Northern Michigan University is making another appearance on the American Indian Science and Engineering Society's (AISES) list of the Top 200 Colleges for Indigenous Students. The 2023-24 installment is published in the December special college issue of Winds of Change magazine.
“This honor for NMU is one that the Center for Native American Studies has earned for over a decade,” said CNAS Department Head Joe Lubig. “What a great recognition that really shows CNAS faculty, staff and students understand the value of diversity and the entire student experience at NMU.”
Northern is the only college in Michigan that offers 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 Native American community services associates degree and minor. There's also a resource room filled with books, articles, films and other materials, as well as a fire site for CNAS student visits. NMU also has the Native American Student Association on campus for students looking to be part of an on-campus organization.
In 2021, NMU had a land acknowledgement sign installed on campus for Indigenous Peoples' Day. The sign states that the land NMU resides on is located on the ancestral homelands of the Anishinaabe people.
The Winds of Change Special College Issue is a reference used by students, teachers and counselors to decide on college and is the only resource of its kind. The publication is 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.