Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Tribal students and communities are the primary audiences for this project, inclusive of Tribal faculty and staff at NDSU, and regional Tribal Nations. On campus, through our scholarship opportunity, needs assessment, and work to design a community space, we specifically targeted Tribal students on campus. Our Extension efforts have focused on Tribal students and administrators at our state TCUs of which North Dakota has five. Tribal students who receive scholarships are monitored through the Office of Multicultural Programs and our NDSU Extension Tribal Liaison continues to connect with administrators at TCUs. Our target audience also includes the NDSU campus community more broadly as we work on professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, and administrators to expand their knowledge of Indigenous people and Nations with a focus on Tribal communities in North Dakota. Changes/Problems:Not all TCUs were available for in-person events on their campuses. Input from the Tribal Advisory Council on grant activities continues to be critical and scheduling joint sessions of our grant Steering/Team and the council is being considered. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Professional Development opportunities focused on Tribal concerns are offered throughout the year for faculty, staff, and administrators and the following were offered over the past year: ? A discussion series, Including U, is a conversation series open to the NDSU community that focuses on a diverse range of experiences and identities in Higher Education. On October 11th, 2023 the session topic was Indigenous perspectives. The Tribal Initiatives Coordinator talked about growing up on Tribal Reservations vs Inner City Indigenous students. As well as different stereotypes and challenges Indigenous students may face on campus. ? The Tribal Initiatives Coordinator helped the school of Pharmacy institute a new informational flier, hoping to gain for Indigenous students into their program. ? Through collaborations with the ND Governor's office and working with the ND Native American Essential Understandings (NDNAEU) curricula, staff provided training for project team members and campus staff, faculty, and graduate students How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The NDSU Agricultural Affairs DEI Council meets on a bi-monthly basis, and NBTS project updates are regularly shared. This DEI Council has hosted a speaker on land acknowledgement development and use and our NDSU Extension Liaison continues to engage in Tribal community outreach and our project activities are included on our institution's Tribal initiatives webpage: https://www.ndsu.edu/inclusioncouncil/native_american_initiatives/ A web page for Indigenous students and the surrounding community is being developed. The website will include student statistics, key personnel information, and resources including links to Tribal information will be provided to help students stay connected with the tribe they hold membership and with home, and to partnering web pages developed to promote student engagement. It will also include resources for campus and external partners as well. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The New Beginnings Team will continue to work towards objectives of this project to further institutionalize a more Tribally informed and welcoming campus culture. Grant team members are also developing publications that describe and discuss the project approach, internal and external needs assessment findings, activities, and lessons learned. Additional training is planned and participants will be recruited to become members of an ND Native American Essential Understandings (NDNAEU) Team of Champions cohort who will provide additional guidance/recommendations for integrating learning into required Equal Opportunity trainings as well as academic/curricular change. Participants/Actual FTE's/Student Count/CIP about those involved with the grant. Note effort here (for faculty/Co-PIs) which should at least equal what we noted their match was for the last year (which is available in our budget).
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We have made the following progress in providing meaningful higher education opportunities for Tribal students: Obj 1: Assessment of Native student needs, internal deficits in awareness, support structure, The External needs assessment has been completed and findings have been shared with stakeholders. In progress for the 2024-2025 year, different educational departments will start designating department representatives to serve as Tribal Student Liaisons. For the 2023-2024 school year, faculty fellows on the New Beginnings Grant, have had multiple conversations with TCU's in the realm of agricultural educational. Obj 2: Attract and recruit tribal students. This objective has guided us to provide additional scholarships and recruit students through networking with TCUs, area schools, and local Indigenous community groups. Specific actions taken include: New Beginnings Scholarships for Tribal Students were established to assist with tuition, fees, and expenses. To date over 50 students received a scholarship of $800 per semester. To reduce barriers and increase access for students, NDSU has waived its application fee for students since Fall 2020. NDSU has also increased the number of new Cultural Diversity Tuition Waivers (CDTWs). During