Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The target population for this project is CMN faculty, staff and students. The majority of faculty are non-native and this project focused on expanding cultural knowledge to our faculty and staff so they would gain the tools to better understand cultural needs when working with Native American Students. The greater community is the secondary target audience. Changes/Problems:During this grant period our biggest hindrance was COVID. Additionally, the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) had significant staff changes. Two directors, and two administrative assistants left their jobs at SDI for other opportunities. This left the remaining staff to fill in until the positions could be filled. In addition, the individual assigned to this project shifted as a result to the short staff. However, through all of this, the work continued. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?All staff at the Sustainable Development Institute participated in an Indigenous Evaluation Training that occurred in 2021 and 2022. The training was led by Dr. Nicole Bowman-Farrell of Bowman Performance Consulting. Dr. Bowman-Ferrell is an expert in culturally responsive research, policy, and evaluation through the Wisconsin Center for Education Research. Working with SDI staff, she customized the training to our needs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Each year, student interns and workers presented on projects funded through this grant at the Community Report-out. This event is open to the community and attendance is between 50-75. Due to COVID, the 2022 event had to be canceled; however, these presentations have been recorded and are available for viewing. I presented at the 2021 Global Studies Symposium for Best Practices in International Education at Minority Serving Institutions and Community Colleges. The presentation was titled, "Uniting Indigenous Peoples through Collaborations". Each year CMN student interns and SDI staff members attend the FALCON conference. While staff does not always present, we are able to network, and share experiences What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1 Objective 1 Over the course of this grant, we were able to provide culturally appropriate professional development trainings, materials, and experiences for faculty and staff. To successfully complete this goal, we gathered input from faculty and staff through listening sessions and open dialog. We responded to what they identified as need by providing Indigenous centered trainings, mentoring faculty on the Menominee Model of Sustainability (MTMS), creating culturally relevant brochures and handouts, and providing experiences that allowed faculty to interact with other Indigenous Communities virtually and in-person. Working with our partners from UW-Madison, we increased our cultural materials at the CMN Library through the purchase of books, and provided opportunity for a delegation from CMN to travel to Ilisagvik College in Alaska, and Sami University in Norway. We included our Social Media Specialist on these trips so that we could record interviews and activities. The footage gathered is being made into short videos that will be used in the classroom and available for community members. Our faculty is especially interested in learning more about the impacts of climate change from the two sites that were visited. One of the most successful activities that was support through this grant was our Women's Empowerment Summit and Training (WEST). This event came out of our faculty listening session where faculty identified the need to empower our female students. One hundred women attended this local event, that included speakers, workshops and breakout sessions. A second WEST will be held in October of 2024. Objective 2 Due to staff members at the Sustainable Development Institute holding a high level of understanding of the Menominee Theoretical Model of Sustainability (MTMS), they served as the advisory council for both the Sustainable Agriculture and Integrative Studies degree programs. Currently, the Sustainable Agriculture program is underway with the MTMS incorporated in all of the course work. The Integrative Studies program went back to the Committee of Academic Quality (CAQ), and is expected to roll out in 2024. Objective 3 This object, to develop a student intern program, is one of our shining stars at the Sustainable Development Institute. Currently, we have a robust program that has a written policy and procedure. The program guides our students through an orientation, life skill building activities, cultural teachings, weekly goal planning, a mid-summer check-in with SDI, and a final report-out. At the final report-out to the community, each intern must complete and deliver an oral presentation and poster that reflects their project. Goal 2 Objective 1 & 2 Over the course of this grant, we were able develop Indigenous relationships and provide cultural building opportunities between CMN faculty and students and other Indigenous communities. We provided virtual and in person experiences, regionally, nationally, and globally. We learned that developing relationships take time, and while virtual meetings are a good way to start, meeting folks in person is preferred. Working with the University of Wisconsin we were able to strengthen our work with the University of Wisconsin-Madison through monthly meetings that focused on international relationship building. We met with Alberto Vargas, Associate Director of the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies, and with Thomas DuBois, Chair of the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic