Indigenous Engagement and Native Student Success Working Group

Purpose

At a moment when Universities across the country were examining their relationship with Indigenous communities, USF, under the leadership of the Provost, expressed interest in deepening our understanding of how USF engages with Indigenous communities and developing recommendations for how we can move forward to strengthen our support and programming on campus, as well as to strengthen relationships with Indigenous communities. We welcome you to read more through the white paper recommendations.

In our second year of the working group USF is committed to taking tangible steps towards advancing our relationship with Indigenous communities, specifically the Raymatush Ohlone. Building upon our initial groundwork and year of deep study, we are actively pursuing the following initiatives outlined in  A Year of Discernment: Indigenous Engagement at USF White Paper. 

Domains of the Working Group 

1. Establishing CEL and Faculty Research Protocols
2. Support for Native Students and Faculty
3. USF Historical Accountability Research 

Charge

The Indigenous Engagement and Native Student Success Working Group members will work together to build an informed, responsive, and accountable structure within the University. During this commitment, the working group will assist the co-chairs with the following tasks:

1. Continue USF engagement with Ramaytush Tribal Leadership.
2. Explore the establishment of a Native Advisory Committee (NAC) composed of Indigenous community representatives.
3. Research and make recommendations on student enrollment, persistence and retention, academic achievement and student services
4. Propose process for researching the history and founding of USF in relation to California Indigenous communities.
5. Foster discussions and make recommendations for CEL (Community Engaged Learning) and Indigenous research practices to enhance meaningful partnerships with California tribal communities.
6. Address challenges in data collection and definitions related to the Native student population.
7. Explore strategies for recruiting and retaining Native faculty, librarians, and students, including cluster hires and identity verification processes.

Members