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NAI Strategic Planning Blog

UPDATES BLOG

April 1, 2024- Launch Celebration to take place at NAISA's 3rd Annual Traditional Spring Pow Wow

After two years of intentional planning, we are thrilled to announce the official launch of Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ University's Native American and Indigenous (NAI) Strategic Plan. This plan marks a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to honoring Native and Indigenous voices and fostering an inclusive campus environment. The plan outlines key priorities over the next three years, including investing in human, space, and financial resources, enhancing Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ's Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵhip efficacy and capacity, creating university-wide knowledge grounded in Native American and Indigenous perspectives, expanding partnerships with Tribal and Indigenous communities, and increasing support for Native American and Indigenous students. The framework will be based in the pedagogical teachings of the jiimaan (birch bark canoe) and grounded in the reciprocity gift exchange that took place between President Schill and the Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ Indigenous community during his inauguration in June of 2023. This plan is not just a document; it's guidance towards action, a blueprint for how we can all contribute to a more inclusive and vibrant Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ. 

We invite you to be part of this journey. Join us as we unveil the strategic plan at the Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance’s (NAISA) Third Annual Pow Wow on Saturday, April 27th from 12pm to 5pm at the Welsh-Ryan Arena. This is an opportunity to learn more about the strategic plan, our goals, and how you can get involved. Together, we can create space where Native American and Indigenous people are heard, their identities and ways of being and knowing are honored, their intellectual work is valued, and where they can thrive as valued members of our community.  

January/February 2024- Hosting a series of Roundtables

The Native American & Indigenous Strategic Planning Committee has developed five key priority goals and is excited to engage with units across the University to review the strategic planning focus and process, and dive deeper into the key five areas of our plan. These areas are:  

  1. INVEST IN HUMAN, SPACE, AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO SUPPORT STRATEGIC PLAN
  2. ENHANCE NU LEADERSHIP EFFICACY AND CAPACITY
  3. CREATE NU-WIDE KNOWLEDGE AND PROGRAMS GROUNDED IN INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND SELF-DETERMINATION  
  4. RESOURCE AND DELIVER ON PARTNERSHIP WITH TRIBAL COMMUNITIES 
  5. INCREASE SUPPORT AND ENGAGEMENT OF NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS STUDENTS AT NORTHWESTERN, INCLUDING PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS, CURRENT STUDENTS AND ALUMNI.  

     Roundtables:  

Our next step in this process is to hold a series of roundtables. During each roundtable discussion, different units and stakeholders will be diving into specific goals that are key to their areas. We will also be holding general sessions open to all for each individual goal.  Participants will have an opportunity to consider how each of these key focal areas is conceptualized, particularly through conversations about hopes and aspirations in each of these areas.  

During these roundtables, we share an update on the overall planning process and timeline before we ask the following set of questions: 

  1. What are some actions that NU can take to demonstrate Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵhip within these goals? 
  2. What openings and connections with your current initiatives can be expanded, or new activities you can imagine, that your unit could engage in to support the goals? 
  3. What barriers, challenges, or worries come to mind in accomplishing the goals? What strategic advice do you have in navigating these barriers and challenges? 
  4. What support and relationship(s) does your unit need to successfully engage in implementing the goals and commitments to Indigenous strategic plan? From/with Native & Indigenous Affairs (NAIA)? Who in your unit can serve as a liaison to NAIA? 

Below is the schedule for general goal-specific roundtable. Anyone can join these virtual sessions so we encourage you to register to join us: 

: GOAL 1: INVEST IN HUMAN, SPACE, AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO SUPPORT STRATEGIC PLAN

: GOAL 2: ENHANCE NU LEADERSHIP EFFICACY AND CAPACITY

: GOAL 3: CREATE NU-WIDE KNOWLEDGE AND PROGRAMS GROUNDED IN INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND SELF-DETERMINATION  

: GOAL 4: RESOURCE AND DELIVER ON PARTNERSHIP WITH TRIBAL COMMUNITIES 

: GOAL 5: INCREASE SUPPORT AND ENGAGEMENT OF NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS STUDENTS AT NORTHWESTERN, INCLUDING PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS, CURRENT STUDENTS AND ALUMNI.  

