American Indian Graduate Magazine Fall 2003

The American Indian Graduate 1

American IndianGRADUATE

The

Inside this Issue:

• Next Generation Business Leaders

• Giving Back to Tribal Community

• Gates Millennium Scholars

• Graduate and Professional Programs

• The Successful College Transition

Fall 2003


The Heinz School’s current Tribal Affairs Fellow, Clara Pratte, was selected to participate in the Udall Native American Congressional Internship Program in Summer 2003. Clara’s strong inter-est in public policy combined with her desire to work on important legislation for the Native American community is a perfect match with the Heinz Tribal Affairs Fellowship and the Udall Intern-ship Program. In her Udall Internship, Clara worked with Congressman Raul Grijalva’s offi ce on the Tohono Oodham bill, which is seeking to get Tohono Oodham tribal members living in Mexico recognized as U.S. citizens.

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Tribal Affairs FellowshipTo promote the advancement of the American Indian population and tribal affairs, the Heinz School offers full-tuition fellowships with a research assistantship for the Master of Science in Public Policy and Management (MSPPM) program. The number of fellowships awarded varies depending on the number of qualifi ed applicants. The deadline for applying is January 15, 2004. For more information, visit our website at http://www.heinz.cmu.edu.


Volume 3, Number 1 • Fall 2003

American IndianGRADUATE

The

The American Indian GraduateVolume 3, Number 1

A Publication of the American Indian Graduate Center

4520 Montgomery Blvd., NESuite 1B

Albuquerque, NM 87109Phone: (505) 881-4584Fax: (505) 884-0427

Website: www.aigc.com

Publisher

Norbert S. Hill, Jr.Executive Director

Molly TovarJoAnn Melchor

Consulting Editors

Jim WeidleinProduction Editor

Carolyn S. TateDesign & Layout

AIGC Board of Directors

Ada Pecos Melton, PresidentJemez Pueblo

Louis Baca, Vice-PresidentSanta Clara Pueblo

Steven Stallings, TreasurerRincon Luisen Band of Mission Indians

Joanne Sebastian Morris, SecretaryCayuga

Shenan AtcittyDiné

David PowlessOneida

Libby Rodke WashburnChickasaw

Beverly SingerSanta Clara Pueblo/Diné

Kathryn ShanleyNakota (Assiniboine)

4 Graduate Education Next Generation Native American Business Leaders By Todd Lemoine

An interview with Columbia Business School MBA graduate, Bill Lomax.

7 Tribal Community Giving Back to Community:

A Factor in College Persistence By Dr. Raphael Guillory The power of giving back to the community can serve as a motivating force

for completing college or graduate school.

8 Gates Millennium Update Gates Scholars Profiles:

Excellence in Education By Jeannie Baca Two students are profiled as Gates Millennium Scholars.

10 Collaboration Leading to New Understandings Washington’s Native American Reciprocity Bill By Steven R. Burkett

A cooperative effort between WSU and Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians helps increase number of Indian graduate students.

13 Council of One Hundred George Blue Spruce, Jr., DDS, MPH By JoAnn Melchor

Dr. Blue Spruce wants the dreams of Indian students to become reality.

14 Graduate and Professional Programs Arizona State University By Patricia Lazo

An overview of ASU programs for American Indian students.

15 Future Leaders The Successful College Transition By Peter Cochran

Table of Contents

The American Indian Graduate4 The American Indian Graduate 5

Historically, the number of business student appli-cations from Native American students has been low. In 2003, out of 443 applicants who applied

for assistance to pursue graduate degrees, the AIGC received 11 applications from Native American students pursuing MBAs. The Native American community must encourage more young men and women to consider business as a viable career. Bill Lomax is one example of the next generation of Native American business leaders. While an attorney, he realized that business training and leadership were in short supply within the Native American commu-nity. Bill just completed his MBA at Columbia Business School, and has switched careers from one in law to finance. He hopes to use his advanced degree and con-tacts within the finance community to provide Ameri-can Indian tribes with much-needed access to financial analysis and investment services. As a Robert Toigo Foundation Fellow, Bill is one of the 50 MBA candidates in the Class of 2003 who attended 15 of the nation’s top-ranked business schools. AIGC recently sat down with Bill and asked him about his experiences at Columbia and his own insights into the business and Native American communities. Why did you choose to pursue an MBA and career in financial services—a field noticeably lacking in diversity? I realized first-hand there is a seri-ous lack of financial expertise among Native American communities. In my experience, Tribes have a great number of political leaders, as well as plenty of legal expertise. In fact, many Tribes have graduated a significant number of lawyers, but finance and business skills [among graduates] are much less common. One of the best ways forward for Native American Tribes will be by concentrating on economic development. Financial and business expertise and leadership will be an essential part of that growth.

