ISAP Summer Start

Join us August 26-28

ISAP Summer Start 2024 will offer an immersive campus experience for Indigenous students new to the College of Arts and Science, USask Saskatoon Campus.

Ready, Set… Go! 

Held August 26th to 28th at the University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon Campus, ISAP Summer Start includes three days of activities designed to launch your USask Student Journey. 

All sessions are led by ISAP Program Staff, Peer Leaders, and Faculty and Instructors from the academic departments and service groups you’ll work with as an undergraduate in the College of Arts and Science. Each day you can select sessions to attend that match your interests and meet Indigenous students who share your academic goals. We’ll include lots of opportunities for team challenges, student networking, snacks, and fun! 

Build Skills and Strategies for Success 

Summer Start sessions include mock lectures and lab and studio activities delivered by Fall Term instructors, providing a preview of your Fall Term experience. 

Sessions hosted by the USask Library Learning Hub and ISAP Peer Mentors will focus on academic strategies that support success in specific programs: e.g., Which note-taking strategies are best for science courses, which for arts courses? What are exams like? How can I use learning tools in my course Canvas pages to complete coursework?  

Academic advisors from the Trish Monture Centre for Student Success will share advice on course selections, credit load, and navigating student life in Saskatoon. 

Students new to Saskatoon (or new to navigating the Transit system) can sign-up to join a City of Saskatoon bus tour Wednesday, August 28. 

View our Summer Start 2024 schedule (Coming Soon)

ISAP Summer Start Keynote Lecture 

Each year, ISAP Peer Mentors invite a noted Indigenous faculty member to provide Keynote Lectures during Summer Start. This year’s keynote will be held Tuesday, August 27, 1:00-1:50 pm, at the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre

Past speakers:

  • 2023: Dr. Kristina Bidwell, Department of English, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Storytelling: “Building pathways for Indigenous Student Success”
  • 2022: Dr. Kathy Walker, Department of Political Studies: sihkos or weasel teaches us how to research”
  • 2021: Dr. Benjamin Hoy Department of History: “Treaty Lines and the 49 th Parallel”
  • 2020: Dr. Simon Lambert, Department of Indigenous Studies: “Indigenous Communities’ Crisis Response, Practice and Policy”
  • 2019: Dr. Holly Graham College of Nursing, Indigenous Research Chair in Nursing: “Indigenous Perspectives in Community Health”

Attention Student Parents – ISAP is partnering is Sci-Fi Science Camps! 

Do you have school-aged children? During ISAP Summer Start we have 20 spaces available for youth, aged 5 to 14, to join us on campus! Sci-Fi Science camps will plan morning and afternoon activity sessions August 26-28th, and participating children will join the ISAP group for lunch and snacks. Pre-registration is required, and spaces are limited, so if childcare is key to your ability to attend Summer Start 2024, sign-up and reserve spaces for your kids today.  

Celebrating Next Steps 

We’ll wrap up Summer Start with a Celebration of your entrance to post-secondary studies in the College of Arts and Science. Students, families, and friends are invited to join us for the annual ISAP Summer Start BBQ: 4-6pm Wednesday August 28th in the Arts Thorvaldson Greenspace

What students say about ISAP Summer Start

“Honestly, I loved it all. I can't wait to start school.”

“Being at the university helped make me feel more comfortable.”

“I am now no longer overwhelmed by the word chemistry.”

“I really enjoyed all the tours and how we were introduced to all the help we can get on campus—and where to get it.”

Partners

 ISAP Summer Start is offered by the College of Arts and Science in partnership with

Questions about ISAP Summer Start?

Contact the ISAP Programs Office: isap.info@usask.ca or call 306-966-1681