Our Stories

UCN's students, faculty and staff have incredible stories to tell. You'll find some of them here.

Walking with the Land: Students Discover Learning Beyond the Classroom

For four days in late August, nine students and three faculty members from the University College of the North (UCN) stepped away from lecture halls and textbooks, immersing themselves in a living classroom guided by the Coast Salish Nation in Victoria, BC. Their journey was part of EDU.4045: Land-Based Teaching & Learning for Sustainable Development—a…

Read More...

UCN Shines, meet Ethel Nyabeze

UCN has been recognized as one of Manitoba’s top 25 employers for the second consecutive year! Our employees achieve remarkable things, which contributes to this recognition. To celebrate this, we will continue to interview outstanding UCN employees about their roles and what makes UCN one of the best places to work in Manitoba. Introducing: Ethel…

Read More...
Ken Troke Graduation Highlight

Graduation Highlight: Ken Troke, Kenanow Bachelor of Education

Ken Troke From: Winnipeg, MB Graduating Program: Kenanow Bachelor of Education Campus: Thompson, MB Why did you choose UCN and the Kenanow program? I originally went to school for my Social Work degree, but I decided to try teaching because I realized I wanted to be a teacher and work with students with exceptional needs….

Read More...

Graduation Highlight: Ambili Thankachan, Office Assistant

Ambili Thankachan From: South India Graduating Program: Office Assistant Campus: The Pas, Manitoba Why did you choose UCN and the Office Assistant Program? I was looking to go to college in Canada, and I heard good things about UCN. We have friends who work here in The Pas and thought it would be an easier…

Read More...
Aythan Mcleod in high vis vest.

Graduation Highlight: Aythan McLeod, Mature High School Diploma

Aythan McLeod From: Cross Lake, MB  Graduating Program: Mature High School Diploma, Adult Learning Centre (ALC) Campus: Thompson, MB  Why did you choose to take the ALC Program at the University College of the North (UCN)? Before UCN, I graduated from the Youth Build Program, and it was recommended that I get my grade 12…

Read More...

Graduation Highlight: Melissa Pham, Bachelor of Nursing

Melissa Pham From: Murillo, Ontario  Graduating Program: Bachelor of Nursing  Campus: Thompson, MB  Why did you choose UCN? One of the reasons I chose to study at UCN was because of the convenience of the Thompson campus in relation to my home. I started during COVID and was able to work while going to school….

Read More...
Michelle Armstrong Forestry Survey

Graduation Highlight: Michelle Armstrong, NRMT

Michelle Armstrong   From: Boissevain, MB  Graduating Program: Natural Resource Management Technician (NRMT)  Campus: The Pas, MB  Why did you choose to attend UCN?  I was interested in taking some sort of natural resources. I did a quick Google search, and UCN was one of the first ones that came up! I liked how it looked…

Read More...
Celeste Shines Profile Picture

UCN Shines, meet Celeste Atchison

UCN has been recognized as one of Manitoba’s top 25 employers for the second consecutive year! Our employees achieve remarkable things, which contributes to this recognition. To celebrate, we will continue to interview outstanding UCN employees about their roles and what makes UCN one of the best places to work in Manitoba.   Introducing: Celeste Atchison Years…

Read More...

A Head Start in Healthcare – UCN Dual Credit HCA Program

A Head Start in Healthcare: UCN Partners with high school to Offer a Dual Credit Health Care Aide Program “Can you take me to St. Paul’s, please?” Meadow Hynes was catching a cab to St. Paul’s Personal Care Home when I called. She was on her way to complete another shift for her Health Care…

Read More...

UCN Linkages Thompson 2025 Recap

On February 25-27, 2025, UCN hosted Linkages Thompson: Reimagine the North. In partnership with Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, Province of Manitoba, and CEDF Look North, UCN Linkages is dedicated to tackling the challenges and opportunities shaping our region’s future. This recurring event facilitates productive and honest conversations about the North, in the North. Key People…

Read More...

Muses From The North

Muses

Muses from the North is an on-line journal for students of the University College of the North.

We publish biannually from UCN campuses in The Pas and Thompson, located in Treaty No. 5 territory. As a UCN students’ journal, MFTN provides a platform for our students to express their musings about our amazing northern tradition and culture in texts, words, images and pictures.  Our northern muses are not only from The Pas and Thompson, but also from a network of 12 regional centres, from Swan River to Churchill. Like the dwellers in the north, MFTN favors Northern tradition, culture and stories from our northern communities. Reach us through mftn@ucn.ca.

the quint

Interdisciplinary, the quint (a double-blind, peer-reviewed journal) disseminates new knowledge in the areas of literature, history, the arts, popular culture, education, the social sciences, and aboriginal studies.