How has the university’s partnership with The Rob-ert Toigo Foundation added to your MBA experi-ence, your ongoing advancement in business school, as well as internships, networking etc.? As a Toigo Fellow, I had the advantage of tapping into a network of both incoming students and current CBS students prior to the start of school. There were eight Toigo Fellows at Columbia in the Class of 2003, and I consider them all to be among my closest friends. As a Toigo Fellow, I was assigned a mentor who is in the finance profession. This relationship has provided me with valuable insights into banking operations, services and other market issues. As a Toigo Fellow, doors have opened for me that would not have otherwise been avail-able—or known—to me. The Toigo Fellowship is not a “free ticket,”— I get out what I put in and the more active I am in participating in Toigo events, programs and leadership development sessions, the more I benefit.

Why are mentors and “building your own board of directors” initiatives particularly important to minority students? For me, mentors provide a valuable, objective sound-ing board. While I have many caring and thoughtful people in my life, I did not have family members or men-tors with business experience to guide me as I made career decisions. As a Toigo fellow, I am encouraged to build

Next Generation Native AmericanBusiness Leaders

Graduate Education

Bill Lomax, Robert Tiogo Foundation Fellow

By Todd Lemoine


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my own board of directors and establish a network of contacts that can provide valuable insights, introductions and advice. For my own board, I have recruited a small group of well-established people in the banking field who offer honest and insightful advice. Their experience in the financial world represents a valuable perspective that I could not access otherwise.

How would you like to provide a helping hand to future students? I plan to be a mentor to other Toigo Fellows. Addi-tionally, I hope to work with the Columbia admissions office to make CBS the “school of choice” for Native American MBA candidates.

About Robert Toigo FoundationThe Robert Toigo Foundation supports the ongoing advancement of exceptional minority business degree students and alumni within the finance industry through scholarships, mentoring, internships and job placement. Working in partnership with the nation’s leading aca-

demic and financial institutions, the foundation’s goal is to increase diversity in business and deepen business leadership skills by promoting ethics, integrity, and com-munity service through the careers of talented minorities. For more information about the Toigo Foundation, visit www.toigofoundation.org.

Bill Lomax (Gitxsan, Canada) and Professor Sharovan


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Dr. Raphael Guillory hails from the Nez Perce Indian Reservation in Lapwai, Idaho. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Counseling, Educational, and Developmental Psychology at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington. Dr. Guillory is also a Gates Millennium Scholars alum.

In the 2001-2002 academic school year, a study conducted across three states and three land-grant universities examined the similarities and differences

between what Native American students say helps or hinders their progress towards college completion and what state boards of regents, university presidents, and faculty members believe helps or hinders Native Ameri-can students. The study’s central goal was to assess what Native American students say serve as the strongest persistence factors towards completing a college educa-tion, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The majority of the students interviewed claimed that “giving back to the tribal community” is a primary driving force toward earning a college education. Students frequently reported that giving back to their home communities was a powerful persistence factor. “I wanna [sic] go back to my reservation, and help my Indi-an people,” claimed one Indian student. Another Indian student wants “just to help out the people…help out other students that are coming up, to teach them and help them out…strengthen their minds.” Student participants grew up on or near Indian reservations and were all too famil-iar with the negative conditions prevalent in their home communities. High rates of poverty, unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse, as well as under-funded public schools and substandard education appear to be signature features of these places they call “home.” These students believe a college education empowers them to combat these det-rimental conditions. One student stated, “I have a lot of family that still live on the reservation, and most of my cousins don’t have high school degrees, and just having the fact that I can help them, maybe serve as a role model or make them proud of what I have been doing and my achievements, serve[s] as a driving force.”

