15 Year Overview
Barbara Aston
Special Assistant to the Provost/Tribal Liaison
1997 Signing of the MOU
...Whereas,
Washington State University
and the Signatory Tribes
wish to create a structure
to strengthen the relationships between them,
and to improve the quality of
educational services and opportunities
provided to Native American students
at Washington State University...
Subsequent Signings
Confederated Tribes of
Warm Springs
November 13, 1998
Subsequent Signings
Confederated Salish and
Kootenai Tribes
November 17, 1998
Signed in the tribal council
chambers in Pablo,
Montana.
Subsequent Signings
Cowlitz Tribe October 28, 2002
Regular meetings over the years
The first Native
American
Advisory Board
meeting met
April 1998.
Advisory Board Meeting, Spring 2000
Two to three
meetings have
been held every
year since.
Early Activities
• Three Language
Roundtables
• Two Language
Conferences
• Kellogg
Foundation
Partnership 2020
Early Activities
Native Women’s
Writing
Workshops
Creating the Plateau Center
• Plateau Center
planning committee
formed
• Dr. Mary Collins
chaired first Plateau
Conference 2004
Creating the Plateau Center
• Interim Director, Dr. Ron Pond, appointed in
2005
• Hosted second Plateau Conference and first
Native American Research Expo
• Search for permanent director initiated, closed
without hire.
• Second Interim Director, Barbara Aston,
appointed in 2006
Creating the Plateau Center
Under leadership of second Interim Director:
• Plateau Center moved from College of Liberal
Arts to the Provost Office
• Permanent budget established
• Space identified for Plateau Center in Cleveland
Hall
• Plateau Affiliate program established
• Plateau Fellows program established
• Mini-grant program for affiliate faculty established
Creating the Plateau Center
• Third Plateau Conference coordinated by
Phillip Cash Cash, First Plateau Fellow
• Two more
Native
American
Research
Expos hosted
Plateau Faculty
Mini-Grant Highlight
Anthropology Protocols for
Research and Tribal Interaction
Highlight:
Marc Beutel, Plateau Affiliate
Lake Roosevelt students attend National AISES Conference with Dr. Beutel.
Highlight: Library web site and
Plateau People’s Portal Project
Inter-Institutional MOU
…to strengthen the instruction
and scholarship about, and
services to Native Americans
offered by each institution…
March 24, 2008
 Lewis-Clark State College
 North Idaho College
 Northwest Indian College
 University of Idaho
 Washington State
University
Special Events
Special Events
WSU Arboretum & Wildlife
Conservation Center
Plateau Center Faculty & Staff
Michael Holloman
Director
July 2010
Jeanette Weaskus
Clinical Faculty
WSU Grad
August 2011
Kim Christen
Director of Digital
Projects
2011
Renee Holt
Graduate Assistant
Clearinghouse for
Native Teaching
and Learning
August 2011
Plateau Center
Current Initiatives
• Planning for AIST minor and certificate
curriculum to infuse Nation-Building concepts
• Expanding AIST course offerings through interinstitutional partnership
• Expanding Plateau People’s Web Portal through
NEH grant to include collections from MAC
• Partnering with College of Education
Clearinghouse on Native Teaching and Learning
for outreach activities with pre-service teachers
and teacher training
College of Education Initiatives
• Creation of Clearinghouse on Native Teaching
and Learning
• WSU/Coeur d’Alene Education Partnership
• Pacific Northwest Center for Mestizo and
Indigenous Research and Outreach
Susan Banks-Joseph
Associate Professor
Lali McCubbin
Associate Professor
Paula Groves Price
Associate Professor
Speech and Hearing Sciences
• Graduated 42% of all Native speech-language
pathologists and 40% of all Native audiologists in
the Northwest.
• 20 master's degrees and 23
bachelor's degrees to Native
students, 2 have gone on to receive
doctorates.
Ella Inglebret
Project Director
• Graduates work in tribal early
Cultural Interfacing:
childhood and head start programs,
Preparation of
to Work
schools serving Indian communities, Personnel
with Native
and health care settings.
Americans
Native American
Health Sciences
• 17th Annual Naha-shnee
• Over 350 high
school students
have attended
• 70% have gone on
to college
Na-ha-shnee Summer Camp Participants
Robbie Paul
Director
Permanent statefunded position
Summer 2000
Native American
Health Sciences
Graduates:
• 51 BSN Nurses
• 70% returned home to respective tribes or are working in a tribal
clinic
• 8 Master’s level nurses
Current Native American students:
• Pre-nursing: 15
• Pre-health science degree programs: 10
• Nursing: 3
• Master’s: 1
• PhD: 1
• Doctor of Nurse Practitioner: 2
• Pharmacy: 1
• Speech and Hearing: 1
Trude Smith Plateau Scholarship Recipients
Native American Student Center
2012-13 Peer Mentors
• Student Mentor Program
• Student advocacy and
support
• Scholarship and financial
aid assistance
• Campus and community
support and referrals
• Academic advising
• Computer access
• Free academic tutoring
• Workshops
• Cultural events
• Inter-cultural
opportunities
Franci Taylor
Retention
Counselor
Native American Cultural House
Potlucks
Drum Practice
Talking Circles
Sewing and
Crafts
• Special Events
•
•
•
•
Tribal Liaison Office
Barbara Aston
Special Assistant to
the Provost/Tribal
Liaison
Feb 1998
Faith Charlo
Principal Assistant
to the Tribal
Liaison
Feb 2012
Autumn Jones
Native American
Outreach
Coordinator
Oct 2012
Early Outreach
• NY’EHE (Native Youth Exploring Higher
Education)
NY’EHE 2012
14th Annual Summer Camp
477 students have participated
Recruitment
Campus visits
Tribal community college fairs
Active recruitment in tribal communities
Planning & Communications
• Website
• Newsletter
• Marketing
Materials
• Database
Management
Nation Building Curriculum
Thank You!!
Thank you to all for your commitment to
increasing and improving educational
opportunities for and about Native Americans
and for your presence here today.