as well as other faculty and visiting scholars in respective departments. Collaborating with larger institutions enhances and supports our work as they guided us to move forward with building relationships with Indigenous Communities globally. The resources of a large college such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison is central for the success of our work. We held the annual Indigenous Planning Summer Institute (IPSI). This institute, brought together Indigenous Knowledge Holders to share visions, build Nations, and empower future leaders through land-based learning. The institute included artists, musician, food and agricultural experts, foresters, and traditional teachers, that encompassed students, Elders, faculty, staff, and community members. In the summer of 2022, we invited two individuals from Ilisagvik College in Utqiagvik, and one individual from Sami University in Norway to Sustainable Development Institute. While here, attended the Menominee Pow Wow to experience an amazing cultural event and attend IPSI. We were able to provide the format to exchange information, interact with faculty and staff, and present to our faculty and SDI staff at IPSI. We have a partnership with the US Forest Service and consult with them on various forest related projects, such as phenology. The Great Lakes Indian Fish and wildlife Commission and CMN are consortium members of the USGS Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center. This relationship enhances our work to support tribes in the face of climate change. Goal 3 Faculty and staff were trained on Indigenous Evaluation Methods. These methods are now included in our programs and workshops. Community engagement is included in all of our pre and post workshops. We consider and respond to community needs in our programming.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The target population for this project is CMN faculty, staff and students. The majority of faculty are non-native and this project focused on expanding cultural knowledge to our faculty and staff so they would gain the tools to better understand cultural needs when working with Native American Students. The greater community is the secondary target audience. Changes/Problems:During this reporting period, the Director of the Sustainable Development Institute, and the Administrative Assistant left for other job opportunities. This left the Institute understaffed for approximately six months. Due to this shortage, we were unable to complete the evaluation work that we planned. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?All staff at the Sustainable Development Institute participated in an Indigenous Evaluation Training that occurred on March 29, 2023. The training was led by Dr. Nicole Bowman-Farrell of Bowman Performance Consulting. Dr. Bowman-Ferrell is an expert in culturally responsive research, policy, and evaluation through the Wisconsin Center for Education Research. Working with SDI staff, she customized the training to our needs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Student Interns presented their projects at the August 2023 Community Report-out. Fifty-one individuals attended in person, and the event was livestreamed on Facebook. SDI staff and several students attended FALCON on October 20 through 23, 2022. While there, the grant projects were presented at the student panel presentations. The SDI staff was able to meet with representatives from the USDA-NIFA team while there. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
GOAL 1: Objective 1: We responded to information gathered from the last reporting period to continue to provide Indigenous centered trainings and materials for College of Menominee Nation faculty. We engaged in open dialog with the faculty members who are working on new programs including the Integrated Studies in Sustainability degree program and Sustainable Agriculture program to ensure the inclusion of sustainability and culturally appropriate information into the programs. Working with Alberto Vargas, Associate Director of the Latin American, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Caribbean and Iberian Studies we selected culturally relevant books that were purchased by them for the S. Verna Fowler Library - College of Menominee Nation. Faculty, students, and community members have access to these new books. Objective 2: The 2022-25 College of Menominee Nation Strategic Plan, "A Vision to Action: A Path Forward on Institutional and Student Success" includes Goal 2: Excellence in Promoting the Menominee Model of Sustainability. Goal 2 has three objectives: Objective 1: Increase the use of the MTMS in curricular and co-curricular activities at the College of Menominee Nation. Objective 2: Utilize the MTMS to guide institutional decision making. Objective 3: Position CMN as a primary resource for the promotion and utilization of the MTMS. The goal leader met with a team to work on the objectives identified for each goal. We continued to develop this work through the creation and printing of a brochure that explains each dimension of the MTMS. A Spin Wheel displaying the six dimensions of the MTMS was designed by a student intern. The Spin Wheel is available for use across campus and is used by faculty, recruitment, and staff. Objective 3: At the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI), we have expanded our existing intern program. While COVID impacted our in-person meetings, community gatherings, and travel, we were able to continue our work with student interns, student workers, and work study students. Our intern program guides our students through an orientation, life skill building