The tribal community is also a source of encourage-ment and motivation. Some Indian students stated there have been so many people within the community that have given them support emotionally, psychologically, and financially that they owe it to the tribe to succeed. One student claimed, “Every time I go back home [to the reservation], [community or tribal members are] asking me about school…how’s everything going…they want me to succeed. If they saw me not continue my educa-tion, they’d be disappointed.” These narratives are just a glimpse into the power of how giving back to tribal community can serve as a moti-vating force for the student to persist through to college completion. The desire to make a positive contribution back to the community – whether acting as a role model or applying new job skills to serve the people – can make the difference on whether an American Indian student decides to stay or leave college. These American Indian students demonstrate that education is about more than just personal accomplishment and material gain; for them, a college education is about stewardship, self-sac-rifice, and a commitment to the advancement of Indian people.

Giving Back to Community: A Factor in College PersistenceBy Dr. Raphael Guillory

Tribal Community

Dr. Raphael Guillory

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Gates Scholars Profiles:Excellence in Education

Every year, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation helps several American Indians fulfill their colle-giate promise through highly competitive scholar-

ships. The Gates Millennium Scholarships, administered through the American Indian Graduate Center Scholars, help create opportunities and open academic and pro-fessional doors that might not have normally existed or been possible.

Tim StuartTim Stuart earned his doctorate in education from Seattle Pacific Uni-versity as a Gates Mil-lennium Scholar Tim is a member of the High Plains Saponny tribe of North Carolina. Tim has currently been named as Principal at Rehoboth Christian High School in Gallup, New Mexico. He is a 1991 graduate of Whea-ton College in Wheaton Illinois and has held teaching and administrative positions at the Tarsus American School in Turkey and the Leysin American School in Switzerland. At Washington State University, he taught education courses and served as an Associate Director. As a Native, he has an intense interest in education for young American Indians. He is excited about his new role as principal as he and his family look forward to becoming part of the Rehoboth community. “Rehoboth

Christian School embodies three of my passions in life: faith, culture, and education.” Tim believes that young people are “at promise” rather than “at risk” because they bear the likeness of their Creator, which brings deep hope and optimism for their future. Tim recently co-authored Children at Promise, published by Jossey-Bass, a book that discusses the “P.R.O.M.I.S.E character,” of children. By learning and practicing Perseverance, Responsibility, Optimism, Moti-vation, Integrity, Service and Engaged play, young people can live fuller lives and better fulfill their potential.

Cassie ChanceCassie Chance, currently a sophomore at Missis-sippi State University, has embraced the col-lege experience! She is an exceptional student, majoring in Journalism and Media. She supple-ments her studies by working in the athletic department at the uni-versity as a journalist covering athletic events for the student paper. Cassie is a volunteer and speaker with the Mississippi Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Among other activi-ties, the group organizes summer camps for teens and is actively involved in fundraising events for the Steve Hull Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization.

Gates Millennium Update

“The future of our nation’s economy, democracy, and quality of life is dependent upon the preparation of a diverse cadre of leaders who will help build a stronger society.”

— Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS)

By Jeannie Baca

Tim Stuart

Cassie Chance

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zThank You to Our Friends

The American Indian Graduate Center Scholars would like to thank the following individuals for their hard work and dedication to the Gates Millennium Scholars Program over the past year. They have been instrumen-tal in the success of our recruitment efforts and to the collegiate success of Native Americans.

