Indigenous Strategic Plan

Commitment to strengthening existing and building new fiscal resources ensures that Northwestern has the infrastructure to meet the goals outlined throughout the strategic plan. While fiscal resources will include investing in people, the work will also require funding to develop programs, events, and spaces. Achievement of this goal will make resources more widely available and will assist in expanding and creating more opportunities and resources to bolster activities and partnerships. Investment in a broad range of resources benefit the entire campus community. This goal includes access and stewardship of land and spaces, fostering a sense of belonging for all while engaging with Indigenous Knowledge systems.

Develop strategies and resources designed to help leadership across all sectors of the University to gain and develop leadership competencies that will prepare them for overseeing implementation of Indigenous initiatives. This goal includes the recruitment, development, and recognition of leaders that demonstrate strong qualifications throughout the University, including an understanding of tribal sovereignty and federal trust responsibilities and its application to higher education, research practices, and other policies. When leadership and skill development is cultivated across the university, it will lead to academic rigor, innovative research, and robust partnerships that enrich the community.  Alongside the cultivation of leaders, the development of data infrastructure and empirical trends will be important to equip leadership with data-driven and research-backed strategies for decision-making.

It is the responsibility of Northwestern as an academic institution to ensure that all members of the community, at all levels, have a grounded understanding of Indigenous knowledges. This goal supports the creation of multi-disciplinary, innovative, Indigenous-centered, collaborative work informed by and responsive to Native American and Indigenous nations, communities, and organizations. These intellectual spaces should open up multiple modes of engagement for all faculty, students, staff, and community members. Achievement of this goal directly supports Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination, and cultivates a sense of belonging and intellectual excitement on campus. Achievement of this goal will require all units across the university, no matter where they sit, to consider the unique ways their individual offices can develop new or enrich existing programs and initiatives that support the intellectual base of the University.

Indigenous Peoples exist globally and are culturally distinct communities. Specifically in the United States, our government has a specific trust responsibility with federally recognized tribes. Our partnerships should include urban, rural, and reservation-based lands with a priority of fostering relationships with tribal nations and communities within Chicago, the Midwest and with the Cheyenne & Arapaho. Globally, 80% of the world’s biodiversity exists within Indigenous lands, and thus Indigenous Peoples should be present and central to exploring, researching, and addressing global problems. This partnership goal includes collaboration, shared decision making, information and resource-sharing, research, and policymaking. Achieving this goal honors tribal sovereignty, promotes innovation, and enhances community engagement, capacity-building, and the self-determination of Indigenous communities. This goal requires resources and accountability.

 Units throughout the University will provide a broad spectrum of support for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students at Northwestern to ensure all students feel a sense of belonging. Students will engage with Indigenous knowledge systems, preparing students to be more educated members of their communities. Achievement of this goal will ensure that Northwestern is a welcoming and hospitable environment where Native American students can thrive alongside their non-Native counterparts. For Northwestern to meet the ever-changing needs of its Native population, it is critical for administrators at all levels to continually examine their systems for collecting data to ensure an accurate understanding of the current experience of Native American & Indigenous students and to develop informed strategies to meet the needs of this population.