the 2023-2024 Semester, NDSU changed policy, stating any tribally enrolled member who applies to the CDTW for their first semester, will receive it, this is ahead of other students who may be put on a wait list. Hired an Inclusive Recruitment and Engagement Specialist to conduct school visits to local Indian Education programs and tribal community high schools and colleges in the region, and to assist with the coordination of events and tours for Tribal students, including the annual Indigenous Student Visit Day recruitment event, which was attended by over 100 students in October 2023. This event was held 1 month earlier than years prior, to gain more participants, ahead of North Dakota winter weather. Completed the Native American Student Resource Room within OMP to offer a comfortable, safe environment for peer interaction, mentorship, and studying. The furnishings for the room arrived in June 2022 and are in place for students to use. Along with the completed mural done in 2022 of a great plane landscape, a second mural on the adjacent wall will be completed when the artist is next available. The resource room houses around 15-20 students per day. From hosting organizational meetings, to multicultural therapy circles, to just your typical study center. Continued working with the Tribal Student Engagement & Community (T-SEC) group. The Tribal Initiatives Coordinator took over the lead of the T-SEC group. Poll went out to expand T-SEC group. When the T-SEC group rejoins, it will have representatives from different areas on campus that want to do more for their Indigenous Students. Obj 3: Increase tribal students' retention, persistence, graduation and success rate. This goal guides us to connect Indigenous students to resources on campus and to develop an early warning system for Tribal students at risk of leaving NDSU. Efforts include prioritizing work with Student/Academic service units to improve supports for Tribal students and providing additional professional development opportunities to faculty and staff to increase the knowledge and awareness regarding Tribal students. Specific actions taken include: A Tribal Initiatives Director, Vanessa Rabitaille-Kinney, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, joined our project team in December 2022 and supported student mentoring and retention efforts. Creating a new mentoring program and maintaining active communication with students with one-on-one personal meetings. Professional Development opportunities are offered several times a year for faculty, staff, and administrators including Tribal Colleges and Universities president keynotes at Faculty Luncheons (Fall 2021, Dr. Leander McDonald, President of United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck, ND; Spring 2022, Dr. Cynthia Lindquist, President of Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Ft. Totten, ND). Through collaborations with the ND Governor's office and the ND Native American Essential Understandings curricula, training was provided for staff, faculty, and graduate students (Spring 2022). A New Beginnings Newsletter was created in January of 2023. This connected students to events and opportunities on campus as well as give them a form of connection that only other Indigenous students get to see. With helping hints and tricks to succeed in university. The Director of Tribal Partnerships position was recently filled to increase tribal students' retention, persistence, grad rate and success in May 2023. Obj 4: Disseminate and promote program to tribal stakeholders. To address this objective, the Agriculture and Extension office presents project activities and outcomes at the Annual Fall Extension conference.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Tribal students and communities are the primary audiences for this project, inclusive of Tribal faculty and staff at NDSU, and regional Tribal Nations. On campus, through our scholarship opportunity, needs assessment, and work to design a community space, we specifically targeted Tribal students on campus. Our Extension efforts have focused on Tribal students and administrators at our state TCUs of which North Dakota has five. Tribal students who receive scholarships are monitored through the Office of Multicultural Programs and our NDSU Extension Tribal Liaison continues to connect with administrators at TCUs. Our target audience also includes the NDSU campus community more broadly as we work on professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, and administrators to expand their knowledge of Indigenous people and Nations with a focus on Tribal communities in North Dakota. Changes/Problems:Not all TCUs were available for in-person events on their campuses. Input from the Tribal Advisory Council on grant activities continues to be critical and scheduling joint sessions of our grant Steering/Team and the council is being considered What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Professional Development opportunities focused on Tribal concerns are offered throughout the year for faculty, staff, and administrators and the following were offered over the past year: ? A discussion series, Including U, is a conversation series open to the NDSU community that focuses on a diverse range of experiences and identities in Higher Education. On October 7, 2022 the session topic was Indigenous perspectives. ? Through collaborations with the ND Governor's office and working with the ND