Tribal Education Initiative

The Tribal Education Initiative (TEI) Timeline is a living account of the historical and ongoing efforts by Native and Indigenous students, faculty, staff, and their critical allies to establish an institutional presence at the University of Connecticut. This work aims to hold UConn accountable to its history as an institution founded through Indigenous dispossession and to its unrealized promise and potential as a Land and Sea Grant university.

Timeline of Activities

2017-2020

  • The College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources (CAHNR) receives a Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program (FRTEP) grant to work with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (MPTN) on agriculture, youth development, and health of the tribal members. Since then, UConn Extension educators have been closely working with the tribe.
  • The Meechooôk Farm opens on Pequot lands with the support and partnership of the UConn Extension Program
  • UConn adopts a Land Acknowledgement, crafted with the guidance of the members of Akomawt Educational Initiative (Jason Mancini, Chris Newell, endawnis Spears).
  • Students, led by Sage Phillips (Penobscot), establish the Native American and Indigenous Students Association (NAISA).

2020-2021

  • The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) hires the first-ever faculty cohort of Native American and Indigenous Studies scholars (NAIS).
  • LandGrabCT is launched; a project documenting this history of land acquisition and appropriation by UConn. The project was co-led by then faculty member, Glen Mitoma and student Sage Phillips, a current Graduate Student in the Master’s program in Human Rights.
  • NAIS faculty host the first-ever IndigiPalooza!, a three-day celebration with lectures, performances, and film screenings by prominent Indigenous scholars and creatives.
  • The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Department of Agriculture is created, with UConn Extension as a strategic partner.
  • Three NAIS faculty receive competitive grants, and earn research leaves in 2021-2022.

2021-2022

  • Chris Newell (Passamaquoddy) is hired as the first-ever Tribal Community Member-in-Residence.
  • The Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative is created and funded by CLAS.
  • NAIS faculty earn a grant to create the first-ever General Education course on Native American and Indigenous Studies.
  • NAIS students and faculty host a Community Welcome dinner.
  • CAHNR receives a New Beginnings grant supported by a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture. The New Beginnings Program supports tribally enrolled students from the Northeast through integrated financial, cultural, and academic programs in UConn’s Ratcliffe Hicks Associate Degree Program. This two-year program offers three areas of focus: Plant Science, Urban Forestry and Arboriculture, or Animal Science.
  • Professor Nick Reo (Canada Research Chair, Simon Fraser University) is hired as the Inaugural NAIS Visiting Faculty Fellow for spring 2022.
  • The Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program organizes a visit with renowned Elder and Indigenous activist Phyllis Young at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center.
  • NAIS students and faculty host a first-ever Summit with Tribal community members on the future of Native Studies at UConn.

2022-2023

  • CAHNR receives second FRTEP grant to continue the collaborative work with MPTN.
  • UConn President Maric makes a financial commitment to support further development of the Native American Cultural Program (NACP).
  • The first cohort of New Beginnings students start at UConn.
  • Plans are underway to make Chris Newell’s appointment permanent; starting in fall 2024 he will serve as the Director of the Native American Cultural Programs and Instructor in Residence.
  • NAIS faculty are awarded a “United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture” grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities and the Connecticut Humanities.
  • Three more NAIS faculty are hired in CLAS through national searches, two in anthropology and one in English.
  • CLAS launches new searches for two additional NAIS faculty (in geography and English) to start fall 2024.
  • For the first time ever, Tribal leaders are invited to UConn President’s Inauguration and to offer an Honor song.
  • Recognition of the Tribal Nations as critical entities in the State are, for the first time, included in the University's strategic plan.
  • UConn Provost creates a new position of Special Advisor to the Provost on Native American and Indigenous Affairs.
  • The University officially launches a new Tribal Education Initiative (TEI) with a focus on reimagining the Avery Point campus with the Tribal Nations in Connecticut and beyond.
  • The inaugural meeting of the TEI is held on the Avery Point campus.

Contact Us

For more information about this initiative, contact the director of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Area.

Contact the Area Director