November 20, 2023
Dear colleagues,
This November, as we recognize Native American Heritage Month and I continue the monthly series of
communications highlighting system-wide achievements, I hope you will join me in celebrating the unique contributions, histories, and traditions of our Native and Indigenous populations throughout the region.
As a land-grant institution, Washington State University recognizes that our statewide locations reside
on Native homelands, and we have an inherent responsibility to establish, maintain, and improve
relationships with tribal communities overall.
The basis for this commitment was first codified in 1997 when WSU entered into a Memorandum of
Understanding with six local and regional tribes. Over the last 25 years, the MOU has evolved to
include eight additional tribes and provided a framework to establish the Native American Advisory
Board to the President — a group that meets regularly to ensure the university is working towards
true collaboration with its tribal partners.
Thanks to the support and advocacy of the Native American Advisory Board, we have made substantial
strides in bridging equity gaps in the way we work, conduct research, and educate future leaders on
issues pertaining to Native American communities and Native American sovereignty. Over the last few
years, WSU has continued to prioritize the inclusion of Native and Indigenous perspectives through
initiatives like:
We’ve also seen tremendous growth in the number of Native American faculty, staff, and
students at WSU in the last few years. This fall, we have 47 Native American faculty and staff,
719 Native American undergraduates, and 123 Native American graduate students across the system.
This is a big leap from where these numbers were when I started in 2016 and a testament to the
collective efforts of faculty, staff, and students in ensuring that WSU remains a welcoming and
accessible place for all people.
As always, thank you for all that you do, and Go Cougs!
Kirk
Kirk H. Schulz
System President
Washington State University