This small sample of colleges and universities is meant to give you an idea of the range of choices open to you. Choosing your school is a big decision, but once you weigh considerations that are important to you, like finances, field of study, and location, that hard choice gets easier. So read all the information you can — starting with the Top 200 Schools for Indigenous Students on page 24 — discuss your picks with your family, counselors, and teachers, and visit as many schools as you can.
HOME.DARTMOUTH.EDU
From rigorous academics to exciting extracurriculars, Dartmouth strives to engage the whole student.
Nestled in the small town of Hanover, N.H., Dartmouth College has been preparing leaders since 1769. Undergraduate arts and sciences studies comprise more than 40 academic departments and programs, but the top majors for the Class of 2020 included economics, government, computer science, engineering sciences, and biology. In addition, departments in the Geisel School of Medicine cover basic science and clinical fields, the Thayer School of Engineering has a unified department of engineering sciences, and the MBA program through the Tuck School of Business focuses on key business disciplines.
Dartmouth’s unique year-round system enables students to customize their academic calendars. This flexibility allows each student to take full advantage of all Dartmouth has to offer. What’s more, the college’s sevento-one student-faculty ratio provides undergraduates with personalized, focused instruction.
Not only are students learning in the classroom, they’re also conducting research alongside their professors. Together they’re on the quest to find solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues, including climate change, cybersecurity, cancer immunotherapy, social justice, and more. The partnership between students and faculty is a hallmark of Dartmouth and enables students to gain handson experience. Perhaps that is why Dartmouth is ranked No. 1 in the Ivy League for the long-term, real-world impact of its scholarly work, according to the Nature Innovation Index.
The student experience goes far beyond the classroom. Dartmouth’s more than 6,000 undergraduates hail from across the country and some 68 countries. The diverse student body allows for exposure to various cultures, languages, and traditions. There are also plenty of ways to get involved and collaborate with peers, from planning campus events to working with student organizations.
MONTANA.EDU
Montana State University is Montana’s first land-grant institution, and has created a campus home to support its growing number of Indigenous students.
An education that’s more than lectures and textbooks — that’s what Montana State University (MSU) promises its students. Located in the mountain town of Bozeman, Mont., MSU is a place where you learn by doing and getting your hands dirty. The campus is filled with an adventurous spirit, as the school strives to enrich the minds of its students as they explore the world around them.
MSU is a research institution that emphasizes hands-on learning throughout the curriculum. For example, architecture students have been involved in making tiny homes for the area’s low-income population and engineering students have created biofuel from a fungus found on woodchips. Regardless of the major, research — however that looks — is incorporated into the curriculum.
A student-faculty ratio of 19 to one makes it easy to develop relationships with faculty, staff, and fellow students and ensures students’ success during their time at MSU. The university offers 250 majors across eight colleges. Top programs include engineering, architecture, nursing, business, and environmental science. The MSU Honors College, which requires a separate application, is also available for those students looking to take their major to the next level. Classes are more advanced, more in depth, follow a quicker pace, and provide some unique opportunities.
Currently, MSU is home to 14,420 undergraduate students, with 50 percent of that population hailing from outside Montana. This allows students the chance to learn about various perspectives, values, and traditions. Students have many opportunities to get involved, including more than 300 clubs, organizations, and school-sponsored events. School spirit is on display in support of MSU’s 13 NCAA Division 1 athletic teams as well as its rodeo team.
“MSU is a place where you learn by doing and getting your hands dirty.”
As Montana’s first land-grant institution, it operates under the belief that every student, regardless of background, should have the chance to pursue a college education. Furthering that mission, the university created a campus home to support its growing number of Indigenous students. This past October, the doors of the $20 million American Indian Hall were opened. The building, which incorporates architectural concepts of MSU alumnus Dennis Sun Rhodes, Northern Arapaho, is a work of art and an educational resource providing areas for study, collaboration, and ceremony for MSU’s Indigenous community. The largest classroom — a culturally harmonious design in the round — has been named for AISES Council of Elders charter member emerita Dr. Henrietta Mann, who is also an MSU professor emerita. Native American Hall is now home to MSU’s Department of Native American Studies and the American Indian/Alaska Native Student Success Services office, which serves more than 800 Native students. In addition, the new center serves as a place for Indigenous students to call their home away from home.
AISES College Chapter Profile
Members of the AISES College Chapter at Humboldt State University in Arcata, Calif., are busy engaging with organizations on and off campus. Plans include supporting the Native American Studies Department’s Food Sovereignty Lab and efforts to develop that department’s first bachelor of science degree option. Their work with the Indian Tribal Education Personnel Program’s (ITEPP) cultural activities helps all Native students feel at home. Off campus they contribute to workforce development efforts of the Northern California Indian Development Council, and volunteer in the community garden and clinic of the United Indian Health Service’s Potawot Health Village. They also network with tribes and Indigenous organizations that partner with federal agencies to offer research internships and science camps.
“Emerging from COVID, the chapter is now in a growth mode.”
Emerging from COVID, the chapter is now in a growth mode. Chapter officers are James Lara, Apache, Yaqui, and Cherokee, president; Maudesty Merino, Mountain Maidu, treasurer; Cloey McCracken, Ione Band of Miwok, vice president; and Kayah Ray, Yurok, secretary. Many prospective members learn about the chapter through the school’s Indian Natural Resources and Engineering Program and Diversity in STEM (INRSEP+). According to chapter advisor Lonyx Landry, Nor Rel Muk Wintu Nation, the two organizations have worked hand in hand since at least the 1980s. That synergy, and the many other resources and initiatives focused on Indigenous students — like the Goudi’ni Native American Arts Gallery, ITEPP, American Indian College Motivation Day, and Indigenous People’s Week — create opportunities to share cultural understanding.
AISES is part of it all and has become an important resource at Humboldt State. “The long-standing mantra of INRSEP+ is to promote research and then take the show on the road to the AISES National Conference,” says Landry. “Students are expected to maximize the broader impacts of their research, which leads to showcasing their work at AISES.” But presenting research is not the only reason students get involved. “They understand that AISES catapults their academic and career goals via networking to their next opportunities,” explains Landry. In 2017, the chapter hosted a networking opportunity for all of Region 2 — the largest Regional Conference in AISES history. “That experience was epic,” says Landry, “and we intend to surpass it in coming years.”