but who don't have the
formal education we would normally
expect going into a graduate program,"
Selman says, noting that about 90 per
cent of students are of aboriginal descent.
Getting credit for his professional
experience was a deciding factor in
Marek Tyler's decision to apply to the
program. "Had I not been aware of it, I
don't think I would have considered the
commitment to an
MBA," says the senior
This spring, the first cohort from SFU's
Executive MBA in Aboriginal Business and
Leadership program is set to graduate.
The timing couldn't be better
First
PriNciPLes
MBA
Guide
2015
march 2015 BCBusiness 63
