The University of Kansas announced Wednesday that it has launched a new unit that will focus on engaging with regional Indigenous and Native American communities.
KU’s Office of Sovereign Partnerships & Indigenous Initiatives will be led by Alex Red Corn, a citizen of the Osage Nation, who recently joined the university as associate vice chancellor for sovereign partnerships and Indigenous initiatives and also as director and associate professor of Indigenous Studies; and Lori Hasselman, a citizen of the Shawnee Tribe and Delaware Tribe of Indians, who’s the director for sovereign partnerships and Indigenous initiatives.
“With our proximity to Haskell Indian Nations University, the city of Lawrence has a vibrant intertribal community that is well known throughout Indian Country, so the university serves tribal citizens from all over the country,” Red Corn said in a news release.
“Because of this, we have a responsibility to be in good relations with Native nations so we can be good partners with respect to their sovereign rights to be involved in the education of their own citizens. There is so much potential, and I’m excited to get started doing the good work that KU is committed to doing.”
The office isn’t entirely new, according to the release, as it has evolved from the original Office of Native American Initiatives. That office previously operated within the university’s Office of Academic Success, where the Haskell/KU Exchange program is housed, and the restructuring now aims to expand its work.
Hasselman credited students, faculty and staff, notably the Native Faculty Staff Council, for their long-standing advocacy efforts.
“We are indebted to those in our community whose work in recent years laid the groundwork for this new office,” Hasselman said in the release. “We are grateful to all these individuals and look forward to continued partnerships.”
Partners include the Haskell/KU Exchange Program, Haskell, Native nations and advocacy groups, according to the release. Through collaboration, the office will work to foster ethical relationships with tribal nation citizens on campus, across the region and internationally.
Ben Eggleston, associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, said in the release that he’s delighted about the expanded opportunities Red Corn will have as leader of the office and that he appreciates the leadership Red Corn brings to the table.
“Alex has a strong vision for the role of higher education in serving Native nations, and he articulates it with a deep sense of purpose and understanding of the challenges to be faced,” Eggleston said in the release. “I am confident that his work here at KU will be meaningful and impactful.”
For more information on the Office of Sovereign Partnerships & Indigenous Initiatives, visit its website, sovereignpartnerships.ku.edu.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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