Alaska • Sharon Lind • Lou Ann Palgelio • Ben Lopez • Luke Land • Andrew Angaiak • Arizona • Filmer Lalio • Calbert Seciwa • Cecilia Celaya • Debbie Golden-Davis • Ray Begaye • Grace Nakaidinae • Peterson Zah • Michael Begaye • Veronica Algeo • Roxanne Gorman • Gwen Isaac • Sister Geraldine Mikulec • Debi Nalwood • James Peshlakai • Laurence Gishey • Cecilia Celaya • Debbie Golden-Davis • California • Bridget Wilson • Krista Caballero • Jarrid J. Whitney • Adrienne Colegrove-Ray-mond • Carmen Foghorn • Colorado • Hubert Williams • Clint J. LeBeau • Roberto Garcia • David Sanders • Eric Tippecon-nic • Connecticut • Jennifer H. McTiernan • Florida • Miguel Rodriguez • Sol Maury • Idaho • Randy’l Teton • Indiana • Wesley K. Thomas • Kansas • Lou-Harra • Bruce Martin • Maryland • Stacy Callahan • Massachusetts • William Vanderhoop • Lee Bitsoi • Sabrina Marsh • Michigan • Jeanne Donovan • Laura Carson • Minnesota • Sheri Johnson • Lorne Robinson • Sharon Eagleman • Dwight Gourneau • Mississippi • Julia Cole • Missouri • Silke Sen • Montana • Mandy Moccasin • Sweeney Tallchief • Rene Dubay • Arleen Adams • Iris HeavyRunner • Mike Jetty • Nebraska • Ricardo Ariza • Tami Buf-falohead • Linc Morris • Terie Dawson • Judi M. gaiashkibos • Amber Hunter • Helen L. Longsoldier • New Hampshire • Jim Larimore • Angela Parker • New Mexico • Joaquin Baca • Star Feather Drum Group • Donovan Gomez • Kevin Shendo • Sandy Freeland • Pueblo of Picuris Governor Gerald Nailor • Benny Shendo • Angie Riley • Allen Riley • Barbara Grimes • Alexander Aragon • Kirby Gchauchu • Jennifer Bitsie • Joseph Martin • Joe Carpio • Larry Clendenin • Julie T. Abeyta • Curtis Esquibel • Terry Babbitt • Geri Trujillo • Sandra Ray • Christine Suina • Ryan Weiss • Mat Perez • Heather Townsend • Pauline Jo Hunt Histia • Ron Solimon • La Donna Harris • Tassy Parker • Alex Sando • Melissa Candelaria • Oran LaPointe • Whitney Laughlin • Laura Jagles • Donald Pepion • Pam Agoyo • Nancy Martine-Alonzo • Sandra Ray • New York • Lonnie Montour • Danielle Terrance • Elizabeth Pili • Kelly Herrington • North Carolina • Mickey Locklear • Sam Lambert • April Whittemore • Laura Lunsford • Anthony Gurley • Diane O. Jones • Margaret Chavis • Greg Richardson • Jackie Clark • Tanya Deese • Sharon Blue • North Dakota • Melvin Monette • Donna Brown • Ardith Marsette • Margaret Azure • Oklahoma • Carla Guy • Mark Wil-son • Lindy Waters, Jr. • Michael Burgess • Todd Essary • Virginia Thomas • Dolores Mize • Gerald Williamson • Quinton M. Roman Nose • Stuart Tonemah • Armando Pena • Joy Culbreath • Dale Miller • RJ Testerman • Lou Kerr • Carol Young • Carol Rhodes • Ray Kling • Oregon • Paul Marthers • Rhode Island • Panetha Ott • Texas • Dana Smith • Curtis Meadows • South Dakota • Bryan Brewer • Ida Fastwolf • Karla Provost • Donald Ball • Sonja Dressel • Gnene Fordyce • Washington • Jonathan S. Tomhave • Michael Vandiola • Michael Pavel • Augustine McCaffery • Raymond Reyes • Phil Lane • Wisconsin • Ashley Hesse • Judith Hanks • Barbara Miller • Karen Martin • We sincerely apologize to anyone who was missed inadvertently •

Thank You


In 1994, with the passage of the Native American Reciprocity Bill into law, the State of Washington formally recognized tribal rather than state bound-

aries to determine whether an individual would pay resident tuition to state universities. This legislation was first initiated following discussions between the Nez Perce Tribe and Washington State University. Request bill filed a WSU with the state legislature at the direc-tion of then WSU President Samuel H. Smith. More importantly, at the time the bill was filed it represented a cooperative effort between WSU and the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) and individual tribal councils. Principal actors included Mr. Larry Gan-ders, WSU Assistant to the President, who was the point lobbyist, Terri Parr Wynecoop of the Spokane Tribe and WSU alum who served as a liaison between the ATNI, tribal councils and WSU. Then WSU vice-provost, Geoffrey Gamble drafted the language for the bill including naming the tribes that were included from outside of Washington. Also involved from the begin-ning was David Bonga who had been a counselor for the Native Center at WSU and was then an attorney work-ing for the Kalispel Tribe. Once filed, the bill received support from the Coun-cil of Presidents which represents all of Washington’s public baccalaureate institutions. However, according to Ganders, even with this support “…it was a tricky lobbying effort at times, especially in the Senate, where the issue got mixed up in non-related gambling and salmon legislation that also affected tribes. Then there were issues of which tribes to include and which to exclude….” Ultimately the bill passed and was incorpo-rated into law as RCW (Revised Code of Washington) 28B.15.0131. In October, 1994 passage of the bill was celebrated at a dinner on the WSU campus in Pullman, Washington attended by more than 80 people from most of the 33 affected tribes along with WSU administrators and staff. According to the law, resident students include, first, American Indian students who have lived in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington for a period of one

