Learn more about how your gift to the Native American Center supports undergraduate students, and how the Native American Educators as Leaders Scholarship opens doors for Native American educators to pursue advanced degrees.
Native American Center
The Native American Center (NAC) serves as an academic and cultural resource center for Native American undergraduate students attending Fort Lewis College.
As the NAC, we..
- Provide academic, cultural, social, and transitional support for undergraduate Native American students
- Connect and refer undergraduate students to campus and departmental resources
- Develop and promote diversity and inclusion programming in support of indigenous, Native American, American Indian, and/or Alaska Native cultures
- Promote outreach with tribal communities and organizations
- Serve as a central resource center for the Fort Lewis College community on Indigenous and/or Native focused areas
Your gift to NAC supports the following programs:
- Tutoring—Tutors are available for drop-in and one-on-one tutoring in a variety of subjects at no cost to the student.
- Media Loan Program—The NAC lends textbooks and calculators to students on a first come first serve basis each semester.
- Native Skyway to Success—Native Skyway to Success is a pre-orientation program for incoming first-year students. In the program, students will build community through experiential development and focus on building academic capital within the College community so that their first year of college is a success. Participants will spend the week before classes start engaging with student mentors and faculty members to learn relevant academic and social skills.
- Native American Speaker Series— Native professionals are invited to interact with students through keynote addresses, interactive activities, and informal lunches. In the Past we have hosted: Billy Mills, 1964 Olympic Gold Medalist; Nephi Craig, Indigenous Professional Chef; Tanaya Winder, Published Native American Poet.
- Native American Heritage Month Events—November of each year is designated as Native American Heritage Month. The NAC coordinates several events to honor the month and many tribal students who attend FLC. They include lectures, cultural activities, display of tribal flags, and Indigenous film screenings.
- Wellness Programming—The NAC partners with the Outdoor Pursuits office to support our students’ participation in outdoor activities. We also provide massages for students during midterms to help them manage their stress. In the past we have also organized sweat lodges upon request.
Native American Educators as Leaders Scholarships
The NAEL Scholarship supports Native American students seeking to become teachers, administrators and leaders in the field of education with a special emphasis on:
- Increasing the number of teachers and administrators in schools with a sizable American Indian student population
- Elevating the status of teaching through emphasis on quality, best practices, innovation, and professionalism
- Creating educators as leaders through a rigorous multiculturally-informed leadership program.
The scholarship will provide funds for Native American teachers or teacher candidates pursuing a master's degree in the following programs at Fort Lewis College: Teacher Licensure, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse, Special Education, or Teacher Leadership.
Help us award two additional $1,000 scholarships in 2020!
All gifts to this crowdfunding project will be included in FLC's first-ever giving day totals on #GivingTuesday, December 3!