Native American Essential Understandings (NDNAEU) curricula, staffprovided training for project team members and campus staff, faculty, and graduate students How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The NDSU Agricultural Affairs DEI Council meets on a bi-monthly basis, and NBTS project updates are regularly shared. This DEI Council has hosted a speaker on land acknowledgement development and use and our NDSU Extension Liaison continues to engage in Tribal community outreach and our project activities are included on our institution's Tribal initiatives webpage: https://www.ndsu.edu/inclusioncouncil/native_american_initiatives/ A web page for Indigenous students and the surrounding community is being developed. When fully developed the website will be regularly updated to include student statistics, key personnel information, and resources including links to Tribal information will be provided to help students stay connected with the tribe they hold membership and with home, and to partnering web pages developed to promote student engagement. It will also include resources for campus and external partners as well. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The New Beginnings Team will continue to work towards objectives of this project to further institutionalize a more Tribally informed and welcoming campus culture. Grant team members are also developing publications that describe and discuss the project approach, internal and external needs assessment findings, activities, and lessons learned. Additional training is planned and participants will be recruited to become members of an ND Native American Essential Understandings (NDNAEU) Team of Champions cohort who will provide additional guidance/recommendations for integrating learning into required Equal Opportunity trainings as well as academic/curricular change.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
?In addition to improved collaboration among several Tribal-focused departments and programs, we are in the works to revamp the Advisory Council we are working towards making it a standing committee of NDSU's President's Council on Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect. We continue to reach out to area TCUs to strengthen those relationships. Please note that this grant is one of a trio of grants awarded through NBTS program, each intentionally integrated with the others in order to support meaningful higher education opportunities for Tribal students and we have made the following progress: Obj 1: Assessment of Native student needs, internal deficits in awareness, support structure, The External needs assessment has been completed and findings have been shared with stakeholders. Obj 2: Attract and recruit tribal students. This objective has guided us to provide additional scholarships and recruit students through networking with TCUs, area schools, and local Indigenous community groups. Specific actions taken include: ? New Beginnings Scholarships for Tribal Students were established to assist with tuition, fees, and expenses. To date over 53 students received a scholarship per semester. ? To reduce barriers and increase access for students, NDSU has waived its application fee for students since Fall 2020. NDSU has also increased the number of new Cultural Diversity Tuition Waivers (CDTWs). During the 2022-23 academic year, 13 Tribal students who applied, received the CDTW. ? Hired an Inclusive Recruitment and Engagement Specialist to conduct school visits to local Indian Education programs and tribal community high schools and colleges in the region, and to assist with the coordination of events and tours for Tribal students, including the annual Indigenous Student Visit Day recruitment event, which was attended by 106 students and 121 total people in November 2022. ? Completed the Native American Student Resource Room within OMP to offer a comfortable, safe environment for peer interaction, mentorship, and studying. The furnishings for the room arrived in June 2022 and are in place for students to use. Along with the completed mural done in 2022 of a great plane landscape, a second mural on the adjacent wall will be completed when the artist is next available. ? Continued working with the Tribal Student Engagement & Community (T-SEC) group. The Tribal Initiatives Coordinator, hired in December 2022, took over the lead of the T-SEC group. Obj 3: Increase tribal students' retention, persistence, graduation and success rate. This goal guides us to connect Indigenous students to resources on campus and to develop an early warning system for Tribal students at risk of leaving NDSU. Efforts include prioritizing work with Student/Academic service units to improve supports for Tribal students and providing additional professional development opportunities to faculty and staff to increase the knowledge and awareness regarding Tribal students. Specific actions taken include: A Tribal Initiatives Director, Vanessa Rabitaille-Kinney, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, joined our project team in December 2022 and supported student mentoring and retention efforts. Creating a new mentoring program and maintaining active communication with students with one-on-one personal meetings. Professional Development opportunities are offered several times a year for faculty, staff, and administrators including Tribal Colleges and Universities president keynotes at Faculty Luncheons (Fall 2021, Dr. Leander