activities, cultural teachings, weekly goal planning, a mid-summer check-in with SDI, and a final report-out. Training on the MTMS is provided at the intern orientation. At the final report-out to the community, each intern must complete and deliver an oral presentation and poster that reflects their project. GOAL 2: Objective1: Sharing the Menominee Theoretical Model of Sustainability (MTMS) is central to the work at the Sustainable Development Institute. Using the information gathered from the February of 2022 inquiry with CMN faculty, we held a series of cultural events on campus. These events included the following: Ribbon skirt making Ribbon shirt making Making a dish bag Monthly Talking Circles with student interns Time with an Elder (The Elder is on campus to meet with and support students) In addition, the faculty recommended that CMN-SDI create and build a teaching lodge, hold cultural exchanges, and expanding our work to include more of a global perspective. These recommendations have been included in future grant funded work. Objective 2: Collaborating with our partners from the University oi Wisconsin-Madison, Alberto Vargas, Associate Director of the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies,and with Thomas DuBois, Chair of the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic we nurtured our program to build relationships with Indigenous communities globally. February 4, 2023, we hosted the Sami and our UW-Madison partners. We were able to provide a tour of the Menominee Reservation including the museum, college campus, our renown forest, and immersion school. The Sami provide a presentation sharing information about their lives and culture. Thirty-two people attended this event. Collaborating with Thomas Dubois at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, we were able to visit our Sami friends at their homelands from May 24 through 29, 2023. As one student said, "There are so many similarities and values held by Indigenous peoples. We should think of the ocean as a body of water that connects us, not divides us". June 25 through July 1, a delegation from the College of Menominee Nation visited Ilisagvik College in Utqiagvik, Alaska. Funding from this grant supported 4 students, two faculty members, and two SDI staff to attend. Another funding source supported two additional travelers. The visit provided an opportunity for individuals to engage in interactive learning that included a campus tour and a tour of Utqiagvik and Browerville. While there, we were all invited to attend Nalaqatak (spring whaling festival) to participate in the activities. CMN students provided presentations on the Indigenous Culture of the Menominee, Oneida, and Ojibwe tribes, and SDI staff presented on the Menomonee Theoretical Model of Sustainability. Sharing Indigenous knowledge and experiences to build relationships with the Sami and Alaskan Natives has been life changing for our students, faculty, and staff. Currently, our Media Specialist is working on a short video from each place visited that will be available online and at the CMN library. GOAL 3: Objective 1: We were unable to complete the Program Evaluation Plan, but continue to focus on this work. Staff at the Sustainable Development Institute completed the final training on Indigenous Evaluation Methods in March on 2023 and are working to develop a written Indigenous Evaluation Plan. Objective 2: The Sustainable Development Institute engages community members in all proposed projects by holding community informational gathering sessions. Time permitting, the informational gathering sessions are before the grant is submitted, and often they are held after the grant is awarded.
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target population for this project is mainly CMN faculty and students. The majority of faculty are non-native and this project focused on expanding cultural knowledge to our faculty so they would gain the tools and understanding to work with Native American Students. The greater community is the secondary target audience. Changes/Problems:The Sustainability Coordinator was also acting as the Interim Director until January, 2022. In January, the Sustainable development Institute hired Tom Kenote Jr. as the Director of the Institute. During this reporting period, we still felt the impacts of COVID. There were more staff absentee, working from home had to be navigated, and COVID restrictions often impacted student learning. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?All staff at the Sustainable Development Institute participated in an Indigenous Evaluation Training that occurred on November 17, and December 15, 2021. The training was led by Dr. Nicole Bowman-Farrell of Bowman Performance Consulting. Dr. Bowman-Ferrell is an expert in culturally responsive research, policy, and evaluation through the Wisconsin Center for Education Research. Working with SDI staff, she customized the training to our needs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?On December 2, 2021, I presented at the 2021 Global Studies Symposium for Best Practices in International Education at Minority Serving Institutions and Community Colleges. The presentation was titled, "Uniting Indigenous Peoples through Collaborations". Student Interns were set to presented their projects at the August 2022 Community Report-out. However, COVID hit and everything was shut down. Due to students returning to school or work, the event was not rescheduled. In October, 2021 I attended FALCON along with several students. While I did not present on the project, I was able to share experiences and work with attendees. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to continue strengthening our global relationship building efforts. In hopes that COVID restrictions will be reduced, we plan to coordinate a visit to our Sami friends in Norway, and visit Utqiagvik College in Alaska. As we continue to build relationships we will explore how we will transfer knowledge learned to CMN faculty and staff. We will continue to promote and share the Menominee Model of Sustainability (MTMS) through materials and presentations, both locally and regionally. Students remain in the forefront of the College of Menominee Nation. The Sustainable Development Institute will work with them to develop internship projects that reflect the MTMS. We plan to provide place-based learning activities for our students as they work on this project with SDI staff and faculty mentors. We will continue to include cultural practices and activities in our work. This will include contracting with an Elder to mentor the students and staff to provide cultural teachings and support. Using what we have learned, and completing the evaluation training, we will work to formalize the evaluation process for research projects and workshops at the Sustainable Development Institute. We will frequently review our student intern program and adjust as needed. Finally, we will continue to work to improve the lives of American Indians through education.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
GOAL 1: Objective 1: During the last reporting period, we gathered evidence concerning faculty needs on culturally responsive practices. Responding to the information gathered from faculty members, the first training was held virtually on March 22, 2021. Kemawanuki (Paula Rabideaux), Assistance Coordinator of the Wisconsin Response to Intervention Center lead the training. After the training, it was decided that a second in-person delivery was required. Therefore, during this reporting period, a second training was held for faculty and staff. Everyone was encouraged to attend. The training was comprised of two parts. The first, Historical Trauma, taught how to appropriately recognize and address historical trauma regarding Native Americans. The second, Culturally Responsive Practices is designed to address equity issues and how to develop an inclusive learning environment, practices, strategies, and curriculum to include cultures of Native American students. Second, working with our collaborators at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and Northwestern University we developed a speaker series that brought in global Indigenous knowledge, history, and cultural perspectives for faculty and staff at the College of Menominee Nation (CMN). Due to the time zone difference, we called it "The Breakfast/Dinner Meeting". Fifteen to twenty individuals attended each lecture that was held on Saturday morning or evening depending on what time zone of the globe you resided. The following lectures occurred: September 11, The Tribal Community of the Asmat Tribe of New Guinea, and the Baduy people from Indonesia. November 15, The Center for SE Asian Studies - The Indigenous People and Communities. November 13, Anne Lasimbang, Executive Director of PACOS - Supporting Indigenous peoples in Azerbaijan. Third, to increase the awareness of the Tribal Departments within the Menominee Nation, we scheduled six off site visits on the Menominee Reservation for CMN faculty. Due to COVID restrictions and lockdowns, we could not complete these and hope to reschedule in the future. Objective 2: The 2022-25 College of Menominee Nation Strategic Plan, "A Vision to Action: A Path Forward on Institutional and Student Success" includes Goal 2: Excellence in Promoting the Menominee Model of Sustainability. Goal 2 has three objectives: Objective 1: Increase the use of the MTMS in curricular and co-curricular activities at the College of Menominee Nation. Objective 2: Utilize the MTMS to guide institutional decision making. Objective 3: Position CMN as a primary resource for the promotion and utilization of the MTMS. Goal Leader meet with a team to work on the objectives identified for each goal. Thus far, our completed work includes: Creating a baseline of existing materials; Developing onboarding materials for faculty and staff; Developing training materials and power points for staff to use; and Integrating the MTMS into research proposals, internships, and student work plans. Also, we are in open discussions with the faculty members of the Integrated Studies in Sustainability degree program and Sustainable Agriculture program to see how the MTMS can be injected into curriculum. Objective 3: At the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI), we have expanded our existing intern program. While COVID impacted our in-person meetings, community gatherings, and travel, we were able to continue our work with student interns, student workers, and work study students. Our intern program guides our students through an orientation, life skill building activities, cultural teachings, weekly goal planning, a mid-summer check-in with SDI, and a final report-out. At the final report-out to the community, each intern must complete and deliver an oral presentation and poster that reflects their project. GOAL 2: Objective1: Sharing the Menominee Theoretical Model of Sustainability (MTMS) is central to the work at the Sustainable Development Institute. In February of 2022, SDI staff met with CMN faculty members to share ideas on how to best implement the MTMS across the curriculum and to gather information on what the faculty is looking for in the area of professional development. We learned it is better to ask the faculty what they want us to provide, rather