May 13, 2023- A group of 16 stakeholders met for a Strategic Planning Retreat

A mix of students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community partners met for an all-day strategic planning retreat. Utilizing a nominal group process, the goals of the retreat were to:

  • Set high level strategic direction with 3-7 goals emerging from the process
  • Bring the collective into a shared understanding of the current landscape and a vision of the future
  • Engage collective in strategic thinking and decision making
  • Set the stage for implementation plans with goals/objectives and measurable outcomes for next 3 years.
The process was a tiring yet productive day of future-thinking and dreaming big!

March 23, 2023 - Local Organizational Leader Interviews conducted and Community-wide Survey now closed.

Interviews were held with Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵhip of local Native American-serving organizations to gain their insight on how Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ can partner better with their organizations and institutions. On March 1st, we launched a survey to gain an understanding of our strengths and needs to inform our future strategic directions. The survey remained open for 3 weeks and was shared across the Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ community and beyond via email, newsletters, TV ads, table tents and word of mouth. Thank you to the members of our community who participated! Results from this survey will inform the creation of the draft plan. Stay tuned for updates.

Congratulations to the 15 winners of the $20 gift cards!

March 1, 2023 - Community-wide Survey Opened!

A key part of the Native American and Indigenous Strategic Planning process is gathering feedback from community both across the University and with our external partners. Our hope is to better understand your perspectives regarding the ways in which the University has engaged with Indigenous initiatives to gain an understanding of our strengths and needs to inform our future strategic directions. This is an opportunity to influence and impact the future of Native American and Indigenous Initiatives at Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ. The Committee is deeply committed to this process and to learning from you and other members of the NU community.

Please , which takes approximately 15 minutes to finish. You will be asked questions about your perceptions of the strengths, needs, and direction of Native American and Indigenous Initiatives on campus. People who complete the survey prior to March 22, 2023 will be entered into a drawing to win one of fifteen $20 Visa gift cards. You are only eligible to win once, and winners will be contacted via their email provided at the end of the survey. Your feedback is deeply appreciated!

September 2022- Launch of Native American and Indigenous Strategic Planning Process

It's been almost nine years since the Native American Outreach and Inclusion Task Force Report was published in 2014 and Native American and Indigenous initiatives continue to grow and evolve at Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ. In Fall of 2022, Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ launched the Native American and Indigenous Strategic Planning process and appointed a Strategic Planning Committee of faculty, staff, and students across the University.

The process is expected to take place over the course of the 2022-2024 academic years and will begin with a series of information gathering and conversations that will provide opportunities for engagement and input of community stakeholders.  The process will culminate with the development of a set of institutional priorities and a framework for guiding our direction through the end of the 2027 academic year.  

Jasmine Gurneau, Director of Native American and Indigenous Affairs, will serve as Chair of the Native American and Indigenous Strategic Planning Committee. The full Committee membership is listed below:

  • Jasmine Gurneau (Chair), (Oneida/Menominee) Director for Native American and Indigenous Affairs, Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion
  • Megan Bang, PhD (Ojibwe/Italian descent), Professor, School of Education and Social Policy; Director, Center for Native American and Indigenous Research
  • Kayla Giger (Ojibwe), Medical Student, Feinberg School of Medicine
  • Athena GoingSnake (Cherokee), Undergraduate Student, WCAS '25
  • Aaron Golding, (Seneca) Associate Director, Multicultural Students Affairs
  • Niyo Moraza-Keeswood (Diné/ Chichimeca), Senior Assistant Director, Undergraduate Admission
  • Linda Tuhiwai Smith (Māori), Indigenous Education Scholar
  • Isabella Twocrow (Oglala Lakota/Ho-Chunk Nation), Undergraduate Student, SESP '23

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The steps that the Committee will take include the following:

  • ASSESS:  Where is the University now? We will be gathering data and engaging in conversations with stakeholders within and across the University. 
  • DEVELOP: Where does the University want to be? We will create our goals, develop a framework, and draft our plan. The process will include socializing the plan with community to collect feedback to finalize the plan.
  • EXECUTE: How will the University get there? We will establish deliverables and initiate action steps. This will include a formal launch event and activities.
  • MEASURE: How will the University know we are successful? We will develop a plan to monitor progress and measure success regularly. This will include a communication plan to share progress widely.

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