year prior to enrollment at one of Washington’s colleges or universities. Second, they must be members of one of the several “American Indian tribes whose traditional and customary tribal boundaries included portions of the state of Washington, or whose tribe was granted reserved lands within the state of Washington….” As noted, now this includes 33 tribes, each of which is spe-cifically identified in the RCW. It is difficult to determine how passage of this bill has affected enrollments and degrees awarded at Washington State University. However, the information provided in the chart below does show that graduate enrollments and numbers of masters and doctoral degrees have increased since the bill went into effect. Using the years 1991 to 1993 as a baseline, enrollments have increased steadily since enactment of the Native American Reciprocity Bill. Further, the number of Master’s degrees, which usually take approximately two years to finish, increased sub-stantially in the period 1994-1996. Finally, the number of doctoral degrees awarded increased during the fol-lowing period. These numbers, though still much too small, have increased even though graduate enrollments in general remained fairly flat during these same time periods, although expansion of newer urban campuses in Spokane, the Tri-Cities and Vancouver, Washington have contributed to a recent overall increase in the number of masters degrees awarded. More recent initiatives and programs will, hopefully, result in greater increases in American Indian graduate students at WSU. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed by WSU and several tribes throughout the Northwest. The MOU seeks “to create a structure to strengthen the relationship between them, and to improve the quality of educational services and

Washington’s Native American Reciprocity BillBy Steven R. Burkett

Collaboration Leading to New Understandings

The MOU seeks “to create a structure to strengthen the relationship between them, and to improve the quality of educational services and opportunities for Native Americans.”


opportunities for Native Americans.” Under this agreement WSU has been working toward the establishment of the Plateau Center for American Indian Studies within the College of Liberal Arts. According to the CLA strategic plan “the Center will sponsor research, teach-ing, and outreach focused on Native American issues.” Consistent with the MOU the primary focus will be on “the local Plateau peoples and their reservations.” Also consistent with the MOU, the WSU Center for Multiphase Environmental Research (CMER), with funding from the National Sci-ence Foundation’s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT), is committed to seeking “significant collaboration with tribes” with the MOU “as a foundation for this interaction.” The CMER is engaged in ground-breaking interdisciplinary environmental research and is actively recruiting American Indian graduate students in the related areas of chemistry, geology, math-ematics, microbiology, chemical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, biological systems engineering, mechanical engineering, and crop and soil sciences.

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Information regarding the Center for Multiphase Environmental Research and applications for gradu-ate study can be found at http:/www.cmer.wsu.edu. Information about graduate study at WSU and all other graduate programs can be found at http://www.wsu.edu/~gradsch/. Finally, information about on-campus organizations and activities can be found at the WSU Native American Student Center web page: http://www.wsu.edu/~naschome/.


American Indian Program

• Student Support : caring staff provides academic, financial, & personal counseling

• American Indian Studies : a multidisciplinary academic program serves students with diverse interests & goals

• Akwe:kon : The American Indian Residence House : offers a supportive & welcoming multicultural living environment

• Community Outreach : connects University resources with problems & concerns of Native communities

• Akwe:kon Press : publishes journals of American Indian issues

450 Caldwell Hall, Cornell UniversityIthaca, New York 14853

Phone: (607) 255-6587 • Fax: (607) 255-6246e-mail: [email protected] • www.aip.cornell.edu

HOWARD UNIVERSITYOFFICE OF UNIVERSITY RESEARCH AND

THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

h t t p : / / w w w . g s . h o w a r d . e d u2 02-806-7469/6800

A National Leader in Graduate Research andEducation

Doctoral/Research University-Extensive, highestclassificat ion of doctoral grant ing universitiesof the Carnegie Foundation for theAdvancement of Teaching