that create trainings based on what we think they need. Some of the key recommendations heard from faculty include the following: Honor our environment Honor our traditions Honor our families Honor our values In addition, the faculty recommended that CMN-SDI create and build a teaching lodge, hold cultural exchanges, and expanding our work to include more of a global perspective. They also requested raised garden beds for the summer. From these informational gathering sessions, we continued our work to develop relationships with Indigenous Communities by writing a grant that concentrations on this, and we developed materials that inform the MTMS. We did not provide the raised garden beds; however, they can pick up plants from our greenhouse in the spring if they would like. Objective 2: We were able to strengthen our work with the University of Wisconsin-Madison through monthly meetings that focused on international relationship building. We met with Alberto Vargas, Associate Director of the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies, and with Thomas DuBois, Chair of the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic as well as other faculty and visiting scholars in respective departments. Collaborating with larger institutions enhances and supports our work as they guided us to moved forward with building relationships with Indigenous Communities globally. The resources of a large college such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison is central for the success of our work. In 2022, we held the Indigenous Planning Summer Institute (IPSI). This institute, brought together Indigenous Knowledge Holders to share visions, build Nations, and empower future leaders through land-based learning. The institute included artists, musician, food and agricultural experts, foresters, and traditional teachers, that encompassed students, Elders, faculty, staff, and community members In the summer of 2022, we invited two individuals from Ilisagvik College in Utqiagvik, and one individual from Sami University in Norway to Sustainable Development Institute. While here, attended the Menominee Pow Wow to experience an amazing cultural event and attend IPSI. We were able to provide the format to exchange information, interact with faculty and staff, and present to our faculty and SDI staff at IPSI. GOAL 3: Objective 1: The Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) of the College of Menominee Nation (CMN) examined how we could evaluate our programs in a more cultural manner. We are moving towards an Indigenous evaluation model that includes talking circles, storytelling, and racial equity. SDI hosted two virtual training sessions that focused on Indigenous Evaluation Methods. They are as follows: November 17, 2021, Evaluation 101: General Evaluation, Indigenous Evaluation, and USDA Specific Evaluation Overview December 15, 2021, USDA Specific Evaluation - Co-Creating an Evaluation All SDI staff attending this training. Objective 2: The Sustainable Development Institute engages community members in all proposed projects by holding community informational gathering sessions. Time permitting, the informational gathering sessions are before the grant is submitted, and often they are held after the grant is awarded.
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Faculty at CMN continue to be the primary focus group of this project. We have continued to have meetings with faculty, training opportunities for faculty, and planning with faculty for meeting local needs for cultural enhancement. We have also secured printed media about Indigenous culture locally and internationally for use in our CMN Library. When possible, we have also opened up some of our opportunities to high school and middle school faculty in the region, especially those who work with Indigenous youth. Changes/Problems:We have had to deal with staff shortage and difficulties in bringing interns onto the project. There have been no easy work arounds for this situation that is region wide, but we continue to promote our positions via email communications and social media. Another change that we have made is to work with faculty especially during their in-service gatherings, and less formally otherwise. Time commitments for our faculty are very intense at times, so adding additional work has proven less than optimal. We are instead bringing a larger number of opportunities to connect with culture and then working with those faculty members who are available to attend as they can. From these seeds of interaction and discussion we are bringing additional culture into campus life. By far the biggest problem with the project has been the ongoing pandemic. This has forced us to adopt and improve our skills with virtual meeting technologies. Like so many others, we have developed the ability to bring interesting workshops to our target audience, although we are all looking forward to more spontaneous and personal meetings soon. An advantage to this is the ease of making connections with Indigenous people at far-flung locations. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We made CMN and other local faculty aware of video materials about local, Indigenous culture and provided some of them stipends to support their professional development in this area. We arranged presentations and discussions for faculty with local elders who are knowledgeable in local culture and who have experience working in academic settings. The team switched facilitators during these events so that more of us have gained some experience helping to facilitate virtual meetings. We hosted a virtual Earth Day event that featured a keynote address from Winona LaDuke. Faculty and students were among the many participants. We contracted with a professional educator to provide to CMN staff a multi-day training on historical trauma. The response was overwhelmingly favorable. Our project intern at the Green Bay campus not only learned more about phenology trails and local connections with Oneida people, but she gave several presentations and also delivered a training for faculty about her work and how more faculty could incorporate visits to the forest into their curricula. