TOWARD TRUTH & RECONCILIATION WITH DISPOSSESSED NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES

STEPPING OUT AND STEPPING UP: TOWARD TRUTH & RECONCILIATION WITH DISPOSSESSED NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES

The launch of the Stepping Out and Stepping Up Project will deliver wholesale change to the meaning of “land-grant fierce.”

Check out a description of this initiative here.

An excerpt:

“Documentation of the immense transfer of resources away from indigenous peoples and toward the establishment of land-grant universities has illuminated the “original sin” of these institutions of higher learning. The founding of our own university is a case in point. In 1870, the State of Ohio received 614,165 acres of Indian land that, when sold, yielded a total endowment of $340,818, upon which The Ohio State University was founded—an amount that would be worth quite significantly more in today’s dollars, bolstered by normal accrual. Territories included in these sales came from at least 29 First Nations (and 39 corresponding bands) scattered across the United States. Territories from tribes residing in states as close as Michigan (Chippewa, Ottawa, Menomini, Wyandot and Potawatomi) and as far away as California (Si-yan-te, Po-to-yan-ti, Co-co-noon, Aplache, A-wall-a-che, A-pang-asse, Ya-wil-chine, Wo-la-si, Wack-sa-che and Po-ken-well) were affected by this dispossession”

 

Stay tuned for much, much more on the need for land-grant universities to reckon with the “land-grab” nature of their founding.

 

 

 

Fulfilling the 21st Century Land-Grant Mission Author Photos

Author Pictures in Alphabetical Order

(as they are shared with us)

 

 

Julie Carpenter-Hubin

 

 

Steve Gavazzi

 

 

Tom Gregoire

 

Kay Halasek

 

 

Casey Hoy

 

 

Damon Jaggers

 

 

Norman Jones

 

 

Rick Martin

 

Matt Mayhew

 

Eric McChesney

 

Harvey Miller

 

 

Rustin Moore

 

Scott Scheer

 

Brian Snyder

 

 

Don Stenta

 

Tayo Switzer

 

Jan Weisenberger

 

 

Susie Whittington

 

David Williams

 

 

Valarie Williams

Brand New Land-Grant Article Published in Animal Frontiers

The land-grant mission in the 21st century: promises made and promises to be kept

Published in the July 2020 edition of Animal Frontiers

Implications
  • The tripartite mission of land-grant universities (research, teaching, and extension) continues to produce astounding numbers of college graduates, inventions, and discoveries.

  • Land-grant universities wishing to assert the benefits of a college degree must become more efficient, increase teaching excellence, engage with community stakeholders, conduct research that matters, describe how activities impact local needs, and refocus on affordability and accessibility.

  • Additional public investment in animal science research, teaching, and extension activities are urgently needed.

  • Animal scientists should consider how connected they are to the mission of land-grant universities that speaks directly to the 21st century needs of its partners and stakeholders.

Read the whole article here.

Land-Grant HBCU Article in Forbes

Why Congress Should Give $1.5 Billion To Historically Black Colleges And Universities

April 24, 2020

Article in Forbes that can be accessed here.

This is where two “rights” can clearly overcome the wrongs associated with historical under-funding of HBCUs and the present racial disparities connected to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Land “Grab” Universities Article in Forbes

The Original Sin Of Our Nation’s First Public Universities

April 20, 2020

Article in Forbes can be accessed here.

“Recognition of the coercive and often violent activities underlying the creation of the land-grant universities over a century and a half ago certainly is challenging. There are many issues and concerns, including questions about what should be done to make amends.”

 

Impact of the Coronavirus Crisis

With Students Gone, College Towns Are In Crisis Mode

April 15, 2020 article in Forbes Magazine

“Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, those campuses and communities that actively collaborated always fared better than those who did not. Like a marriage, it takes two partners to make a relationship thrive. Now, however, campuses and communities more likely will need each other’s help to simply survive.”

Book Review: Land-Grant Universities for the Future

Robert Peterson, faculty member at Utah State University, has just published a very positive review of the Land-Grant Universities for the Future book. From the review:
“This book confirms the land-grant university mission and emphasizes the individual responsibility mandated to serve those we influence. This includes all residents in the communities within our service area. Engagement with neighbors, civic leaders, businesses, education institutions, and any other interested community partners, should all be recognized and listened to.”
 
 

Reframing That College Rejection Letter

Gordon Gee, Stephen Gavazzi and Marco Greenberg column: Reframing that college rejection letter

 

 

March 27, 2020

Dear parents and students: As the deferments and rejections begin to trickle in, remember that life is about choices, and we assure you that there’s a school that’s right for you.

Just as divergent types of intelligence can lead to bigger breakthroughs than more convergence probably would, consider the roads less traveled in the college admissions process.

 

Op-Ed Article in the Richmond Times Gazette click here