McDonald, President of United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck, ND; Spring 2022, Dr. Cynthia Lindquist, President of CankdeskaCikana Community College, Ft. Totten, ND). Through collaborations with the ND Governor's office and the ND Native American Essential Understandings curricula, training was provided for staff, faculty, and graduate students (Spring 2022). A New Beginnings Newsletter was created in January of 2023. This connected students to events and opportunities on campus as well as give them a form of connection that only other Indigenous students get to see. Helping hints and tricks to succeed in university are included in the newsletter. The Director of Tribal Partnerships position was recently filled to increase tribal students' retention, persistence, grad rate and success in May 2023. Obj 4: Disseminate and promote program to tribal stakeholders. To address this objective, the Agriculture and Extension office presents project activities and outcomes at the Annual Fall Extension conference. The faculty fellows presented at the North Dakota Council of Educational Leadership, the Bismarck Indigenous Education Summit, and the North Dakota Indian Education Summit. In these presentations, they talk specifically about the work being done at NDSU.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Tribal students and communities are the primary audiences for this project, inclusive of Tribal faculty and staff at NDSU, and regional Tribal Nations. On campus, through our scholarship opportunity, needs assessment, and work to design a community space, we specifically targeted Tribal students on campus. Our Extension efforts have focused on Tribal students and administrators at our state TCUs of which North Dakota has five. Tribal students who receive scholarships are monitored through the Office of Multicultural Programs and our NDSU Extension Tribal Liaison continues to connect with administrators at TCUs. Our target audience also includes the NDSU campus community more broadly as we work on professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, and administrators to expand their knowledge of Indigenous people and Nations with a focus on Tribal communities in North Dakota. Changes/Problems:COVID continued to impact both recruitment and retention efforts of students, making travel and in-person contact inconsistent. Not all TCUs were available for in-person events on their campuses. Input from the Tribal Advisory Council on grant activities continues to be critical and scheduling joint sessions of our grant Steering/Team and the council is being considered. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Professional Development opportunities focused on Tribal concerns are offered several times a year for faculty, staff, and administrators and the following were offered over the past year: A discussion series, Including U, is a conversation series open to the NDSU community that focuses on a diverse range of experiences and identities in Higher Education. On October 7, 2021 the session topic was Indigenous perspectives. Through collaborations with the ND Governor's office and working with the ND Native American Essential Understandings (NDNAEU) curricula, staff provided training for project team members and campus staff, faculty, and graduate students. Most recently on 4/7/22, our team hosted a ND Essential Understandings Training/Luncheon. Additional training is planned and participants will be recruited to become members of an NDNAEU Team of Champions cohort who will provide additional guidance/recommendations for integrating learning into required Equal Opportunity trainings. The cohort is also intended to provide support for faculty to apply their increased knowledge and awareness regarding Tribal students to their academic/curricular praxis. Keynotes from Tribal Colleges and Universities presidents at 2 virtual/in-person hybrid Faculty Pedagogical Luncheons: 12/7/21: A Native Perspective of Higher Education, Leander R. McDonald, President, United Tribes Technical College. Dr. McDonald shared his insights on how to support Tribal students in and out of the classroom. 4/25/22: Supporting Tribal students and the Importance of Tribal Colleges, Cynthia Lindquist, President, Cankdeska Cikana Community College. Dr. Lindquist discussed the importance of Tribal Colleges in our state and suggested pathways for collaborations between CCCC and NDSU. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The NDSU Agricultural Affairs DEI Council meets on a bi-monthly basis, and NBTS project updates are regularly shared. This DEI Council has hosted a speaker on land acknowledgement development and use and our NDSU Extension Liaison continues to engage in Tribal community outreach and our project activities are included on our institution's Tribal initiatives webpage: https://www.ndsu.edu/inclusioncouncil/native_american_initiatives/ What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The New Beginnings Team will continue to work towards objectives of this project to further institutionalize a more Tribally informed and welcoming campus culture. ?Grant team members are also developing publications that describe and discuss the project approach, internal and external needs assessment findings, activities, and lessons learned. Additional training is planned and participants will be recruited to become members of an ND Native American Essential Understandings (NDNAEU) Team of Champions cohort who will provide additional guidance/recommendations for integrating learning into required Equal Opportunity trainings as well as academic/curricular change.