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We continue to incorporate our project into our social media posts, our community report out, our YouTube videos, and in our meetings with faculty. We look forward to updating our local stakeholders directly as soon as it is safe to do so. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will hold a faculty in-service about historic trauma and helping to overcome it with Kamewanukiw in December. In October we will also hold a one day conference about empowering women with local women in roles of leadership, business, and culture. Additional discussions and workshops with faculty are anticipated to flesh out project activities through next spring. Ongoing development of our Sustainable Agriculture degree program will continue, with three more courses planned for delivery in spring and another planned for delivery in the summer. We have created additional intern positions for the fall to help incorporate more Indigenous culture at both of our campuses. Language is an area of special interest, and we are keen to reach out to and learn more about the Oneida and the Stockbridge-Munsee. Our international meetings, which have only just begun, have excellent connections and a long list of possible connections to explore. We expect to hold one or two meetings each month. Currently, the pandemic is limiting meetings on our reservations and beyond. We will be joining more virtual meetings with local groups as these are being developed for the fall. As soon as we can again hold meetings, we will promote to our faculty the weekly elders/language meetings, the quarterly community engagement meetings, and others.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This year we provided several opportunities for faculty engagement with Indigenous culture. For objective 1, we held a project planning meeting during a faculty inservice. This has helped us to focus our trainings and other activities to meet specific needs that were identified (greater familiarity with Menominee culture, empowerment of local women). We offered stipends to our faculty and to local high and middle school faculty to watch PBS videos about the local Indigenous cultures during the height of the pandemic last winter. This we followed up with virtual meetings with local elders (UW-GB faculty member Napos, Author Thomas Weso) who discussed their perspectives on education and Menominee culture in an academic setting. Kamewanukiw was also invited to deliver a series of workshops to CMN staff on Historic Trauma and how to address it. A similar series for CMN faculty is planned for December. Throughout the year a faculty member worked on getting approval for the Sustainable Agriculture degree program, which was fully approved and got underway this summer. The first course, SUS301 - Tools for Food Production, included regular discussion of the Menominee Theoretical Model of Sustainability as students explored tools from historic to modern. The model is woven throughout the curriculum, and will be included in all the other courses as each syllabus is finished and aligned with our new general education outcomes. To address Objective 3, one of our students came on as a project intern at our Green Bay campus, and with her mentor designed a project that would focus on developing a culturally relevant phenonology trail there to reflect Oneida cultural touchstones. She reported on her work to other interns during an intern sumer gathering, and she led an exercise on how to use phenology trails for faculty members during their August in-service. She has plans to discuss her work at the AISES conference in late September. Throughout the year we held meetings with Dr. Alberto Vargas from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He found funds to provide additional books requested by our faculty to address the incorporation of additional Indigenous culture in our courses. These include international perspectives, especially for the agriculture program, and they will become part of our library collection at the college. The team at SDI has developed a functional sharing of project activities to accomplish our goals (Goal 2, Objective 1), which has been especially important after our project lead changed and the current PI switched to a stronger focus on Goal 1, Objective 2. To increase our international connections (Goal 2, Objective 2), we have collaborated further with Dr. Vargas and his connections to begin monthly virtual meetings, beginning first with contacts with Indigenous groups in Indonesia and Cambodia. These began in August, and we have hopes to include CMN faculty, staff, students, and others as we look to meet with Indigenous people around the globe. We have not made much recent progress with Goal 3, largely due to the pandemic limiting our ability to meet with our stakeholders. However, we have now contracted with a talented evaluator who will assist us with developing this evaluation plan and implementing it in the coming year as we wrap up this project. Also, more opportunities for virtual meetings are being developed, and we hope to talk further with more local Menominee people in the fall.
