Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The Colorado State University (CSU) New Beginnings for Tribal Students (NBTS) project isfocused on student engagement, through recruitment activities with pre-collegiate (K-12) tribalstudents and through retention activities with tribal undergraduate students enrolled at CSU.Details on how the programs described in this proposal are managed and potential improvementswill be collected and managed by the project PI and co-PIs.For recruiting activities, we will collect data on student participation such as number ofinterested students, number of student enrolled/participating, school and community affiliation,materials or training resources provided to students, etc. Surveys of participants may beconducted at the conclusion of events to gather information about the value of the training,programming, and resources provided. Data will be collected through electronic registrationsystems and email, and in some cases through paper-based surveys at the conclusion of events.For retention activities with CSU students, we will collect data about the student, such asenrollment date, degree program, courses received and progress toward graduation, along withinformation about their participation in research projects. In addition, we will collect data aboutstudent participation in NBTS-supported activities (Professional Development Workshop Series,Tribal Research Fair, etc.). Data on graduation rates and job placement will be collected whenpossible.Students who participate in on-campus research are expected to collect various types of datathrough their projects. These data will be managed through the data management plan of thelaboratories in which they work.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
50%
Goals / Objectives
To help Colorado State University build upon current campus initiatives and student support programs to increase Native student recruitment and retention. This includes:Increasing pre-collegiate advising and on-campus experiences for Native American K-12 students. This goal will be accomplished by increasing staff dedicated to supporting current and prospective Native students as well as providing direct support for the Indian Education Program (Title VI) serving K-12 students. The new staff will lead campus-wide recruitment efforts in tribal communities through targeted collaboration with Indian Education directors and by fostering meaningful relationships with other community partners.Increase Native student retention through experiential research opportunities and culturally centered professional development. The newly formed Native American Student Research Initiative (NASRI) will provide opportunities for faculty mentorship and student cohort fellowship focused on tribally-driven research across multiple academic disciplines. Not only will this objective provide Native American students with valuable professional experience, but it will also raise student retention by increasing student engagement and fostering an on-campus community for Native American students in the NASRI program.Native students have been historically underserved by educational systems. Through the NBTS grant, CSU will address inequities and barriers to degree attainment by focusing on providing avenues for Native student involvement at our institution.
Project Methods
Presented below are specific activities designed to support the CSU NBTS goals:Goal 1: RecruitmentExisting Programs. During the academic year, CSU hosts K-12 Indian Education (Title VI)student visits to campus through a variety of recruitment, outreach, and engagement programs. Such earlyexposure to college experiences has proven to build familiarity and increase confidence. Thecoordination of these visits often depends on relationships between various CSU programs and localeducational contacts. However, lack of consistent funding and staffing has led to inconsistent access to postsecondary opportunities at CSU. It has also been observed that various CSU programs often lackexperience and expertise in engaging with tribal communities, which can reduce the effectiveness of outreach efforts.NBTS Enhancements.Staffing. CSU will increase staff dedicated to building relationships with key Tribal stakeholders(Indian Education directors and Tribal Education Programs) by hiring a Senior Admissions Counselor forNative American Recruitment within the Office of Admissions. Additionally, a student staff position willbe created to assist with the details of coordinating campus visits and Native Student CSU Preview Day.The placement of these positions within multiple CSU departments expands the tribal relationship-building responsibility across campus, thus expanding the institution's commitment. New travel fundswill allow Admissions and Financial Aid staff to travel to rural tribal communities in SouthwestColorado. AVP Atine will oversee these efforts and provide expert support for new staff working withurban and rural tribal communities. AVP Atine and Native American Cultural Center (NACC) will help develop culturally appropriate pre-collegiate advising materials and presentations.New Position: Senior Admissions Counselor for Native American RecruitmentNew Position: Student Staff, Campus Visits and CSU Preview Day CoordinationStaff travel to urban and rural tribal communitiesRoutine Campus Visits. CSU will routinely organize campus visit for K-12 Indian Education (VI) students from urban (Denver metro) and rural tribal communities. The campus visits will focus onproviding early exposure to elementary, middle, and high school Native students. The various IndianEducation programs will be designed to include flexibility to schedule visits according to districtcalendars. New funding for transportation costs will reduce financial barriers related to travel from urbanand rural communities.Transportation for six campus visits from Indian Education (Title VI) department from theDenver regionNative Student CSU Preview Day. In response to recent requests from Indian Educationstakeholders, CSU developed and launched the Native Student CSU Preview Day in June 2024, a largeconvening for 120 Native high school students from the region to cultivate a sense of belonging andcommunity among tribal youth. In addition to the continued social and emotional benefits of theconvening, the new annual event will provide students with early exposure to postsecondaryopportunities, including access to culturally appropriate pre-collegiate advising. Multiple CSUdepartments and programs, including NACC, Admissions, and Financial Aid, will contribute to theconvening.Transportation for six Indian Education (Title VI) departments from the Denver region Food/Meals for 120 Native high school studentsNative Education Forum (NEF). The ongoing success of NEF is a result of collaborative effortsbetween NACC and Admissions. However, due to limited funding, the lack of student travel funding hascreated a barrier for interested students and their families. New travel funding will increase access toculturally centered, pre-collegiate programming led by NACC and Native faculty.Goal 2: RetentionExisting Program: Native American Student Research Initiative (NASRI). Native students atCSU are embracing new opportunities to engage in summer research with tribal communities throughcollaboration among CSU programs. In 2022, CSU research faculty and NACC staff combined resourcesto establish the Native American Student Research Initiative (NASRI) to meet student needs. As an R1 research institution, CSU offers a wide variety of opportunities for student research experiences. Nativestudents from these programs reached out to NACC with requests for one-on-one academic and careermentorship from research faculty who are well-versed with the unique needs of aspiring Native Americanstudents. The value and high impact of informal, peer-to-peer gatherings; attendance at scientific meetings; and formalized mentoring relationships has been well documented8. NACC responded byrecruiting a network of research faculty, including Dr. Crystal Cooke (College of Agricultural Sciences)and Dr. Dominique David-Chavez (Warner College of Natural Resources), to mentor and coach studentsengaged in summer research. Currently, due to lack of funding and staffing, the initiative is only able toprovide one or two workshops and convenings each summer for a maximum number of twelve studentparticipants, and faculty contributions are unpaid.NBTS Enhancements. The enhancement of the NASRI will establish a structured program thatwill assist Native students with some of the basics of working in research (CVs/resumes/biosketches,interviews, library usage) that are often overlooked by many programs and will provide training in morecomplex areas, such as science communication using an indigenous research framework). By creatingculturally appropriate research programming and mentoring for Native students, these students will notonly feel more comfortable acquiring help within our community but will also find assistance frommentors with tribal research expertise. Other program enhancements will reduce barriers to participationin attending and presenting at research conferences--a key activity for aspiring scholars. With newenhancements, the capacity of participants will increase from twelve to twenty-five each summer.Native Student Research Professional Development Series (summer program)Student support for conference preparationSupport for two co-leads & instructorsHonoria for Tribal Elders/Traditional Knowledge Keepers