Summary: This report is focused on two things. First, it draws - PDF document

HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING COMMISSION April 13, 2017 Docket Item: Report on American Indian/ Alaska Native students and Higher Education Coordinating Commission relations to Oregon’ s federally recognized tribes. Summary: This report is focused on two things. First, it draws attention to the visibility of American Indian/ Alaska Native (AI/ AN) 1 higher education students in Oregon (OR) and the programmatic and services gaps they experience. S econd, the document offers recommendations to t he Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) and Oregon’ s post-secondary institutions based on best practices that will potentially improve Native student post-secondary engagement, participation and performance rates. The intended audience for the report is the HECC agency, commission, and post-secondary institutions in Oregon. Report Attached: S trengthening Oregon’ s Higher Education Landscape: Tribes, American Indian/ Alaska Native S tudents, and Institutions of Higher Education (Mahalia Yakeleya Newmark, Hatfield Resident Fellow) Staff Recommendation: Information and Discussion Item. 1 The t erm “ American Indian/ Alaska Nat ive” represent s a member of a federally recognized t ribe or village of t he Unit ed S t at es. U.S . Depart ment of t he Int erior, Indian Affairs “ Frequent ly Asked Quest ions,” accessed April 6, 2017, ht t ps:/ / www.bia.gov/ FAQs/ Throughout t he report , t he t erm “ American Indian/ Alaska Nat ive” or “ Nat ive,” will be used int erchangeably. 1

STRENGTHENI NG OREGON ’ S HI GHER EDUCATI ON LANDSCAPE : Tribes, American Indian/Alaska Native Students, and Institutions of Higher Education Photo courtesy of Oregon Tech

Strengthening Oregon’s Higher Education Landscape: Tribes, American Indian/Alaska Native Students, and Institutions of Higher Education A Report Prepared for the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission April 13, 2017 Mahalia Yakeleya Newmark, MPA Hatfield Resident Fellow, Portland State University 2

Table of contents 4 Executive Summary: Strengthening Oregon’s Higher Education Landscape 5 Acknowledgements 6 I ntroduction 6 Native Education History in Oregon 7 Current State of Native Higher Education 9 Framework 9 Four Values: Relationships, Respect, Reciprocity and Relevance 10 Purpose and Process 12 Problem Statement 12 Demographics and Political Power 12 Tribal Sovereignty 15 Recommendations 1. 15 Implement Existing Law and Agency Policy 2. 16 Tribal Consultation Strategy 3. 17 Establish an Advisory Council to Serve Native Students 4. 17 Facilitate Convening Opportunities 5. 18 Provide Professional Development on Tribal Sovereignty 6. 18 Advocate for Funded Agency and Institution Positions that Support Native Higher Education 7. Encourage Culturally Relevant Academic Programs, Courses and Curriculum at Post-Secondary 19 Institutions 8. 20 Mitigate Financial Barriers 9. 20 Publish an American Indian/Alaska Native Higher Education Resource Guide 21 Conclusion 22 Sources 24 Appendix A: Oregon statute 26 Appendix B: List of Meetings and Interviews 27 Appendix C: Resource Guide 28 Eastern Oregon University 30 Oregon Institute of Technology 32 Oregon State University 34 Portland State University 36 Southern Oregon University 38 University of Oregon 41 Western Oregon University 3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: STRENGTHENING OREGON’S HIGHER EDUCATION LANDSCAPE This report is focused on two things. First, it draws attention to the visibility of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) 1 higher education students in Oregon (OR) and the programmatic and services gaps they experience. Second, the document offers recommendations to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) and Oregon’s post-secondary institutions based on best practices that will potentially improve Native student post-secondary engagement, participation and performance rates. The intended audience for the report is the HECC agency, commission, and post-secondary institutions in Oregon. Native students face complex challenges. There is no single solution that can address all the higher education barriers they experience. Given the multifaceted nature of their needs, the HECC must work with various stakeholders including tribes, other agencies, post-secondary institutions and non-governmental stakeholders to help Native students in higher education. Policy interventions must address agency and institutional neglect and current inequities in the Native student experience. As well, policy and program development should consider and capitalize the strengths that Native students bring to the higher education landscape. The HECC and post-secondary institutions in Oregon should lead policy development and higher education initiatives that affect tribes in consultation with tribes. Recommendations:  Implement Existing Law and Agency Policy  Tribal Consultation Strategy  Establish an Advisory Council to Serve Native Students  Facilitate Convening Opportunities  Provide Professional Development on Tribal Sovereignty  Advocate for Funded Agency and Institution Positions that Support Native Higher Education  Encourage Culturally Relevant Academic Programs, Courses and Curriculum at Post- Secondary Institutions  Mitigate Financial Barriers  Publish an American Indian/Alaska Native Higher Education Resource Guide Investing in the Native higher education student experience gives rise to extensive benefits. Given the nature of HECC’s work, the agency knows first-hand through the stories of students the transformative power of higher education. AI/AN contribute to their classrooms and the post- secondary institutions they attend as well to the viability of Oregon as a whole. After graduating, they go on to become lawyers, doctors, teachers, business owners, social workers and a host of other professions. Their visibility in these positions appears all over the state. The success of AI/AN students reflects the success of the agency and the state. 1 The term “American Indian/Alaska Native” represents a member of a federally recognized tribe or village of the United States. U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs “Frequently Asked Questions,” accessed April 6, 2017, https://www.bia.gov/FAQs/ Throughout the report, the term “American Indian/Alaska Native” or “Native,” will be used interchangeably. 4

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report is dedicated to all AI/AN students who pursue their academic goals and strive to make a positive difference in their own lives, families and communities. As a member of the Tulita Dene First Nation of the Northwest Territories, Canada, I know first-hand the transformative power of higher education. In 2016, I graduated from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona with a Master’s of Public Administration and a concentration in American Indian Studies. The program empowered me to share the knowledge and the skills I gained to benefit others. In this spirit, I began the Hatfield Resident Fellowship with the HECC in August 2016. In September 2016 I attended the Government-to-Government Education Cluster Meeting at the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, OR. Each and every tribal representative who spoke that day wanted healthy and happy lives for their community members. Their prayers, songs, stories, heartfelt desires, laughter, concerns and challenges reminded me of the sacred work of education. We each have a role, tribes, politicians, agency leaders, government officials, educators, family members, parents and students, in upholding this sacredness in the educational process. I left the meeting inspired to learn more about Native higher education in Oregon. So, I was exhilarated when the opportunity to do research on Native higher education was presented. In this report’s undertaking students, faculty and administrators at Oregon’s post-secondary institutions as well as those working hard in the community to make a positive difference have inspired me over and over again. With gratitude I thank all of the individuals who have generously shared their time, insights, life experiences and wisdom with me to inform and enrich the findings contained in the following pages. I also thank all of those at the HECC who supported this inquiry. In particular I want to thank Ben Cannon’s and Veronica Dujon’s leadership, and for trusting me to research, write and present on this topic. Without them this report would not be possible. I acknowledge Cheryl Meyers who from the very beginning of the fellowship asked me to share my ideas on connecting HECC with AI/AN students and tribes. I thank my teammates Erin Weeks-Earp, Sean Pollack, and Teresa Wolfe for their encouragement and feedback. Mahsi cho (thank you very much in the Tulita Dene language). Finally, and most importantly, this report acknowledges the American Indian peoples of Oregon who have known this land since time immemorial. In particular, I recognize the Kalapuya peoples who are the original inhabitants of what we now know as the city of Salem and the greater Willamette Valley. Hatona mahsi cho to the people and spirits who allow us to be guests on their land. 5