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target is the full time faculty at College of Menominee Nation (14), CMN students (@200), the population on the Reservation, and beyond. We worked directly with faculty and students and reported out to others. Changes/Problems:Our goals and objectives have remained the same. However, another major shift in project staff, this time the switch of our PD with a new person, has again slowed progress in project activities. Also, the pandemic has twice locked down the college and kept most of us at a distance from March onward. Virtual meetings and workshops are okay, but attendance and enthusiasm seems lower compared to in person events with a luncheon. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Encouraged attendance of faculty at the regular Community Engagement Workshops held in Keshena quarterly Monthly meetings of faculty with Tribal members to educate faculty about Menominee culture Summer interns from across our suite of projects all spent time considering sustainability and preparing presentations for the public. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?FALCON meeting presentations by 2019 summer interns in Denver, CO Community Report Out by 2020 summer interns in Keshena, WI Facebook posts and YouTube videos by our interns What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We have begun regular CMN-SDI staff meetings specifically for this project to make sure that we achieve the project objectives. We have also met with the project team to begin developing international connections, to begin incorporating Menominee culture and sustainability considerations into academics at CMN. A new faculty partner will be chosen in September, and once engaged we will begin to work on all three goals throughout the third year.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Beginning in September 2019, CMN Faculty began attending quarterly Community Engagement Workshops with the Menominee community. They wrote a plan for gathering input and guidance on rewriting the general educational outcomes for the college to better reflect Menominee values and culture. Faculty also attended monthly meetings to become better acquainted with Menominee culture and the elements of the Menominee Theoretical Model of Sustainability beginning in January, 2020. The first meeting introduced Menominee culture, language, and food, as well as introduced the faculty to project partners who can facilitate international connections as the project unfolds. The second was a meeting with a community group dedicated to political and food sovereignty, where again Indigenous foods were served and long term sustainability considered. The next meeting was with Tribal leadership to forge better understand the institutional framework with which the Menominee Tribe conducts its business as well as critical political history. After the pandemic struck, a virtual meeting to discuss the nature of the relationship of the Menominee people with the Menominee forest was held with a local forest expert. This example of very successful, long-term relationships helped demonstrate the connection between Menominee culture and sustainability concerns. In spring, interns were eventually hired and began to carry out their work with social distancing, hand sanitization, and masks. Despite the problem with switching many activities to virtual, we were able to conduct most of our usual training and research activities. Staff has also spent considerable effort at reorganizing the project after the change to a new PD and in light of the ongoing pandemic lockdowns.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:For this year of the project our target audience was the full time faculty (14), students at the College of Menominee Nation, younger students in the area, and the general public. Changes/Problems:Our biggest problem was a major delay due to staff changes between writing the proposal and initiating project activities. Two of our staff left, and this set us back by many months. However, we did not change our goals and began planning project activities in spring of 2019. These were implemented beginning in spring and have continued since. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We held a one day session with faculty to discuss the MTMS and community engagement in August. Interns and leadership students went on tours and carried out research into questions of sustainability throughout the summer. They also assisted with public outreach to younger students. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our fifteen student interns gave presentations on their projects at the Report Out event in early August, and our social media posts and YouTube uploads reached many throughout this time period. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We planned for monthly meetings of faculty and community members, each of whom represent one of the elements of the Menominee Model. We planned for internships for students that would incorporate consideration of sustainability. We planned to meet with other project partners to extend our connections internationally.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This year we began strongly focused upon the first goal. We held an inservice program with the full time faculty in August of 2019. This involved a discussion of the Menominee Theoretical Model of Sustainability (MTMS), and a planning session for ongoing professional development concerning Menominee language and culture that would take place throughout the upcoming academic year. We met with the new sustainable agriculture faculty member and continued to support the faculty member heading up the new Integrated Studies program. Both are interested in ongoing community connections. We also included discussions and applications of sustainability with our summer interns who joined us from spring and into the fall. Interns carried out projects and reported them to the public on several occasions.
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