The journal also publishes interviews, artwork, creative writing, and reviews. All issues of the quint are archived in National Library and Archives Canada (Ottawa, Ontario).

News Releases

University College of the North Joins Amii’s AI Workforce Readiness Program

The University College of the North (UCN) is pleased to announce it has joined the AI Workforce Readiness (AIWR) program. A national initiative led by the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii).  Supported by Google.org, the AIWR program brings together 29 Canadian polytechnics, colleges, and universities, collectively representing over 500,000 students. This initiative aims to close…

Read More...

Former Astronaut and Exhibition is Coming to UCN The Pas Campus 

The University College of the North, in partnership with The Pas Guest List, will display former astronaut, Dr. Roberta Bondar’s travelling exhibit, “Patterns & Parallels: The Great Imperative to Survive”.   Bondar’s exhibition is made up of selected high-resolution images from the project, Space for Birds. By integrating three perspectives of migratory bird corridors—space, aerial and surface—this global,…

Read More...

UCN’s Linkages Conference Welcomes PrairiesCan Partnership 

October 21, 2025 (The Pas/Thompson, MB) – The University College of the North (UCN) is pleased to announce a partnership with Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan).  PrairiesCan is investing $50,000 in support of Linkages, UCN’s premier economic development conference.  Created and hosted by UCN, Linkages brings together industry leaders, economic development organizations, government representatives, academia, and community partners to engage…

Read More...

University College of the North Launches Innovative Graduation Support Program.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 1, 2025 (The Pas/Thompson, MB) – University College of the North (UCN) is launching a groundbreaking educational support initiative to improve high school graduation rates and post-secondary access for Indigenous learners facing complex barriers in Treaty 5 lands in Northern Manitoba. For many, barriers to education are rooted in the lasting…

Read More...

University College of the North Receives $5 Million in Funding from Mastercard Foundation to Advance Indigenous Education

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 9, 2025 (The Pas/Thompson, MB) – University College of the North (UCN) is honoured to announce $5 million in funding from the Mastercard Foundation. This funding is part of a landmark $235 million commitment by the Foundation to 30 post-secondary organizations advancing education for Indigenous youth across Canada. The national announcement…

Read More...

UCN Expands Primary Care Paramedic Training with $459,000 in Funding

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 22, 2025 (The Pas/Thompson, MB) – University College of the North (UCN) is expanding its Primary Care Paramedic (PCP) program with $459,000 in funding from Manitoba Advanced Education. This increases the total number of available seats to 32 with 16 in The Pas and 16 in Thompson. This investment will support…

Read More...

UCN to Open Student Housing in Flin Flon with $2 Million Investment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 14, 2025 (Flin Flon, MB) – University College of the North (UCN) will offer student housing in Flin Flon starting Fall 2025, thanks to a $2 million investment from multiple funding sources. The new residence, funded by Prairies Canada, the Province of MB, the Manitoba Mineral Development Fund, and UCN, will…

Read More...

UCN Expands Health Care Aide Training with $619,000 Investment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 11, 2025 (Northern MB) – The University College of the North (UCN) has been awarded $619,000 from Manitoba Advanced Education and Training to expand Health Care Aide training seats from 30 to 130. This greatly enhances access to health care education in The Pas, Swan River, and Thompson, along with additional…

Read More...

UCN Recognized as one of Manitoba’s Top 25 Places to Work

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 13, 2025 (The Pas/Thompson, MB) – University College of the North (UCN) is proud to announce that it has been recognized as one of Manitoba’s Top Employers for 2025. This annual competition is organized by the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers. “We are honoured to be recognized as one of…

Read More...

UCN Receives Federal Funding to expand Mine Readiness Training Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 6, 2025 (Thompson/Flin Flon/The Pas, MB) – University College of the North (UCN) is proud to be named as a recipient of Community Economic Development and Diversification (CEDD) federal funding. UCN will receive $1,154,129 to expand train-to-hire programming for Indigenous students at UCN’s Northern Manitoba Mining Academy (NMMA) Mining Readiness Training…

Read More...