UMD’s American Indian Learning Resource Center (AILRC) is pleased to announce Jody O’Connor as its new director. An enrolled member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, O’Connor is a longtime UMD employee as well as an alumna who holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in tribal administration and governance.
The AILRC, is formally housed within the College of Education and Human Service Professions (CEHSP). Jill Pinkney Pastrana, CEHSP dean, says, “I’m thrilled to welcome Jody as a colleague and as director of the AILRC. As a Native alum, she has a unique understanding of the critical role the center plays not just in UMD’s recruitment but its retention of American Indian and Alaska Native students. She brings a wealth of knowledge, practical experience and enthusiasm to the position that will serve students well.”
O’Connor has been a UMD staff member for more than three decades. She began working at the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships in 1989 assisting Native and other underrepresented students. She spent 22 years there as a program manager and counselor. Over the last decade, O’Connor has worked as manager/assistant director of One Stop Student Services.
Throughout her years at UMD, O’Connor has been active in many AILRC efforts and events, including prospective Native student campus visits and acting as a liaison to help students navigate billing and financial aid cycles. She was also the silent auction co-chair for several AILRC scholarship banquet fundraisers.
The first in her family to graduate with a college degree, O’Connor embraced the UMD experience. She participated in Upward Bound Vision Quest as a summer resident advisor, was a campus tour guide, orientation leader and teaching assistant. She’s also quick to credit staff at the AILRC and Native faculty at UMD, saying their support was “instrumental” to her obtaining a degree.
According to O’Connor, she wants to continue former director Rick Smith’s legacy at the AILRC, providing a “home away from home” and a “good connection point that can help students navigate college, from the first day they walk through the door to the day they graduate.” She wants to enhance AILRC’s role as a trusted resource that empowers Native students and also advocates for their voices to be heard. She stresses the importance of retaining students through graduation. “You can’t take a degree away from someone,” she says.
Jill Doerfler, professor and department head of American Indian Studies, served on the AILRC director search committee. "Jody has the right balance of education, experience, skills, and strengths to be an innovative and successful AILRC director,” says Doerfler. “In addition, she is a current staff member, an alumni, and parent of two UMD graduates, so she has an insider view of many different perspectives, which will greatly benefit the AILRC."
Since enrollment for Native students decreased substantially in the last two years, one of O’Connor’s first goals will be bringing enrollment back to pre-pandemic levels. As a first step, she intends to collaborate with campus partners, local tribes and tribal colleges to update the center’s strategic plan.
One of O’Connor’s ideas is to create a freshman orientation program that engages with students from the beginning and teaches them to navigate the university system. “My goals for any Native student are that of a sense of belonging and that they are not a number on a data chart but an integral part of the University,” she says.
O’Connor is married and has two grown children who followed in her footsteps to attend UMD. She’s a Bulldogs hockey fan who’s held season tickets since 1982. “Once a Bulldog, always a Bulldog,” the proud alumna says. “I love the City of Duluth and I love UMD. I’m excited for this new life chapter.”
About the American Indian Learning Resource Center. Rick Smith served as AILRC director for more than 30 years before retiring in January 2021.