The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) has again selected Northern Michigan University for its list of Top 200 Colleges for Indigenous Students. The 2022-2023 list appears in the 29th annual Special College Issue of AISES' quarterly magazine, Winds of Change.
NMU is the only college in Michigan to offer a bachelor's degree in Native American Studies. Students attending NMU can also get certification in American Indian education and a master's degree in American Indian education administration.
The Center for Native American Studies offers a new Native American Community Services associate degree and a Native American Community Services minor. There is a resource room filled with books, articles, films and more, and an outdoor fire site for NAS classroom visits. The student organizations at NMU include the Native American Student Association, the Native American Language and Culture Club and the Beading Club.
“This distinction is a reward for all of the good work that NMU has done, largely through the work of the Center for Native American Studies faculty, staff and students, to make our campus community responsive to the needs of the Native American community,” said Martin Reinhardt, a Native American studies professor at NMU and president of the Michigan Indian Education Council. “We have a lot of work that still needs to be done, but it is good that we continue to be recognized as a leader in this area.”
The Winds of Change Special College Issue is a reference used by students, teachers and counselors to decide on colleges because its the only resource of its kind for the growing number of Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians who are concentrating on a science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) discipline in higher education.
This year's edition contains more than 20 pages of statistical information and survey and research data tailored to Indigenous students who are eager to find the right college based on their budget, anticipated major and other criteria.
View the issue here.