PULLMAN – WSU has found a “gem” in Franci L. Taylor, the new interim retention counselor for the Native American Student Center, according to J. Manuel Acevedo, director of the Office of Multicultural Student Services.
“She comes to us with a wealth of knowledge and experience working with Native American students, communities, higher education and in cross-cultural settings,” he said.
Taylor, who assumes her post Nov. 2, most recently served as co-director of I-4-C International Cross-Cultural Competency Consulting in Bozeman, Mont., and Almere, The Netherlands. She also has been a grant proposal reviewer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D. C.
She has extensive previous teaching experience in religious, Native American and Latin American studies at the University of Brussels-Antwerpen and the University of Leiden, The Netherlands. She served as director of American Indians into Careers in Health at Montana State University-Bozeman.
Taylor is in the final stages of writing her doctoral dissertation at Leiden University. Her research focuses on tribally controlled heritage management and material culture.
“I am very much looking forward to being part of the WSU community and working with the students there,” said Taylor. “I am a strong advocate of personal empowerment and individual ownership of the goals students set for themselves, and I will strive to create an atmosphere where they can be successful.”
Taylor earned a master’s degree in Native American studies, a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, and a bachelor’s degree in commercial and fine art, all from Montana State University-Bozeman.