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In addition to improved collaboration among several Tribal-focused departments and programs, we have established an Advisory Council which will become a standing committee of NDSU's President's Council on Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect. We continued to reach out to area TCUs to strengthen those relationships. We have made the following progress in providing meaningful higher education opportunities for Tribal students: Obj 1: Assessment of Native student needs, internal deficits in awareness, support structure, The External needs assessment has been completed and findings have been shared with stakeholders. This assessment (N= 6) included students and staff from (2) area TCUs and Extension staff working with those colleges. A summary of the data collected was completed and presented to the grant team on 2/25/22. An additional presentation was provided to NDSU's President's Council for Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect on 3/7/22. Findings included: There is a need for transitional supports such as for applying to NDSU and funding a college education as well as accessing community amenities (housing, childcare, social programs). Proximity may be an especially important factor for first generation students who may choose to attend a TCU because they can live at home and the tuition cost is significantly more affordable. The transfer process to college may be unfamiliar and urban settings can be more difficult. Specific difficulties noted included completing college forms and knowing due dates, as well as managing applications for housing, childcare, and available assistance programs (getting on waiting lists, etc.). A concern for Tribal students attending school away from home was ending up with student loan debt that would be difficult to pay off should the student return home for work. Participants also indicated that education for all NDSU community members regarding history of Indigenous people in US and ND, as well as training in cultural sensitivity and historical/traditional ways - including a recognition that Indigenous ways are vastly different than white/western/Eurocentric ways - would be important to building relationships among NDSU and TCUs. The Internal Needs Assessment included surveys and key informant interviews that were completed Fall 2021. A literature review and a review of key points from secondary data sources were also completed. An online survey was distributed to NDSU Native American students (N=35, out of ~250) and NDSU faculty, staff, and administrators (N=315, out of ~4,622). More in-depth interviews were conducted with individuals identified as key informants (N=5) on campus. Additionally, an online evaluation of participants of the ND Native American Essential Understandings training in May 2021 was conducted (N=20, out of ~90). Secondary analysis in this assessment included: annotated bibliographies, scan of Native American services at other institutions, secondary data analysis, and asset mapping. A Summary Report was completed and presented to the grant team on 2/25/22 and to the President's Council for Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect on 3/7/22. Key findings included: Faculty, staff, and administrators and Native American students at NDSU are in agreement that levels of knowledge about Native American cultures are low. Financial and academic supports are important to Native American students, as well as figuring out next steps after graduation; having faculty who are understanding of personal circumstances is also important. One in 3 students had witnessed racism at NDSU, and many students indicated it is a factor in whether they have considered leaving NDSU; they did not include the university's response to racism as one of the top 3 factors to help them graduate and generally did not feel that reporting incidents they have experienced or witnessed is worth the effort. Native American students prioritized their needs differently from what faculty, staff, and administrators indicated they believed were primary Tribal student needs. Obj 2: Attract and recruit tribal students. This objective has guided us to provide additional scholarships and recruit students through networking with TCUs, area schools, and local Indigenous community groups. Specific actions taken include: New Beginnings Scholarships for Tribal Students were established to assist with tuition, fees, and expenses. To date over 40 students received a scholarship. To reduce barriers and increase access for students, NDSU has waived its application fee for students since Fall 2020. NDSU has also increased the number of new Cultural Diversity Tuition Waivers (CDTWs). During the 2021-22, 60% of the CDTWs were awarded to Tribal students. Hired an Inclusive Recruitment and Engagement Specialist to conduct school visits to local Indian Education programs and tribal community high schools and colleges in the region, and to assist with the coordination of events and tours for Tribal students, including the annual Indigenous Student Visit Day recruitment event, which was attended by 88 students and 121 total people in November 2021. Completed the Native American Student Resource Room within OMP to offer a comfortable, safe