Native Student Initiative

Action Item (as stated with DEI strategic plan launch in 2016)

The university will develop admissions, recruitment and student support programming consistent with the principles of the unique sovereign relationship that exists with Native populations in the United States. Through the grant lands provided in the Treaty at the Foot of the Rapids, U-M has a unique and foundational connection to local Native tribes, including the Ojibwe, Odawa, Wyandot and Bodewadimi. In pursuit of this goal, the Office of Enrollment Management (OEM) will collaborate with on- and off-campus partners to create recruitment and engagement opportunities and expand financial access to the Michigan Tuition Waiver program for eligible Native students.

Following our participation in the 2020 Celebration of Traditional Lacrosse program, the Office of Enrollment Management (OEM) worked across campus with Rackham and the Office of the Provost to prepare for a joint virtual event with Northwestern University and Brown University focused on Native and Indigenous students. Discussion focused on the mutual commitment to strengthening a vibrant Native and Indigenous community and the history, culture and resources that each of the three universities will bring to the project.

As in years past, OEM was proactive in sending recruitment materials to all students participating in the 2020 College Horizons program, a national pre-college program for Native American high school students. We also participated in the virtual 2021 College Horizons program, providing financial support as well as a faculty member to assist with programming. Looking ahead, OEM will continue to work intensively with the Native American Student Association (NASA) and other U-M student groups, and will include them in our fall virtual Slice of Life program for prospective students as well as our virtual Maize and You application workshop, held in August.

Responsibility: Office of Enrollment Management