Nation’s largest producer of African AmericanPh.D. rec ipients

Multicultural, racially diverse faculty andstudent body

27 Ph.D., 30 Master’s, 9 M.D./Ph.D.Degree Programs

Competit ive tuition

On-campus housing with Internet connectivity

A wide variety of financ ial aid packages

Access to national health, science, educational, andpolicymaking resources

Application Deadlines

February 15 –Fall Semester;October 1 –

Spring Semester;March 1 –

Summer Sessions;February 1 –

Psychology/Clinical Program;April 1 -

Financial Aid


George Blue Spruce, Jr., DDS, MPH

Council of One Hundred

Dr. George Blue Spruce, a member of the Ameri-can Indian Graduate Center’s Council of One Hundred, believes that we all need help in

pursuing our dreams. His dreams of becoming a dentist and helping American Indian people have become a real-ity. In 2000, The Society of American Indian Dentists (SAID) held their annual conference in Phoenix, Ari-

zona. During this confer-ence, a long-time member of the SAID, Dr. Herman C. Fredenberg, with the support of the SAID members, established the “Dr. George Blue Spruce, Jr. Scholarship” to assist eligible American Indian students that are enrolled in an accredited dental school. Dr. Blue Spruce and the SAID established this scholarship with sup-port from the American Indian Graduate Center

in Albuquerque, New Mexico (AIGC). The AIGC will be administering the scholarship funds. Dr. George Blue Spruce, Jr., is the first full blood Pueblo (San Juan Pueblo/Laguna) American Indian Dentist in the United States. Many people told Dr. Blue Spruce that his dream of becoming a dentist was unre-alistic. But he knew that in order to make this dream come true he needed to graduate from high school, leave his home community and go to college. With hard work, determination, support from his parents, and financial support from the Elks Association and the U.S. Navy, he was able to achieve his goal of becoming a dentist. This enabled him to:• Treat Patients on 12 Indian Reservations• Treat Navy Submarine crews• Serve as a Consultant for the World Health

Organization• Serve as Director of Dental Services at the US

Merchant Marine Academy

• Become an Assistant Surgeon General in the US Public Health Service

• Become a Regional Director of Indian Health Services

• Become President of the Society of American Indian Dentists

• Become Assistant Dean of the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health

The Need for American Indian Dentists

Dr. Blue Spruce indicates that there is a serious need for American Indian Dentists. “It has been 27 years since the Indian Health Care Improvement Act was enacted. Title I under this act provides health career scholarships. It has been disappointing to see how very few American Indian students apply for scholarships to pursue a career in dentistry.”

Dr. Blue Spruce shares the following data:• There are 400 dentists employed by the Indian

Health Service and 150 dentists employed by tribal health programs. Of these 550 dentists, less than 70 are known to be American Indian dentists.

• There are less than five American Indian Dentists in 9 of the 10 largest tribes.

• If the American Indian patient population were to have the same number of Indian dentists providing services as the non-Indian population has non-Indi-an dentists, there would have to be 1,200 American Indian dentists

• The Society of American Indian Dentists can docu-ment only 85 American Indian dentists in the United States! These dentists are enrolled members of their respective federally recognized tribes.

• There is only ONE American Indian Dentist for every 35,000 American Indian people.

Dr. Geroge Blue Spruce

By JoAnn Melchor

hDr. Blue Spruce wants the dreams of American Indian students to become reality.


Arizona State University is committed to providing professional development, research, and educa-tional opportunities to Native American students.

ASU is proud of its historical links with Native commu-nities (Arizona is home to twenty-one American Indian tribes and nations) and its growing number of partner-ships. We welcome American Indian students and are pleased to offer dynamic and varied pathways to meet their career goals.

Education and Community PartnershipsFounded in 1959, the Center for Indian Education is an interdisciplinary research and service organization housed in the College of Education. The Center has gained a national and international reputation for schol-arly and academic leadership through the publication of the Journal of American Indian Education, an interna-tional periodical which has served the Indian Education field since 1961. The Center houses two professional Native teacher development programs which train cohorts of Native teachers to meet the growing demands of Indian students in public schools in urban environments. A complemen-tary program conducted in partnership between the Center and the Navajo Nation is designed to construct a comprehensive, on-reservation school wide teacher train-ing project focusing on Navajo culture, language and proficiency in English language learning. Another example is the Arizona Tri-Universities for Indian Education Network Project, a Native-led consor-tium of Arizona educators. This program was created to strengthen ties between Tribal communities and univer-sities. Website: http://www.coe.asu.edu/cie