environment for peer interaction, mentorship, and studying. The furnishings for the room arrived in June 2022 and are in place for students to use. Through an on-line survey regarding student input into the space, we learned that the students would like to see Native American artwork depicting Great Plains tribes. An NDSU Alum was contracted to design a mural for the resource room and that will be put into place in the summer of 2022. Continued working with the Tribal Student Engagement & Community (T-SEC) group and the Advisory Committee. Obj 3: Increase tribal students' retention, persistence, graduation and success rate. This goal guides us to connect Indigenous students to resources on campus and to develop an early warning system for Tribal students at risk of leaving NDSU. Efforts include prioritizing work with Student/Academic service units to improve supports for Tribal students and providing additional professional development opportunities to faculty and staff to increase the knowledge and awareness regarding Tribal students. Specific actions taken include: A Tribal Initiatives Director, Tyrel Iron Eyes, Standing Rock Lakota and Dakota, joined our project team in November 2021 and supported student mentoring and retention efforts. Partial funding for this position was funded through the supplemental funds awarded to this project. Professional Development opportunities are offered several times a year for faculty, staff, and administrators including Tribal Colleges and Universities president keynotes at Faculty Luncheons (Fall 2021, Dr. Leander McDonald, President of United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck, ND; Spring 2022, Dr. Cynthia Lindquist, President of Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Ft. Totten, ND). Through collaborations with the ND Governor's office and the ND Native American Essential Understandings curricula, training was provided for staff, faculty, and graduate students (Spring 2022). Obj 4: Disseminate and promote program to tribal stakeholders. To address this objective, the Agriculture and Extension office presents project activities and outcomes at the Annual Fall Extension conference. In October 2021, the Agricultural Affairs DEI Council presented survey findings, shared good/best practices when working with and building relationships with Indigenous partners, and hosted a roundtable discussion to learn from one another and highlight what has gone well and learn about what might be needed/strengthened. Subcommittee members include faculty, Extension specialists, Extension agents, staff, and administrators. Twenty Extension professionals attended the breakout session and evaluations indicated the usefulness, benefits, and need for the information.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Tribal students and communities are the primary audiences for this project, inclusive of Tribal faculty and staff at NDSU, and regional Tribal Nations. On campus, through our scholarship opportunity, needs assessment, and work to design a community space, we specifically targeted Tribal students on campus. Our Extension efforts have focused on Tribal students and administrators at our state TCUs of which North Dakota has five. Our target audience also includes the NDSU campus community more broadly as we work on professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, and administrators. Over 20 tribal students received scholarships that will be monitored through OMP. NDSU Extension Tribal Liason has been connecting with adminstrators at TCUs. Provided training opportunities to faculty, staff and administrators on campus to expand their knowledge of Indigenous populations in the state. Changes/Problems:COVID impacted both recruitment and retention efforts of students. Office of Admissions could not visit Tribal Communities and needs assessments were completed virtually. COVID also impacted the timeline for recruitment of participants in our Tribal Advisory Council and our T-SEC. The Tribal Advisory Council did not meet until after the Essentials Understandings training was selected and implemented. Moving forward, their input on grant activities will be critical. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?January 21, 2021: New Beginnings Grant Team members and administrators and staff (n of 18) attended professional development, reviewing the ND Native American Essential Understandings (NDNAEU); discussions included a review of the "Teachings of Our Elders" website, approaches to designing lessons that incorporate the NDNAEU, and an overview of the trainings available for working with the NDNAEU May 7, 2021: Faculty, staff and administrators (n of 90) participated in a professional development opportunity that project team members had worked with presenters from the ND Governor's Office to tailor to NDSU needs: Making Connections: How North Dakota Native American Essential Understandings Can Help Us Connect with Native American Students, Colleagues, and Communities; Similar events are scheduled for Fall and Spring semesters. Spring 2021: NDSU Extension has hosted Essential Understandings for Family & Community Wellness Educators (also invited 1994s). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Hired NDSU Extension Liaison to engage in Tribal community outreach Put out a press release announcing the grant award and inviting participation in the 5/7/21 professional development opportunity Included the grant description on NDSU's website https://www.ndsu.edu/inclusioncouncil/native_american_initiatives/ Reached out to faculty and staff with demonstrated interest in Tribal-focused concerns or resources (program offices, grants, academic programs, faculty, student spaces and professional groups, etc.) with the end goal of creating an Assets Map documenting those resources which may include a section on relevant local and regional resources Post-Training participant evaluations were summarized and reviewed to improve and further tailor future trainings. NDSU Agricultural Affairs DEI Council meets on a bi-monthly basis, sharing New Beginnings updates. Developing survey for Ag Affairs staff/faculty to gauge involvement with tribal communities/students. DEI council also hosted a speaker on land acknowledgement development and use. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Complete/update the External needs assessment and develop a summary report. Share findings/summary with stakeholders/participants/TCUs Complete/update the Internal needs assessment surveys and key informant interviews, as well as a literature review and key points from secondary data sources, and develop a summary report Provide additional scholarships and recruit additional students through networking with TCUs, areas schools, and local Indigenous community group Complete the Tribal student space; support its use by Tribal students through programming Continue to work with the Tribal Student Engagement & Community (T-SEC) group and the Advisory Council Establish a peer-mentoring program to assist with connecting Indigenous students to resources on campus Establish an early warning system using the Navigate Advising Platform for students at risk of leaving NDSU in collaboration with the Advising and Career Center Work with Student/Academic service units to improve supports for Tribal students; specifically, will work collaboratively with tutors and provide training to support Tribal students by incorporating Indigenous teaching and learning methods Hire a faculty fellow to develop a training curriculum centered on Indigenous teaching and learning methods Provide additional professional development opportunities to increase the knowledge and awareness of faculty and staff regarding Tribal students Present project activities and outcomes at Annual Fall Extension conference Develop 1-4 publications - white papers and/or research articles to describe and discuss the project approach, internal and external needs assessment findings, activities, and lessons learned Complete a final project evaluation report
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In addition to improved Collaboration among several Tribal-focused departments and programs via a newly formed network of interested persons who developed this project, relationships with area TCUs were strengthened and we have made the following progress in providing meaningful higher education opportunities for Tribal students: Obj 1: Assessment of Native student needs, internal deficits in awareness, support structure An External needs assessment with Tribal Stakeholders, conducted virtually, is partially complete; additional interviews are scheduled and awaiting final IRB/administrative committee approval for Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College in New Town, ND An NDSU Internal needs assessment included: Tribal students (n of 39) who completed a survey. Faculty, staff, and administration (n of 307) who also completed a survey. Key Informant interviews are ongoing (n of 5 currently). Evaluation of a campus-wide training event (n of 25). The Advisory Council of campus and community members has been established; regular meetings with the council have been scheduled Membership in the Tribal Student Engagement& Community (T-SEC) group, charged with internal coordination of support infrastructure for the project, has been identified and an initial meeting is scheduled Project team members read An Indigenous Peoples History of the US by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz Several books are being considered for a campus common read and for integrating into Introductory Writing courses A brief online Cultural Competency course is in development and completion of the course will be an expectation for all incoming freshmen beginning Fall 2021 Obj 2: Attract and recruit tribal students The Office of Multicultural Programs and the Office of Admissions have invited Tribal students to apply for scholarships Tribal students have been surveyed regarding their NDSU college experiences and needs, as well as their needs and preferences for a Tribal Student community space. We have established eligibility criteria for scholarships and provided scholarships to Tribal students. This year 85 students applied for Native and New Beginnings scholarship, 71 of them were qualified, with 26 students receiving scholarships. The Tribal Student community space is being designed based on student input and is nearing completion. Dr. Susan Ray-Degges, Interior design faculty, and her students have developed two design options for the room. NDSU Extension has reached out to Tribal community stakeholders to assess the needs of Tribal students and to document what they see as strengths and concerns for NDSU Two graduate students have been hired to support needs assessments, programming, mentoring, and evaluation processes
Publications
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