The University of Minnesota Duluth has received a $110,000 grant to train newly elected and appointed tribal leaders and administrators through a new certificate program.
The new project, which offers high quality training in a compressed and accessible time frame, begins in the summer 2017 and continues through April 2018. Participants from across Minnesota will come together for three on-site sessions. The rest of the certificate program will be conducted online and via phone.
“One great advantage to the program is its easy access,” said Tadd Johnson, director of the UMD Masters in Tribal Administration and Governance. “Tribal leaders and administrators entering governance for the first time need to quickly become effective in service and leadership to their communities. Without cutting into their busy schedules too deeply, tribal administrators and staff will receive training to improve their problem solving skills and get access to materials and scholarship that can assist them.”
For one week in the summer of 2017, the participants will attend training and develop a capstone project. In October 2017, they will convene for a fall symposium where scholars will present emerging research on the best practices in tribal administration and applied tribal sovereignty. Online and phone mentoring will continue until April 2018 when the participants will gather at the Blandin Foundation for a two-day retreat.
The project joins other offerings of the UMD Tribal Sovereignty Institute, including training 1,700 state employees in American Indian history, the unique status of tribes as sovereign nations, and how to engage with tribal governments. The Minnesota Indian Affairs Council which is made up of members of 11 Minnesota tribes, supported UMD in the establishment of the Tribal Sovereignty Institute.