Law Degree Attainment The College of Law’s Indian Legal Program (ILP) at ASU prides itself in its aggressive recruiting of talented Native college graduates. One of the goals of the pro-gram is to have a tribally diverse student population. The ILP targets students from the ASU Honors College, Ivy League Schools, tribal colleges, colleges with large native populations, AISES (American Indian Science and Engineering Society), and Native students who have

taken the LSAT. Sending ILP materials and representa-tives to these students not only gets the ILP’s name out to Indian Country but it also lets students know that our program cares about their education. Website: http://www.law.asu.edu/Programs/Indian

New Certificate in American Indian Studies Proposed!The American Indian Studies Program (AIS) proposes to offer a graduate certificate in American Indian Stud-ies beginning in the spring of 2004. This certificate will allow graduate students to acquire an advanced under-standing of the principles of sovereignty and indigenous-ness, as well as allowing graduate students to approach their individual graduate degree programs from an inter-disciplinary standpoint. This certificate allows current students to augment or supplement their graduate degree programs and offers professionals in the community an opportunity to expand their expertise. Website: http://www.asu.edu/copp/americanindian

Academically-Based and Community-Supported InstituteEstablished in 1989, the American Indian Institute (AII) is committed to assisting American Indian students in the pursuit of academic success through coordinated recruitment and retention efforts. It strives to improve the academic and cultural diversity of Arizona State University and provides support for American Indian students to ensure a quality educational experience. AII provides a variety of services to assist American Indian students throughout their college careers. Website: http://[email protected] To learn more about graduate and professional programs at Arizona State University’s 48 doctoral pro-grams, 95 master’s degree programs, and 15 graduate certificates, please access the Graduate College’s website at http://www.asu.edu/graduate. You may send your specific questions to Patricia Lazo, ASU Graduate Col-lege Contact, at [email protected].

Arizona State UniversityBy Patricia Lazo

Graduate and Professional Programs

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As a recent high school graduate and current col-lege undergraduate, I know from personal experi-ence that the college transition can be grueling.

Going to college is not something any person can plan for completely; there are always unexpected obstacles. A successful transition into college relies not only on the amount of preparation for college life, but also the abil-ity to adapt to new surroundings.

Accepting a New LifeMany new college students think they have everything figured out before they come to college: What classes they will take, what kind of friends they will have, etc. The reality is they have no idea. To some, this uncer-tainty can be invigorating; to others, it is paralyzing. This uncertainty is especially tough for American Indian students because they come from a place where their lives are fairly customary and routine. Many students drop out because they do not fit in, or because their life isn’t going the way they planned. The key point is that to be successful in college, one has to have an open mind to every interaction one encounters. Patience is a virtue, and being patient with cultures other than yours means you are trying to become a better, more well-rounded person. American Indians struggle with college because it is tough for them to understand other cultures. Learn-ing to accept and understand others is a valuable asset, however. For those who have no idea what to expect from college, you are on the right track. You shouldn’t know what to expect from college because you have not been there yet. And you aren’t alone; your 200, 2,000 or 20,000 classmates don’t know what to expect either!

Planning AheadThis is not to say that one should not even attempt to prepare when entering college. There are many things you can do before leaving home to make your college life a little easier: First, while still in high school, take as many AP (advanced placement) or community college courses as possible. These extra classes may seem super-fluous now, but when you are trying to cram classes into a tight schedule, having a taxing introductory class is an

unnecessary source of stress that an extra AP credit can allevi-ate. Second, bring as many supplies, tools, hardware, toys, and novelties as you can fit in your suitcase. You never know when you might need something, anything for any situation. Clothes and your brain will not suffice! Last, keep an open mind. College is a time to explore things you haven’t experienced before. It is a time to open doors to new ideas and experiences. While this advice may not be complete, in my expe-rience it is extremely valuable. College never goes the way you want it to, but if you give it a chance, it can be one of the best and most rewarding times of your life.

The Successful College TransitionBy Peter CochranAttending University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Peter Cochran (Navajo, Apache)

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PERMIT NO 8Topeka, KS

The American Indian Graduate Center4520 Montgomery Blvd., NESuite 1-BAlbuquerque, NM 87109

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American Indian Graduate Magazine Fall 2003

Documents

Transcript of American Indian Graduate Magazine Fall 2003